Business Stationery

Well-designed letterheads, business cards and forms provide the addressee with a sense of trust in the sender and must be produced to an appropriately high standard of quality. To ensure effective functionality and correct application in business stationery, an identification system has been developed for Daimler and the companies bearing the corporate name. For reasons of space, the raising principle is not applied on business stationery.

Companies bearing the corporate name add information to their business stationery in accordance with commercial and company law in their respective countries. Group member companies in which Daimler is the majority shareholder and which do not have the word “Daimler” in their name use the endorsementEndorsement
The use of an corporate brand in order to endorse a sub-brand. The degree of endorsement varies from... “A Daimler Company”. In translations, this endorsement appears in the respective country’s language, but the abbreviation “AG” is not used outside Germany. Companies bearing the corporate name including “Mercedes-Benz” must be incorporated into the Mercedes-Benz brand design.

LetterheadLetterhead
Cut-size sheet of paper preprinted on one side for private or business correspondence. Normally in ...

The standard letterhead is the central element of business stationary. It consists of individual modules which are clearly defined while offering sufficient flexibility for adaptations to country-specific standards, such as address field at top right. The layoutLayout
The layout provides the designer and requesting party with an impression of how a communication ... of the letterheads shown here is in accordance with DIN standards (DIN A4) and takes into account the requirements of German corporate law and recommendations from the postal service. Dimensioning sheets are also available for the corresponding letterhead in US letter format (8.5 x 11 inches).

Letterhead with and without a reference line

Key elements of the letterhead are the corporate logotypeCorporate logotype
It can be a picture, a word or a combination of words and pictures. Colloquially, it is often ..., which is produced in silver using a hot-foil embossing process, and the silver brushing area. The corporate logotype appears on all letterheads and other business stationery in a width of 45 mm and is always positioned on the left. Except on the letterhead of the parent company, “Daimler AG”, the sender’s name always appears at top left in black, under the brushing area. Contact details and trade and company information are printed black on a white background. These all use the corporate typefaceCorporate typeface
The font with which a company identifies and presents itself externally and internally. At Daimler ... Daimler CS.

Header on letterhead of a Daimler Group company

The footer of the standard letterhead contains all information required by commercial and corporate law, the sender’s full address and communication details. An exception is the letterhead with abridged footer, which is used for employee references, for example. The footer is always structured from the bottom to the top. 

Dimensioning of the DIN A4 letterhead with a reference line (all dimensions in mm)

Letterheads and other office supplies can be ordered online via the Daimler eShop: 
http://intra.corpintra.net/intra_gps_ips/0-254-68803-49-1439006-1-0-0-0-0-1-0-68803-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.html
(restricted internal access only)

Electronic Letterhead 

The separate document templateTemplate
Outline for a document containing key layout elements that can be filled with new content. provided for the Office application Word should only be used for letters or other business correspondence which are sent exclusively as an attachment (PDF) via e-mail or other digital platforms to external recipients. The electronic letterhead does not replace the standard letterhead of Daimler AG.

Two versions of the electronic letterhead are available:

• The letterhead with the corporate logotype in black is suitable for general correspondence or for correspondence with authorities, e.g. for matters relating to visas.
• The variant with the corporate logotype on the brushing is characterized by a higher imageImage
  The publicly perceived image of a company, brand, product or service. Determined primarily by ... effect.

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2

Electronic letterhead with the corporate logotype on the brushing [1] and the corporate logotype in black on a white background [2]

Business Cards

Apart from identifying the holder as an employee of Daimler, the business card also represents the company. As such, the design is not an expression of personal taste and individual creativity, but is binding for all employees. It contains only the holder’s personal details, with no additional content, such as advertising.

The brushing area in a special color always covers the entire face of a business card. The corporate logotype is positioned in the center in silver, using a hot-foil embossing process. In the case of subsidiaries, the company name is positioned in white below the corporate logotype. 

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2

Face of business cards without [1] and with the name of a group member company [2].

All information on the reverse side is printed in black on a white background. An academic degree can optionally be positioned under the name. The unit designation or job function is placed below this, and is limited to two lines.

Communication details comprise a maximum of eight lines. These are left-justified and structured from bottom to top. An additional street address may optionally be added to the right of the first three lines of the communication details. 

