New USGS Visual Identity -- It's the Right Thing to Do Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 11:59:43 -0500 To: "E - All WRD Employees" From: "Robert M. Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist, USGS" (by way of Joanne C. Taylor) Subject: New USGS Visual Identity -- It's the Right Thing to Do Cc: " , WRD Archive File, Reston, VA" In Reply Refer To: Mail Stop 409 MEMORANDUM September 15, 1997 To: All Water Resources Division Employees From: Robert M. Hirsch (signed) Chief Hydrologist Subject: New USGS Visual Identity -- It's the Right Thing to Do I would like to share with you some reflections on the new USGS visual identity. Threats of abolishment and constrained budgets have made us acutely aware of the need to get the USGS message out and to increase public recognition for the work we do on behalf of the American people. A crisp visual identity that we place consistently and continually in the public eye will help increase our recognition and understanding, and will allow the public to better connect "USGS" with the work we do. The essence of the visual identity is recognition of the important, simple message: "USGS." We must focus on USGS -- not "WRD," not "Idaho District," not "NAWQA Program," or even "U.S. Geological Survey," but simply "USGS." Our visual identity graphic symbol is the new three-part image: the monogram "USGS"; the square with the wavy lines; and the motto "science for a changing world." This visual identity should be a part of everything we do, including reports, World Wide Web pages, signage, special field clothing, business cards, illustrations for talks, and displays. As I talk to WRD employees about the visual identity, I generally hear strong acceptance. However, I also hear questions about why it is necessary, about the cost of bringing it on-line, and I hear a sense of "loss" for the much-loved USGS official seal. I share the affection for the seal. It is still our seal and should continue to be used in certain circumstances. However, I would like to share with you three examples that led me to the conclusion that adopting the visual identity was the right thing to do. (1) The Grand Canyon Experimental Flood in March 1996, in which the USGS played a major role, captured the imagination of many people. As I watched the PBS "News Hour with Jim Lehrer" one evening during the flood, I was delighted to see an interview with Mark Anderson, the Assistant Chief of the Arizona District. The outdoor interview at Glen Canyon Dam showed Mark wearing a boldly lettered USGS t-shirt and a baseball cap with the USGS seal. As the camera zoomed in for a close-up of Mark's face (and cap), I was disappointed to realize that although I knew what that round emblem was on his cap, virtually no one in the vast national audience would have a clue what the seal represented (it is busy with many small symbols and the lettering is tiny and hard to read). Mark had done a great job in telling the story of the experiment, but the fact that the USGS had done the work was lost on the viewers. A hat with large letters that said simply "USGS" would have connected our name quickly and visually with the positive substantive message that Mark provided. (2) On a recent visit to the office of a Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), I noticed his nylon FEMA jacket on a coat rack. FEMA always gets good coverage of natural disasters, and the press always talk to FEMA officials wearing a hats or jackets with the simple monogram "FEMA." Those letters and clothing quickly and visually convey relevant information and ensure that viewers recognize the important work FEMA does for the people of the United States. (3) I heard many stories about the floods of the winter and spring of 1997 and the USGS hydrologic technicians who were out there making their crucial measurements on bridges. Lacking a visible and recognizable identifier, however, our technicians were often ignored when reporters and television crews showed up. Worse, in one instance when they appeared in the background behind Vice President Gore preparing to give a speech at the Red River Bridge in Fargo, North Dakota, the lack of identity led to a Secret Service request to stop working in that vicinity. Had our technicians been visibly connected to the "USGS," their presence on a bridge with vehicles and cranes, lowering a "football-shaped object" into the stream, would have been recognized as essential science, and, thus, a great backdrop for the scene. The key to our new visual identity is consistency and visibility of the "USGS." To achieve consistency, the USGS Intranet has many pages that provide clarifying information as well as image files and prototype materials (http://www.usgs.gov:8888/visual/). A printed poster providing examples and a communications framework that will help to articulate the USGS message will be coming to you shortly. By using the new USGS visual identity consistently, appropriately, and very visibly, we all can help to convey a message that the USGS is an organization that serves the Nation and is worthy of continued public support. I hope you will join me in seeking opportunities to use it on our products, on vehicles, on safety equipment, on clothing items, on podiums, and on displays. By doing so, we can begin to develop with the public a visibility that will allow us to demonstrate that we do indeed provide "science for a changing world."