Being that I have studied logos and branding for many years, I feel compelled to write an article on the U.S. Department of Defense’s new Missile Defense Agency logo. Since its recent unveiling, it has been the center of a heated debate.

The debate is over whether or not the logo encompasses a hidden agenda(s) by the Obama administration; a debate that launched this logo release into stardom. Critics from the right wing feel the logo is reminiscent of Obama’s campaign logo as well as the Islamic flag. People from the left think this idea is ludicrous. This article will take a hands-off approach to politics and will analyze the logo itself, not the people or politics behind it.

To begin, I will highlight the reasons for which skeptics have shot down (pun intended) the Missile Defense Agency’s logo.

• The new logo, as pictured above, does in fact resemble Obama’s campaign logo.
• The new logo has a shape similar to that of the Islamic flag.

Now, to touch on the reasons I feel the above-mentioned ideas are invalid, given my 10+ years of branding experience, see below:

• Though the logo resembles Obama’s campaign logo, it more importantly resembles the American flag, which was displayed in Obama’s logo. If one were to follow this train of thought, and deem the American flag as having a connection to a hidden agenda, then schools, post offices, federal buildings and other structures/material displaying an American flag will inherently fall into this category as well. Since the American flag was created hundreds of years before Obama’s campaign, I cannot see validity in the arguments that were presented.
• The Missile Defense Agency logo sports a crescent shape, similar to that of the Islamic flag. Yes, this is true. But, the crescent shape also resembles a sketch of a diamond ring, a moon, a sloppily made croissant, artistic kitchen bowls, Native American jewelry and an airplane pillow among many other things.

As one can see by my explanation, which is reinforced by the below images, claims that the Missile Defense Agency’s logo has a hidden agenda are baseless. All politics aside, I am simply going by the facts, and I believe photos speak for themselves.

Sincerely,
Aaron Schoenberger
The Brainchild Group