The Best of Squadron Patches

Started by Pylon, January 09, 2006, 08:41:09 PM

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Lancer

#500
Well...here it is for public opinion. New patch design. Commander likes it, C/CC like and a few cadets that have seen it like it, just need to get buy in from everyone else in the unit and the wing king, of course.

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Boulle – Norman Memorial Cadet Squadron Patch Heraldry

The reason for leaving the name on the top rocker as just 'Boulle-Norman Memorial' gives the unit the ability to outlast changes in our structure, whether the situation dictates we are a flight, a squadron, cadet or senior or a composite unit.

Latin Saying:

"citius altius fortius" - faster, higher, stronger.    It is the motto of the modern Olympics.

Chosen because we should always strive to excel; to be faster, higher and stronger!

Design Elements:

Griffin:
In heraldry, the griffin's amalgamation of lion and eagle gains in courage and boldness, and it is always drawn as a powerful fierce monster. It is used to denote strength and military courage and leadership. Griffins are portrayed with a lion's body, an eagle's head, long ears, and an eagle's claws, to indicate that one must combine intelligence and strength.
The Griffin also ties us to the Grand Rapids area as one of the best AHL hockey teams in the league resides here as the farm team for the Detroit Red Wings, which in and of themselves are one of the best teams in hockey and are always striving for excellence.

Nautical Stars:
Besides the ties to high ranking military symbolism, in Michigan we are surrounded by the Great Lakes. The two stars at the top represent each of the members this squadron is named after, Deborah Boulle and John Norman, two Metropolitan Composite Squadron members who passed away in 1988. Deborah's father was asked to start a cadet squadron and the cadets chose the name to remember the pair's dedication to Civil Air Patrol.

The remaining 4 stars represent the 4 core values that we hold true in CAP, Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence, and Respect.

Colors:
Red:  Strength; because together as a unit we a strong.
Gold: Generosity; represents our volunteer service to our community, state and nation.
Black: Constancy; represents our diehard nature to be steadfast in our missions, whatever they may be.

Thoughts?

USADOD

Detroit 100th "Red Tails" Composite Squadron
Modeled after the Tuskegee Airman

Jorvon Brison, SFO, CAP
DCC, Detroit 100th "Red Tails" Composite Squadron
Wright Award  #3495
Mitchell Award #54039
Earhart Award #13385

Gunner C

Quote from: Lancer on April 09, 2009, 04:34:53 AM
Well...here it is for public opinion. New patch design. Commander likes it, C/CC like and a few cadets that have seen it like it, just need to get buy in from everyone else in the unit and the wing king, of course.

Quote
Thoughts?
That is one of the best CAP squadron patches I've seen.  Great job - really like the heraldry!

Eclipse

Quote from: Gunner C on April 09, 2009, 10:43:54 AM
Quote from: Lancer on April 09, 2009, 04:34:53 AM
Well...here it is for public opinion. New patch design. Commander likes it, C/CC like and a few cadets that have seen it like it, just need to get buy in from everyone else in the unit and the wing king, of course.

Quote
Thoughts?
That is one of the best CAP squadron patches I've seen.  Great job - really like the heraldry!

If we want to be picky, the name should be on the bottom rocker, and there shouldn't be text in the field (though I've violated that myself).

Otherwise, very nice and certainly memorable.

"That Others May Zoom"

Lancer

Quote from: Gunner C on April 09, 2009, 10:43:54 AM
That is one of the best CAP squadron patches I've seen.  Great job - really like the heraldry!

Thanks!

Having a new patch for the unit has been something on my 'to-do' list for quite a while. While I think I have a keen eye and some creativity, I'm not as much the graphic designer as I wished I was, I certainly have a ways to go before I'm anywhere near as good as Tedda.

Quote from: Eclipse on April 09, 2009, 12:30:22 PM
If we want to be picky, the name should be on the bottom rocker, and there shouldn't be text in the field (though I've violated that myself).

Otherwise, very nice and certainly memorable.

Thanks Bob for the pointers, I can certainly change things around, since nothing has officially been submitted yet. I orginally had the unit charter in the bottom rocker, but it just didn't look right. Tried it in the top rocker, but that made the text smaller than i wanted it.

Sure there is text in the field, but the big thing for me was having the right shape for the patch, so many CAP squadrons/flights use shield designs and that irks me. Don't get me wrong, while I think the shield with the scroll is a nice patch shape, if we're going to mirror our parent service in how they do things, patch heraldry is something we should also follow.

alamrcn

QuoteIf we want to be picky

I'm definately NOT picky, but I saw that you might be open/able to make some changes still. Bob already highlighted the text in the field and flipping the tabs suggestions.

But the other thing I wanted to mention - and it's a VERY easy fix to this design- is that the Griffen should face to the wearer's right. It's a "directional element" guideline for anyting that isn't symetrical.

The heraldry description sounds great, thanks for sharing it!



Ace Browning, Maj, CAP
History Hoarder
71st Wing, Minnesota

alamrcn

Quote from: USADOD on April 09, 2009, 05:26:47 AM
Detroit 100th "Red Tails" Composite Squadron
Modeled after the Tuskegee Airman

Has this design been manufacturered into a patch yet? I don't think I've seen it before, and of course I would LOVE to purchase a few from the squadron if available!

