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quarters form shoulders above the wheel arches so there is a
sense of power and muscularity to the form.
There is a distinctive, familial look shared by the E-Class
as well as by its siblings like the C-Class on one side and
S-Class on the other.
THE OVERALL LOOK BEYOND THE VEHICLES
While it is typically thought that automotive designers
simply design the cars and trucks for their respective
companies, there is a tradition among designers like Rams
and Esslinger that goes beyond the physical objects that
represent the companies in the market. They also get
involved in how the companies are presented to the market.
And so, too, has Wagener. He points over his shoulder to
the sign on the wall behind him with the widely recognized
tri-star. And then he goes onto explain that they've estab-
lished a new corporate design language for Daimler. The logo
form remains the same, but in all cases they're using silver as
the principal color.
On the one hand there is a certain history to that color—
think of the "Silver Arrow" racing cars that the company
campaigned—but on the other there is a sense of high
technology with the clean sheen.
"Designers," he says, "give a voice to organizations."
"Designers give a voice to organizations."
The new Mercedes E-Class, the 10th generation
of the model. It is the latest iteration of the
"Sensual Purity" approach to design.
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AD&P; ∕ MARCH 2016
MERCEDES