What Is the Red Bull Logo?
The Red Bull logo shows two red bulls charging head-on at each other in front of a yellow sun, with the name Red Bull set beneath them. Red Bull is the energy drink of Red Bull GmbH, the company Dietrich Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya founded in Fuschl am See, Austria, in 1984; the drink went on sale in Austria on 1 April 1987.
The bulls and sun with the Red Bull name are available as the Red Bull logo SVG.
Red Bull Logo Facts
| Introduced | 1987, at the Austrian launch |
| Symbol | Two red bulls charging at each other in front of a sun |
| Logo type | Combination mark: the bulls, the sun and the Red Bull name |
| Earlier mark | The charging gaurs of Krating Daeng, sold in Thailand since 1976 |
| Owner | Red Bull GmbH |
What the Red Bull Logo Means
The logo is a translation. Red Bull grew out of Krating Daeng, a Thai drink whose name means "red gaur", the gaur being a large wild ox. Its label showed two red gaurs charging at each other against a sun, and Red Bull carries the same picture with the animals turned into bulls and the Thai name turned into English.
The clash of two heavy animals at full speed puts the drink's promise of energy into a single image.
Red Bull Logo History
Chaleo Yoovidhya introduced Krating Daeng in Thailand in 1976 as a refreshment for rural labourers. In 1982 Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian then working for Blendax, found on a trip to Thailand that the drink helped with his jet lag.
In 1984 the two men founded Red Bull GmbH, each investing US$500,000 and each taking 49 per cent, with Mateschitz running the company. He spent the next three years on the formula, the packaging and the brand. When the drink reached Austria in 1987 it had been modified for European tastes, but its charging bulls were left virtually untouched.
Red Bull and Krating Daeng have remained separate companies that are often mistaken for each other.
Red Bull Beyond the Can
The charging bulls have travelled well past the drink. The cartoon advertisements built on the slogan "Red Bull gives you wiiings" began in 1992. In late 2004 Red Bull bought the Jaguar Formula One operation and has raced as Red Bull Racing since 2005; in April 2005 it bought SV Austria Salzburg and renamed it, and in 2009 it bought the licence of a German fifth-division club and renamed it RB Leipzig.
One rival was designed with Red Bull in mind: Monster Energy launched in 2002 with a claw-mark M created to take on the bulls (compare the Monster Energy logo).
For more brands like Red Bull, browse our food and drink logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What animals are in the Red Bull logo?
Two red bulls charging at each other. They come from the Thai drink Krating Daeng, whose label showed two red gaurs, a kind of wild ox.
Is Red Bull based on a Thai drink?
Yes. Dietrich Mateschitz discovered Krating Daeng in Thailand in 1982 and founded Red Bull with its creator, Chaleo Yoovidhya, in 1984.
What does Krating Daeng mean?
It is Thai for "red gaur", the wild ox that became the bull in the Red Bull logo.
When did the Red Bull logo first appear?
With the launch of the drink in Austria on 1 April 1987.