U.S. Air Force Recruitment Advertisements in Saturday Evening Post

Although the original purpose of this note was just to announce a couple post-WWI era U.S. Air Force recruitment posters I found in The Saturday Evening Post magazines back in the late 1940s, some info I found regarding the newest USAF logo might also interest you. There is a plethora of old Air Force posters available for viewing on the Internet, but I haven't seen these two, which are particularly directed toward flight officers and the newfangled jet aircraft of the future. Operational jet-powered fighter craft did not appear until the final year of World War II, although Germany did have their Messerschmitt Me 262. Except maybe for the C-130, you probably won't see any propeller-driven aircraft in today's USAF promotional material.

If you have any cause to display the USAF's new (relatively) wings symbol, be sure to consult this entire section of regulations governing the proper - and only official - method of constructing the logo.

The official U.S. Air Force "signature" consists of the Symbol and the Logotype. Similar directions are available for how to display the design, fonts and colors, symbol meaning and history, and every other aspect of using it. This is part of the reason why the Federal workforce (not even including the military itself) is the largest in the nation. We pay them to tell us what to do in every phase of life. BTW, the average total compensation of a government worker is higher than the equivalent private sector worker, and their fringe benefits, including retirement and job security, are amazing. How many government workers lost their jobs in the past year due to the Wuhan Flu?

Here is an excerpt from the "Calculating Proportions" section of the "Displaying the Air Force Symbol" page:

Calculating Proportions

Use the following methods to determine the correct proportions for the Symbol, the logotype, and the required stand-off space.

For the Symbol (only)

The ratio of the width of the Symbol to the height should be 112% (i.e., width = 112, height = 100). If you know the width, multiply it by 100, then divide by 112 to get the height. If you know the height, multiply it by 112, then divide by 100 to get the width.

For the logotype (only)

The ratio of the width of the logotype to the height should be 1264% (i.e., width = 1264, height = 100). If you know the width, multiply it by 100, then divide by 1264 to get the height. If you know the height, multiply it by 1264, then divide it by 100 to get the width.

For the Symbol to the logotype

The ratio of the width of the logotype to the width of the Symbol, at its widest point, is 148% (i.e., logotype width = 148, symbol width = 100). If you know the width of the Symbol, multiply it by 148, then divide by 100 to get the width of the logotype. If you know the width of the logotype, multiply it by 100, then divide by 148 to get the width of the symbol.

For the space between the Symbol and the logotype

The ratio of the space between the Symbol and logotype to the width of the Symbol is 17% (i.e., space = 17, symbol width = 100). If you know the width of the Symbol, multiply it by 17, then divide by 100 to get the space between the Symbol and logotype.

The ratio of the space between the Symbol and logotype to the width of the logotype is 11% (i.e., space = 11, logotype width = 100). If you know the width of the logotype, multiply it by 11, then divide by 100 to get the space between the Symbol and logotype.

For the space between the Symbol or the signature and additional elements

The stand-off (or "negative") space around the Symbol or the Symbol/logotype combo (signature) is a minimum of 15% (i.e., stand-off space = 15, Symbol width = 100). Measure the width of the Symbol at its widest point, multiply it by 15, then divide by 100 to get the minimum required empty space around the Symbol or the signature.

Posted December 15, 2020
(updated from original post on 9/17/2013)