SPACE FORCE REBRAND
2024 SENIOR THESIS
Four month dedicated research project for my last semester studying graphic design at Western Michigan University. Included extensive research and prototyping phases. Final deliverables included a full identity, typography, social media advertising campaign, merchandise, posters, and a proper usage brand guide.
Please view my entire presenation below, or continue for an in depth explaination of my design process and final images.
Background and Problem:
I am a huge space nerd, and wanted to combine my love for space and graphic design through this process. I also have a big interest in branding, and it is one of my favorite aspects of graphic design and solving visual communication problems. As I was doing research into various space organizations, one in particular stood out.
The U.S. Space Force.
Their current logo and seal is not representative of what they do as a military branch. The symbolism within that logo doesn’t represent the United States, either. The four point star featured is not the five point star we see on flags and other military logos. The delta represents direction, but in a more aviation or compass aspect as opposed to spaceflight, which is only a small part of what they do. Not to mention, the logo and seal are eerily similar to the sci-fi franchise "Star Trek" and the service members are called guardians.
This was the catalyst to my design process.
Thesis Statement:
Currently, the logo of the United States Space Force is not considered immediately as one of the military branches. This is because their logo doesn’t represent what they do as a military branch, and doesn’t have any identifying symbols of the United States.
The United States Space Force would benefit from a rebranding to improve symbolism, individuality, and identifiability of the logo as a branch of the US military.
GOALS:
1. Allow for recruits and members to feel like they can wear this and represent the Space Force with a sense of pride and community.
2. Give the Space Force its own voice and not a forced one.
3. Improve overall look and feel while allowing the logo and its elements to work with existing infrastructure.
2. Give the Space Force its own voice and not a forced one.
3. Improve overall look and feel while allowing the logo and its elements to work with existing infrastructure.
AUDIENCE:
Current and potential service members of the U.S. Space force. Secondary audience: citizens of the United States.
RESEARCH:
The first stages of my research revolved around two rebrandings of US Government organizations,
the Army and the CIA.
Both projects involved developing a visual language and sense of community within their branding, this was a huge source of inspiration to me and what I wanted to achieve.
the Army and the CIA.
Both projects involved developing a visual language and sense of community within their branding, this was a huge source of inspiration to me and what I wanted to achieve.
View the full process and behance page h
I continued by researching current military and space company logos. Finding out what makes these logos "feel" like a space company or like a military branch. I then pulled out keywords which were common symbols across all of these logos. I then dove into the mission, what they actually do in the Space Force and repeated the process of pulling out symbols and keywords.
I also investigated the slogan, "semper supra" means "always above" in latin, and the intention of this project is to form a sense of community and camaraderie. I explored other latin phrases, but settled on something written in english for the highest comprehension.
Sketching:
The intital sketches were quite representative of the symbolism and keywords defined in my research map. After exploring these initial, more obvious solutions I decided to dig a little further.
The eagle head felt the most representative of the goals I was trying to achieve, and therefore I explored this idea further.
The eagle was representative of the United States, the webbing pattern enhanced the keyword of protection while also symbolizing constellations and outer space.
Brand Guide
After the finalization of the logo, I needed to create a set of rules that would directly influence its usage across all marketing mediums. This step was necessary to create a consistent brand image.
Ad Campaign
The next phase of this process was creating a digital and physical ad campaign to be seen across various marketing mediums.
The slogan “Defending the Ultimate Highground” was my main focus in this campaign. I chose this because it not only reflects the Space Force’s mission directly, but also because it is more appealing an intriguing to the individuals being recruited for these various positions.