Is the Space Force logo furore an overreaction?

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The internet has gone wild over President Trump's 'Star Trek' redesign of the Space Force logo, which was unveiled on Friday 24 January. Framed as a hilarious rip off of the fictional Starfleet's logo, the logo is extraordinarily similar to that found on the uniforms of the Starfleet personnel. But is it really that simple?

We're somewhat disappointed to point out the logo redesign (see here for some of the best logo design out there) may not be as ridiculous as we want to believe it is. Or at least, it looks as if Trump wasn't the one to first emulate the Star Trek logo, anyway. 

John Noonan tweeted the above just after the Space Force furore began, alerting the Twittersphere to the fact that the logo already looked a lot like the Starfleet Command one. The emblem is the same as it has been since 1982, the starry background is reminiscent of the original, and there are still loops circling the emblem. The reduction of the number of loops from four to one definitely emulates the design of the Starfleet logo, that's for sure. But there's more precedent to this design in the history of U.S. space branding, which may let the current incarnation off the hook.

U.S. Space Department logo comparison

This image (taken from this SlashGear article which examines the origins of the various logo incarnations in more detail) shows that the single loop is a proud part of the NASA logo. And different numbers of loops can be found in all of the U.S. Space Command insignia dating back to 1985. 

And the circling typography is also in the Space Command insignia, though the font and placement is definitely more Star Trek than it has been previously (which does make a big impact).

Space Command logo comparison

So who copied who? Well, the Starfleet Command logo was actually first found in... drumroll please... 1996. In fact, according to Ex Astris Scientia, the Star Trek Sticker book contains an inscription from Mike Okuda (a notorious graphic designer who worked on Star Trek and created the insignia) that states: "The Starfleet Command seal was first seen 'Homefront' (DS9) and later in 'In the Flesh' (VGR), although the agency itself, of course, dates back to the original Star Trek series. The symbol was intended to be somewhat reminiscent of the NASA emblem."

The US government branding existed first, and Star Trek emulated it intentionally. However, the current Space Fleet incarnation is clearly the most like the Star Trek insignia out of all the previous versions, and it could definitely be argued that Trump and his team should have noticed and avoided derision by shaking up the branding. The design definitely takes the specific parts of the previous logos and puts them together in a decidedly Star Trek-like fashion. 

Maybe it's a deliberate branding decision (note: the government says it isn't). Playing with the connotations of futuristic space travel, plus enhancing a link between popular culture and the government is sure to invoke strong feeling from the public – whether positive or negative. In either case, it's one of those controversial branding moments that's got people talking – and just before an election, too.

Read more:

• Has branding become boring?
• Where to find logo design inspiration
• Designers give iconic logos a radical makeover

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