One of the most known financial services groups in the US, the United Services Automobile Association provides banking, investing, and insurance to those who belong, or belonged, to the United States military.
The Association was established in 1922 in San Antonio, Texas, by army officers. Today, the number of members almost reaches two millions.
To emphasize its link with the country, the USAA logo is somewhat reminiscent of the national symbols of the United States. The bird featured on the logotype is a bald eagle, the country’s national bird, which can also be seen on the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States.
Some people believe the bird depicted on the logo is a phoenix, the mythological creature that obtains a new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. Due to its rich symbolism, the phoenix motif has been rather popular since ancient times, and yet, it is doubtful that it is this bird not the bald eagle that is featured on the Association’s official emblem.
Generally, the type looks rather generic, especially at larger distances. If you take a closer look, though, you may notice that the letters are not only unique, but also meaningful. The unusual sharp elements on the tops of the “A’s” resemble the beak of the eagle placed above. The name of the typeface is FF Quadraat Sans OT Bold.
FF Quadraat was designed in 1992 as a small serif family. Its author was Fred Smeijers, who had been commissioned by a company called Quadraat (the Netherlands). Originally, the font family comprised four weights. In the course of time, FF Quadraat Sans and FF Quadraat 2 (a new version) were added to the family, followed by FF Quadraat Sans Condensed and Monospaced. The Sans Bold version is known for its strong gestural shapes.
The typeface in which the name of the website is given on the logotype looks like a customized variant of Gotham Bold.
Typically, the standard USAA logo is given in blue on the white background. The organization has used more than one shade of blue since the eagle logo has been adopted. The current version sticks to navy blue against the white background, though it is not the only version possible.
For instance, the Association’s official web resource features the emblem in several shades of grey, which is necessary to provide a 3D effect. Navy blue is used as the background. There are also two accent colors, red and yellow.