The Seabee logo was chosen to be ironic, based on the nickname of the construction battalion, which received the status of an official name. Therefore, a fighting bee is drawn on a round badge surrounded by a rope. She is wearing a sailor’s cap, and weapons and working tools are in her paws. Such an emblem captures exactly the spirit of the Naval Construction Battalions because the military, like bees, works hard, works together, and does not disappear when there is danger.
Seabee: Brand overview
Founded: | 1942 – present |
Founder: | U.S. Navy |
Headquarters: | United States |
Website: | necc.usff.navy.mil |
Seabee is the name of the United States Naval Construction Battalions, which was created in 1942. This military engineering service has come to replace civilian companies from the construction industry. Today it performs many other special assignments and employs about 14,000 people, 7,000 of whom are active employees.
The reason for creating a military construction unit was the fighting during World War II, particularly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Then (in December 1941), civilian contractors working abroad under contract had significant difficulties because they were forbidden to resist the attack. Otherwise, according to the laws of the International Agreement, they would have been executed without trial or investigation – as partisans.
As a result, the authorities and the command decided to create a special-purpose battalion consisting of naval engineers. In particular, Rear Admiral Ben Moreell submitted a request for the organization and staffing of construction units related to the Navy.
Meaning and History
The unit’s name was long and complicated, so it was simplified to CB for Construction Battalion. Then came the nickname Seabee. It was formed from the letters “C” and “B,” which were present in the abbreviated version. When they were pronounced, the sound combination “sea” + “bee” was obtained, which was the reason for the appearance of a new name. Later, it was officially approved, after which the corresponding logo was made public.
The Seabee emblem appeared immediately after the naval construction battalion received its original name. This happened in the spring of 1942. Frank Iafrate of Rhode Islander designed the symbolism. He was asked to come up with a Walt Disney-style variant that actually created a lot of similar signs for sports clubs. The main condition: is an anthropomorphic character with construction paraphernalia. As a result, the idea arose of a warlike bee that holds a machine gun and various construction tools in its paws.
What is Seabee?
Seabee (United States Naval Construction Battalions) is a military engineering unit that performs various construction tasks. In 1942, it replaced the civilian firms that had previously contracted with the US Army.
The insect has a striped coloration, where wide black and yellow lines alternate. On his head is a cabin boy’s hat – a white sea cap. The paws-hands of the bee are dressed in gloves. The eyes are large, the gaze is intimidating, and the mouth is parted in a battle cry. Military insignia is painted on each shoulder, which looks like tattoos. Two large wings are visible on the back of the bee. From them, as well as from the paws, thin strokes stretch to the side, adding dynamics to the logo.
The main character is located on a blue background surrounded by a twisted rope. Below are the name and slogan of the organization. They take up two lines. The top one is written in large stencil type. The bottom row is made in small letters with barely noticeable serifs.
Frank Iafrate first wanted to draw a beaver on the CB logo, as this animal is directly associated with construction – it constantly makes dams and huts. It is beavers that are called the best builders among animals. But when the developer found out that they scattered in case of any threat, he immediately abandoned this idea and chose a bee for the emblem. After all, both of these words begin with “B.” As a result, the visual metaphor of the Seabee sign has remained unchanged for many years.
Font and Colors
The name of the military construction unit of the United States Navy is in a stencil font similar to Adobe’s Stencil Std Regular. For the motto, a simple typeface with miniature serifs was used. The main colors of the Seabee logo are blue in two shades, black, gold, bright yellow, red, white, and gray.
Seabee color codes
Corn | Hex color: | #f3eb47 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 243 235 71 | |
CMYK: | 0 3 71 5 | |
Pantone: | PMS 395 C |
Satin Sheen Gold | Hex color: | #c0972e |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 192 151 46 | |
CMYK: | 0 21 76 25 | |
Pantone: | PMS 1245 C |
Japanese Carmine | Hex color: | #a9192e |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 169 25 46 | |
CMYK: | 0 858 73 34 | |
Pantone: | PMS 186 C |
Maximum Blue Purple | Hex color: | #a0acd2 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 160 172 210 | |
CMYK: | 24 18 0 13 | |
Pantone: | PMS 7681 C |
Dark Slate Blue | Hex color: | #3b417f |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 59 65 127 | |
CMYK: | 54 49 0 50 | |
Pantone: | PMS 7687 C |
Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |