America is celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2026, and just like the bicentennial before it, the celebration includes a logo that will be used across all sorts of media and at a host of events.
Unlike in 1976, though, the logo needs to be optimal not only for printing on physical surfaces, but also on things like smartphones and integrated onto social media videos.
That’s partially why New York design firm Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, the same firm who designed the Bicentennial logo, to spruce up the original, very “currency”-looking 250 logo for the digital age.
New Logo and Identity for America250 by @cghnyc
So good, they never disappoint. pic.twitter.com/UtC5l9Dkx4— Mihai Logo Brand Designer (@MihaiDolganiuc) December 6, 2023
It also tried to include the phrase “This Is Our Semiquin” (short for Semiquincentennial), which is a bit of a mouthful. It’s not as catchy as just “America 250.”
The new design expands on the red, white, and blue ribbon motif of the Bicentennial logo, but loops it into a playful “250.” The nature of the ribbon means it can be “bent” in any way the designer wants, and integrated into different applications while still maintaining the branding identity.
“The font [on the old logo] is kind of a currency font, which I really loved, but what we came to realize is just like this commemoration and celebration, it has to be for all people” Rosie Rios, chair of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, told Fast Company.
The new design debuted at a naturalization ceremony in Boston, where 338 new citizens received a card with the logo on it, inviting them to “share their American stories,” per Fast Company.
Sagi Haviv, a partner at Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, told Fast Company that the goal was to make the logo feel festive and fun, while still representing something dignified and of an official government capacity.
“They’re different concepts,” Haviv told Fast Company. “How do you come up with an idea that sums up both?”
The firm landed on a ribbon because of its metaphorical “flexibility.”
“This is flowing, fluid, dynamic, and kind of human-made,” Haviv said. “It’s not some geometric circles or square. It’s a human gesture almost and it’s all one continuous line.”
👋 Allow us to reintroduce ourselves. We have a new look that we’re excited to share with Americans from sea to shining sea. #America250
Learn more about the meaning behind our new logo: https://t.co/wciCPutU9t pic.twitter.com/qBDHRwXEx7
— America250 (@America250) December 4, 2023
What that means is that it can be used on flat printed products like signage, but also transformed and used in different media. The designers can also just use a piece of it, like a single strand of the red, white, and blue ribbon and overlay it over something else to show that it’s related to the celebration, but without simply stamping the logo on top of it.
On social media, the ribbon can be transformed into American iconography like stars, the Statue of Liberty’s torch, or hearts.
When decorating promotional products, whether it be apparel, drinkware, signage, print products, or any of the myriad products available within the industry, think about how you can apply a brand rather than just a logo. Take aspects of a logo that are most recognizable to the audience and integrate them in new ways. Think about what other icons can fall under that brand’s umbrella, and work on how the brand’s logo and colors can complement it.
