When the United States Department of Agriculture released its Visual Standards Guide back in January, it contained the ominous phrase ‘agency logos are being phased out and replaced with a standardized signature model to be adopted by all USDA agencies.’
This reminded me of the Borg’s ‘you will be assimilated’ phrase from Star Trek the Next Generation. And, given that the USDA is the same department that oversees things like the homogenization of milk, it makes absolute sense that they’d want to make sure that their employees, vehicles, websites, uniforms, etc. would all be … ‘assimilated.’
But here’s the thing. The U.S. FOREST Service is all about forests and forestry. The USDA’s logo is described – by the USDA themselves – as “a graphic representation of the land — the foundation of all agriculture — and the Department’s initials. The symbol’s colors — dark green and dark blue — represent the essential elements of earth, air, and water. Together these elements comprise the symbol.”
Falling back on my Southern California roots and lingo: “Dude. Really?“
I wasn’t the only one who thought that replacing the iconic USFS green badge with the yellow pine tree with a clear cut and ridiculously bland logo that has nothing at all to do with forest or forestry was an idiotic thing. Many others thought the same thing. Thankfully, some of them were retired Forest Service employees. Lead by Ted Stubblefield, the “Old Smokeys,” – members of the National Association of Forest Service Retirees – came up with a position paper that was submitted to Congress saying, in part:
“…In 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt and Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot worked tirelessly to create the Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture. Pinchot in that very first year approved the iconic design of the Forest Service shield. For 108 years the Forest Service and its revered symbol have been an important part of the development and history of American forestry and care of its treasured forests. Now, suddenly behind closed doors Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack has approved a directive to phase out the Forest Service shield and replace it with a common Department logo.To discard an image and symbol after supporting and building it for over 100 years would be labeled a branding disaster anywhere else. It ignores the good will generated throughout the nation and even the world that has been created by a world class research organization, State and Private Forestry, and International Forestry.
This decision has major consequences and historic ramifications. There is no apparent analysis, and it may have legal and economic implications.
The costs to the Forest Service would likely be tens of millions of dollars. Every office, trailhead, ski area, special use permit, gate, entry sign, road sign, and uniform for thousands of employees would be affected. The list is endless for an agency that manages 10% of the land base of the nation. Where is the analysis of the true cost and benefits? Even a phase in could take decades and would lead to public confusion…”
The message got heard. It spread from Congress to the White House, and was heard by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack – the guy who instituted the ‘one brand’ rebranding of everything at a time when there really isn’t any money to go around sticking a new logo on everything; the fiscal cupboard is bare and we’re in sequester status.
The end result? A victory for the U.S. Forestry Service, they get to keep their logo. While the USDA’s ‘Visual Standards Guide’ is page after page of nonsense about the re-blanding of the department, the only thing the USFS got in regards to their iconic shield was a terse 13-word statement – “The US Forest Service shield is exempted from the One USDA branding directive,” – attributed to “an unnamed USDA spokesman.”
Whether it’s by an inch ro a mile, a win is still a win. THANK YOU to all the USFS employees and especially to the Old Smokeys for their work!