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2

Reverse side of business cards with academic degree [1] and without academic degree including an optional street address [2].

If an employee has a social media account, e.g. Twitter, this can also be specified on the business card.

Business cards containing QR codes are printed as 4-page double or fold-out cards. The outside front cover is designed like the front face of the standard variant, while the brushed surface runs on over to the outside back cover. The QR codeQR code
The abbreviation QR stands for “quick response.” Such codes depict encrypted information in the form... is placed on the inside front cover. QR codes are printed in black and without any additions. They contain the information that is also depicted on the inside back cover.

The exterior of the fold-out business card has a brushed surface and the corporate logotype on the outside front cover and a format-filling brushed surface on the outside back cover.

The QR code with a width of 30 mm is placed on the inside front cover and has the same margins as the information box on the inside back cover.

Job titles for functions within Daimler AG are derived from the relevant management level. As an alternative to the standard in-house English titles, the wording “Head of [+ job function]” can be used. In German, no titles are used; instead, the wording “Leiter [+ job function]” can be used. In legally independent companies, titles deviating from these rules can be used in business relationships in accordance with national conventions and requirements. The use of such alternative titles must be agreed with the relevant organizational unit.

¹) Only for the following functions: MBC/COO, MBC/M, TE, TN, TA, DFS, Van, Bus
²) Only for the function: Legal & Compliance

Business cards can be ordered online using the eVisi system:
http://sstra507.edc.corpintra.net/evisi/ 
(restricted internal access only)

Printed Forms

Forms which are similarly important to letterheads are likewise produced with brushing in a special color including the Daimler corporate logotype in silver using a hot-foil embossing process.

Many units also use carbon-copy forms, e.g. for order forms, delivery notes or shipping documents. For production-related reasons, these forms are not printed with brushing and the corporate logotype only appears in black. The size and position of the corporate logotype are identical to the letterhead. This rule also applies to forms that are printed directly from a computer, such as fax forms and minutes.

“Basic” forms are produced with the corporate logotype in black only.

Issue of Business Stationery

Headquarters
All employees at Group’s headquarters receive business stationery and cards based on Daimler’s Corporate Design.

Mercedes-Benz Cars
Personnel in the Mercedes-Benz Cars division including the plants and central departments active for the division (e.g. FC, HR, IT, etc.) receive Mercedes-Benz stationery and business cards based on the Mercedes-Benz brand design.
Exception: employees at the smart plant in Hambach and in the smart sales area use stationery and business cards corresponding to the smart brand design.

Daimler Trucks
All personnel in the Daimler Trucks division receive Daimler business cards/stationery. 
Exceptions: The stationery for Mercedes-Benz Trucks sales are based on the Mercedes-Benz brand design. Employees at plants and in the sales organization in the NAFTA region receive brand-related business stationery and cards. Employees of Mitsubishi FUSO should receive FUSO business stationery and cards.

Daimler Financial Services
All employees in central functions receive Daimler Financial Services business stationery and cards. Outside Germany, the division’s personnel receive stationery and business cards bearing the designation of the relevant national company. Employees of Mercedes-Benz Bank use business stationery and cards based on the Mercedes-Benz Bank brand design.

Mercedes-Benz Vans
All personnel at Mercedes-Benz Vans including the plants and central departments active for Mercedes-Benz Vans (e.g. FC, HR, IT, etc.) receive Mercedes-Benz stationery and business cards.

Daimler Buses – EvoBus GmbH
All existing regulations remain valid.

Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development
All Group Research employees receive business stationery and cards based on Daimler’s Corporate Design. Personnel in Mercedes-Benz Cars Development have Mercedes-Benz stationery and business cards.

Sales Companies
Personnel in central functions receive stationery and business cards bearing the designation of the relevant national company. Personnel in sales functions receive brand-specific stationery and business cards.

Productions Instructions

All business stationery is printed in black using the corporate font Daimler CS. Standard letterheads are printed on Inapa Tecno Premium, 80 g/sq. m. Board of Management letterheads are printed on Conqueror CX 22 diamond white, 120 g/sq. m. Personalized business letterheads for the Board of Management are also printed on this paper quality. The second page of the standard letterhead is unprinted, white and in the same quality of paper. Conqueror CX 22 diamond white, 320 g/sq. m., is used for business cards. Compliment cards are printed on 250 g/sq. m. Conqueror CX 22, diamond white.

