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In the modern history of the United States Coast Guard, there has
been a rapid shift from mistaken identity to a brand identity.
 One case provides a perfect example of this identity problem.
In October 1956,
Coast Guard Cutter Pontchartrain came to the aid of a downed
trans-oceanic passenger aircraft. On October 19, the Pan American
clipper
Sovereign of the Skies lost two of its engines en route from
Hawaii to California. After the aircraft radioed the cutter and
ditched in the ocean, the cutter sent out its smallboats and
gathered up all 31 passengers and crew. One survivor no sooner
gained the safety of the cutter’s deck, when he gratefully
exclaimed, “Thank goodness for the
Navy!”
Unfortunately for the Coast Guard, this case was one of many in
which the service seemed unrecognizable to the public it served.
John F. Kennedy was acutely aware of the importance of
image-building, having relied on it in his successful 1960
presidential campaign. When they moved into the White House in 1961,
the president and First Lady Jackie Kennedy began an effort to
re-make the image of the presidency. With the aid of professional
designers, the first lady completed the redecoration of the White
House. The Kennedy’s also met with architects to direct the design
and renovation of buildings surrounding Lafayette Square, a park
located next to the White House.
Kennedy next undertook a re-design of the presidential jet Air
Force One. The president believed an initial design provided by the
Air Force was too regal looking and, on the advice of the first
lady, he turned to French-born industrial designer Raymond Loewy,
whose work had been recognized the world over in the post-war
period. Loewy’s Air Force One design won immediate praise from
Kennedy and the press, and the aircraft became an important symbol
of the president and the United States in official visits in the
U.S. and overseas.
Delighted by the look of Air Force One, Kennedy granted Loewy’s
request for a meeting on May 13, 1963. During the meeting and a
second held a day later, the men discussed improving the visual
image of the federal government and Kennedy suggested the Coast
Guard as an appropriate agency to start with. Soon after, the design
firm of Raymond Loewy-William Snaith, Incorporated, received a
contract for a 90-day feasibility study and, in January 1964, the
firm presented its findings to Coast Guard leadership.
With its experience in designing industry trademarks, Loewy-Snaith
recommended the Coast Guard adopt an identification device similar
to a commercial trademark. The firm believed the symbol should be
easily identifiable from a distance, easily differentiated from
other government or commercial emblems, and easily adapted to a wide
variety of air and sea assets.
The Coast Guard established an ad hoc committee to work with
Loewy-Snaith on the project and, on June 19, 1964, the Coast Guard
signed a contract to “accomplish studies, prepare design efforts and
make a presentation of a comprehensive and integrated identification
plan for the U.S. Coast Guard.”
 On March 21, 1965, during an all-day session, representatives
from Loewy-Snaith presented their findings to the service and on the
same day Coast Guard chief of staff, Rear Adm. Paul Trimble, agreed
to proceed with the “Integrated Visual Identification System.”
During the development process, Loewy-Snaith selected a wide red
bar to the upper right of a narrow blue bar canted at 64 degrees and
running from right to lower left. The Loewy-Snaith team used its own
stylized version of the traditional Coast Guard emblem for placement
on the center of the red bar. The overall design came to be known as
the “Racing Stripe” or “Slash” emblem.
Next, the Racing Stripe design was tested on cutters and
facilities in Florida due to milder weather conditions and the wide
variety of sea assets stationed there. The prototype Slash was
affixed to the cutters Diligence
and
Androscoggin, a buoy tender, vehicles, and buildings at
Base
Miami. At North Carolina’s
Air Station Elizabeth City, the Slash was affixed to an
HH-52 “Seaguard” helicopter,
HU-16 “Albatross” amphibian and
HC-130 “Hercules” turbo-prop aircraft.
On
May 4, 1966, the service’s ad hoc committee for testing the Visual
Identification System sent to the commandant a favorable report
regarding service-wide use of the Racing Stripe. During the
prototyping process, the Coast Guard’s selection committee had
decided against the Loewy stylized shield and opted for the
service’s traditional shield emblem instead. While the plan received
the stamp of approval, details had to be ironed out over several
months. By early spring 1967, most outstanding issues had been
resolved, including the type-font for lettering and specific paint
color specifications.
On April 6, 1967, Commandant
Edwin Roland issued
Commandant Instruction 5030.5, which ended four years of study
and experimentation and ordered service-wide implementation of the
Integrated Visual Identification System.
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The Coast Guard racing stripe shows prominently on the U.S. Coast
Guard Cutter Dallas (WHEC-716) as it patrols at an undisclosed
location and date. The Dallas was commissioned on October 26, 1967.
(U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)
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The Integrated Visual Identification System stands as the most
successful branding program of a federal agency in U.S. history.
Since the 1970s, the Coast Guard Racing Stripe design has been
applied to assets not commonly associated with the service. With
alterations in coloration and angle, the Racing Stripe has become a
symbol for sea service vessels at the federal, state, county and
municipal levels throughout the U.S., and for scores of foreign sea
services. In the future, Coast Guard assets will continue to feature
the coloring and emblem developed 50 years ago to identify the
service and distinguish its assets from other sea services.
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In various colors and sizes, the Racing Stripe became a common emblem for federal, state and local law enforcement and sea service vessels. Such is the case with these Customs and Border Patrol assets.
(Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol) |
Where many could not identify Coast Guard cutters before the
service adopted a brand identity, most individuals connected with
the water do so now. Some of this recognition is a credit to the
many missions carried out by the Coast Guard around the clock 365
days a year. However, some of this recognition is a credit to the
Coast Guard’s adoption of the Racing Stripe symbol. Thanks to a
visionary president, talented industrial designers and Coast Guard
leaders who saw the importance of a service brand identity; the
assets of the Coast Guard are now easily identified by millions of
individuals world-wide who share a connection to the sea.
By William H. Thiesen, Atlantic Area Historian, USCG
Provided
through
Coast
Guard
Copyright 2016
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