Professional designers explain why the Space Force logos are no good

[Judi Lynn]

You see stars. They see worrying signs of confusion.
By Eleanor Cummins August 10, 2018



The six Space Force logo concepts.

Space Force

In June, President Donald Trump called for the creation of a sixth branch of the U.S. military. To the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, he hopes to add… the Space Force.

On Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis held a press conference at the Pentagon to discuss their vision for the Space Force. With the announcement came some visual aids: six potential Space Force logos. It may have seemed a minor point in the morning’s proceedings—who cares about color choice when the militarization of the moon might be on the table!—but designers say the images could offer insight into the current state of the project and what’s to come, whether they end up on official uniforms or serve as simple marketing tools.

“Whenever you create a new identity, you’re signaling something,” says Jesse Reed, co-founder of the design firm Order and the Standards Manual publishing project, which has brought technical design documents, like those guiding graphics at NASA, the EPA, and the New York City subways out of the shadows and onto coffee tables across the country. “Whether that’s a new idea, a change in leadership, or a new way this company’s doing something, you can sign that through visual design.”

In 1975, for example, designers Richard Danne and Bruce Blackburn won the competition to design NASA’s visual identity. Where the Space Force intends to bring military politics, strategy, and perhaps even weapons into space, NASA and peer space agencies in dozens of countries peacefully probed the cosmos. Their concept, commonly called “the worm logo,” centered around a stylized version of the letters N-A-S-A depicted in a simple red zigzag. “It really is a quintessential identity mark,” Reed says. “It’s very simple, it’s easy to draw, it’s easy to identify. Anyone could create these—maybe not in a perfect rendition—but it’s clear.”

The worm complimented NASA’s other icon: the star-spotted blue circle known as “the meatball.” “The meatball was derived from something that was already part of the NASA visual language—it was the NASA seal,” Reed says. “It really is meant for something to go on the arm of a uniform, on maybe very high-level communication materials, as literally a seal of approval that is a little more historical in nature.” Reed compares the two graphics to a university mascot, running around at football games, and the elegant seal on your diploma.

More:
https://www.popsci.com/space-force-bad-logo-design?dom=rss-default&src=syn#page-3

[Grasswire2]

1. I think they look sort of Disney cartoon-y. nt

[tirebiter]

2. This comes to mind

<img src="">

Kept In The Dark-Fed Only Horseshit

[tblue37]

3. I have always liked the "worm logo":

[LunaSea]

4. Amatuerish designs

That's the sort of thing that can get your artistic license revoked.
A few artists had a suggestion for NASA when they wanted to reprise the 'meatball'
Keep the worm.
I think it looked rather nice.

[LunaSea]

5. of course these design are only for a fundraising mailer

I don't believe they are intended as actual logos.
Just a "vote for this, your input is valued...and send us a check",
like so many online polls and surveys you get in the mail.

I seriously doubt we'll need to worry about there actually being a Space Force in the first place.
Except for the waste of time and money over the next year or so.

[braddy]

6. Here is the logo for the existing 36 year old, 38,000 member Space Command.

[link: |

[defacto7]

7. Adultescent foolishness

[Sancho]

8. No Tesla convertible?