From certification mark to logo: the TÜV SÜD Octagon celebrates its 20th anniversary

“TÜV SÜD has been an innovation driver since its earliest beginnings, helping companies to launch new products on the market with safety, certainty and efficiency. The brand’s profile and image have been honed over decades and represent a valuable asset”, says Liz Fendt, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at TÜV SÜD AG. “To mark the anniversary of the TÜV SÜD logo, we subtly modernised it last year to reflect the innovative digital focus of our services.”

Prior to the introduction of the famous Octagon as a certification mark and logo, the regional and independent “TÜV” (testing, inspection and certification) organisations of the time all had various marks and logos of their own. The Octagon was launched as a certification mark by TÜV Süddeutschland e.V. (today TÜV SÜD) in 1999. Used consistently in connection with an extensive variety of services, TÜV SÜD’s distinctive symbol soon became well known and impressively recognisable.

As the company continued to pursue its business internationalisation strategy, the top management decided to adopt the Octagon also as the company logo from 2004. But the octagon was a smart choice for many other reasons, too; in numerous cultures, the eight-sided form represents perfection and cosmic order and symbolises harmony. And in China, 8 is regarded as a lucky number.

The TÜV SÜD Octagon was first registered as a word and figurative mark at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office in 2004. The logo was redesigned in 2006, receiving a three-dimensional look that was thoroughly modern at the time. In the wake of this new design, trade marks were registered in all countries worldwide of relevance to TÜV SÜD’s operations. The brand revamp at the end of 2023 resulted in a brighter and more modern design, optimised for use in both online and digital applications.

Positive associations – trademark protection

“TÜV SÜD stands for high-quality services in a complex world, and is synonymous with trust, expertise, safety and certainty. Our brand is associated with attributes such as ‘reliable’, ‘sustainable’, ‘expert’ and ‘innovative’. Numerous studies have confirmed these positive associations and highlighted consumers’ increased willingness to seek out verifiably tested and safe products and services when making their purchases. These attributes have been developed over decades and are worthy of particular protection”, explains Fendt. Because of this, both TÜV SÜD’s certification marks and the company logo are protected under trademark law. In addition, the TÜV “umbrella” mark is registered and protected at national and international level.

As early as 2011, the German Federal Court confirmed the effectiveness of the “umbrella” mark and established its status as a recognised mark in Germany. Up to 99 per cent of the German population are familiar with the “TÜV” umbrella brand. Its protection under trademark law is essential, and is granted in order to protect TÜV SÜD, its customers and consumers in general from its potential misuse.

Popular with fraudsters and forgers, always under surveillance

“The good reputation of the TÜV SÜD brand naturally depends on ensuring that the trust it generates can only be enjoyed by companies and products that have rightfully earned it by successfully gaining certification. These companies receive precise instructions about the context and scope in which they may display the TÜV SÜD certification mark”, comments Fendt.

Unlawful or illegal use of certification marks or logos is persistently pursued by law and is continuously monitored on the markets with an array of measures, including monitoring of advertising material and online offers; agreements with online platforms; company departments dedicated to following up reports from customers and service providers; and checks conducted at trade shows and at (free) ports in collaboration with EU customs bodies.

Distinction between certification mark and logo

The TÜV SÜD logo is a registered word and figurative mark that may only be used by TÜV SÜD and its authorised subsidiaries. Customers may not use the TÜV SÜD logo for the purposes of advertising or sales promotion. The TÜV SÜD logo has a continuous blue frame and does not contain text.

Customers that receive TÜV SÜD certification have submitted their products or services to extensive in-depth testing and inspection according to clearly defined criteria. They may use the certification mark in line with strictly defined rules.

Unlike the company logo, the TÜV SÜD certification mark has a horizontal bar on both sides of its blue frame. The text in the blue frame also displays a conformity statement (e.g. ISO 9001). (See graphic above.)

Information and transparency

TÜV SÜD also provides extensive information programmes and ensures maximum transparency concerning its testing and inspection services and the associated certification marks. Interested readers can visit dedicated websites to

• find out more about certification marks and the fundamentals of certification: com/en/about-us/our-brand
• look for existing valid tests stored in the Certificate Explorer com/en/services/product-certification/ps-cert
• and view known cases of misuse or illegal use of TÜV SÜD certification marks: tuvsud.com/en/services/product-certification/misuse-of-quality-marks/black-list