Here's another Tuskegee-inspired unit patch, where a former squadron commander was actually a member of the 99th...



Ace Browning, Maj, CAP
History Hoarder
71st Wing, Minnesota

Lancer

Ok, After getting advice from Bob and Ace, here is the 'tweaked up' version.  ;)

Eclipse

Nice - looks much less "busy" in the field.  That orange is going to really show up against the uniform.

"That Others May Zoom"

Lancer

Quote from: Eclipse on April 09, 2009, 03:26:04 PM
Nice - looks much less "busy" in the field.  That orange is going to really show up against the uniform.

That's actually red, the surrounding gold color seems to give it an orange hue though. Aside from the meaning of the colors as described; red, black and gold tie to the Germanic roots of a good part of the population of the west Michigan area (as well as Dutch and Polish).

I can't wait to see this in thread, and more importantly, on our uniforms.

alamrcn




Ace Browning, Maj, CAP
History Hoarder
71st Wing, Minnesota

pixelwonk

Quote from: Lancer on April 09, 2009, 03:09:49 PM
Ok, After getting advice from Bob and Ace, here is the 'tweaked up' version.  ;)

The text in your bottom rocker is crooked

RiverAux

I would recommend putting "squadron" in there, or at least SQ.  With the wording the way it is, it looks like its a patch for some sort of memorial in Norman. 

Lancer

Quote from: RiverAux on April 09, 2009, 08:51:48 PM
I would recommend putting "squadron" in there, or at least SQ.  With the wording the way it is, it looks like its a patch for some sort of memorial in Norman. 

Because...

Quote
The reason for leaving the name on the bottom rocker as just 'Boulle-Norman Memorial' gives the unit the ability to outlast changes in our structure, whether the situation dictates we are a flight, a squadron, cadet or senior or a composite unit.

That's why.  ;D

RiverAux

I understood the reasoning the first time, I just think it is sort of silly.  The unit is what it is at any one time.  Military units change their names and types all the time and when that happens, they change the patch. 

Eclipse

#515
Quote from: RiverAux on April 09, 2009, 09:00:24 PM
I understood the reasoning the first time, I just think it is sort of silly.  The unit is what it is at any one time.  Military units change their names and types all the time and when that happens, they change the patch. 

I agree - in the context in which it is important , everyone will know that squadron is a given.

With a unit insignia you're looking for 10-foot identifiers and graphic shorthand, not a charter document.

Edit: (Turns out I didn't agree).

"That Others May Zoom"

RiverAux

QuoteI agree - in the context in which it is important , everyone will know that squadron is a given.
Actually it makes it worse.  You don't know whether it is cadet, composite, or senior and you don't know whether it is a flight or a squadron.  The people in the unit will know, but no one else will have a clue.  Since few liked my idea of dropping cadet/senior/composite from squadron names, we'll have to go with that. 

Given the length of the name, I think you would need to also use the top rocker as part of the name and drop the motto.

A squadron with this long a name is a good argument for going to a standard numeric system as does the military. 

Lancer

#517
Quote from: RiverAux on April 09, 2009, 09:24:05 PM
QuoteI agree - in the context in which it is important , everyone will know that squadron is a given.
Actually it makes it worse.  You don't know whether it is cadet, composite, or senior and you don't know whether it is a flight or a squadron.  The people in the unit will know, but no one else will have a clue.  Since few liked my idea of dropping cadet/senior/composite from squadron names, we'll have to go with that. 

That's a part of the logic for doing that. To me it's not important that we designate ourselves as a cadet or composite unit, or a flight or squadron. It doesn't matter, the patch is a unique visual identifier, a symbol of pride for the unit, IMHO.

Quote from: RiverAux on April 09, 2009, 09:24:05 PM
Given the length of the name, I think you would need to also use the top rocker as part of the name and drop the motto.

Not doing that, the motto is what helps to create that common sense of 'Esprit de corps' among our members.

Quote from: RiverAux on April 09, 2009, 09:24:05 PM
A squadron with this long a name is a good argument for going to a standard numeric system as does the military. 

But that's just the thing, we are not a military unit, we're CAP, and our name is part of our identity and pride. We're more than just one of a thousand operating units in the military.

Eclipse

#518
Quote from: RiverAux on April 09, 2009, 09:24:05 PM
QuoteI agree - in the context in which it is important , everyone will know that squadron is a given.
Actually it makes it worse.  You don't know whether it is cadet, composite, or senior and you don't know whether it is a flight or a squadron.  The people in the unit will know, but no one else will have a clue.  Since few liked my idea of dropping cadet/senior/composite from squadron names, we'll have to go with that. 

Why does that matter?  Odds are you don't need to know, and if you do, just ask.  If a cadet is wearing it, you probably have your answer.

Also, since the vast majority of those who will ever see the patch are likely from the same state, they will know.

(turns out I didn't agree.)   ;D

In the CAP context, getting the insignia to be a disc with rockers, motto on the top, name on the bottom, is about as standard as we really need to get, and would be lights years from where we are today if we were able to just get there.

"That Others May Zoom"

RiverAux

So the shape and configuration is more important than accurately reflecting the actual name of the danged unit?  I'm all for patch standardization, but somehow I assumed that it went without saying that the name of the unit would be used rather than something else.