Print Finishing and Enhancement
Business stationery is printed with a silver background (special color PantonePantone
The Pantone color system consists of spot colors (“special colors“) from Pantone Inc., located in ... 10077) on which the hot-foil embossed corporate logotype is placed. The brushing structure is then printed in black on the silver background. In this process, it should be ensured that the black brushing is not printed on the silver background until the silver background is dry. A corresponding drying time must be allowed for. The Daimler corporate logotype is produced in an enhanced print with a gloss level of “glossy” using a hot-foil embossing technique. All other information shown on the business stationery is printed in black.

Electronic Letterhead
Documents created using the template with the corporate logotype placed on the brushing should not be printed and sent by mail. The quality of office printers varies and they do not print to the edge, as a result of which it is not possible to guarantee the correct reproduction of the corporate logotype, colors and backgrounds.

Envelopes
Envelopes are produced without a silver background and brushing, due to post-office regulations. The corporate logotype is produced by means of a silver hot-foil embossing process and is placed on white by way of exception. Standard envelopes are made of light-colored recycling paper. Personal envelopes are made using the paper model Conqueror CX22 and are printed with the sender’s details on the reverse side.

Fax Forms
Fax forms are created directly on the computer. They are thus printed without brushing. The corporate logotype is in black. If the fax form is used not only as a cover sheet, but in the form of a business letter instead, the footer must also include the information required under corporate law.

Stamps
Due to poor reproduction quality, the use of images, such as vehicle vignettes etc., in stamps is to be avoided. In company stamps, the corporate name therefore does not appear as the corporate logotype, but as a typographical composition only. The plates of franking machines likewise contain only text information and no images. The content of the stamps is set in Daimler CS Regular. The font sizeFont size
The unit of measurement for the font size is the point (pt). is 18 pt for the corporate name and 14 pt for the location name.

Rules for Writing

The basis for the structuring of letters is the standard DIN 5008, although in some exceptional cases, such as telephone numbers, Daimler AG does not follow the DIN recommendations. The following rules must be adhered to regarding the layout/content of letters:

Recipient’s Address
The address field has seven lines, the first line being reserved for additional information, such as registered mail. The address should not exceed six lines; there is no line space between any additional information and the address itself. Where the letter is destined for another country, the destination city and country are written in capital letters. If possible, the destination city should be written in the language of the destination country (e.g. FIRENZE rather than FLORENCE). The destination country is written in English on the last line of the address field.

Date
In view of different notations and in the interests of clarity, it is recommended to write out or abbreviate the names of months: 21 October 2016 or 21 Oct. 2016.

Subject
The subject is written below the reference line and has no period. It can be set in bold. There are two line spaces after the subject.

Salutation
The salutation is separated from the actual content by a line space. If the name of the recipient is known, the salutation is as follows: “Dear Ms ...,” or “Dear Mr ...,” If the recipient’s name is uncertain, the general form of address should be “Dear Sir or Madam,”.

Text Layout
Letters are written left-justified in the Daimler CS corporate font in 11 pt. Either bold or italicItalic
Having the characteristic of type with main strokes slanting. is used for portions to be emphasized. The Daimler corporate name is written in capital and small letters. Neither all capitals nor small capitals are allowed. The complimentary close is separated from the main text by a line space; the company name together with “AG” is directly below the complimentary close. The first and last names of the signatories are written out in full on the computer-generated signatory line. Prefixes such as i.A., i.V. or ppa. are positioned in front of the signatory names and on the same line or are added by hand when the letter is signed.

Guideline for Written Correspondence and Signatory Rights

Daimler AG’s policy for written correspondence and signature rights includes instructions regarding the different types and scopes of powers of attorney and signature rights. The use of powers of attorney and signature rights in conventional and electronic correspondence is also governed.

Daimler’s Group signature policy (domestic):
http://erd3.e.corpintra.net/ERD/Home/ruleProfile/32085
(internally accessible only)