Fears Agency Is Being Confused With FEMA

It seems the Federal Aviation Administration is suffering from a bit of an identity crisis. FAA Adminstrator Marion Blakey is tired of the public confusing her agency with the USDA, the FDA or worse... her words... FEMA. And she's got a plan to stop the madness.

The Washington Post reports Blakey's calling her initiative the FAA Branding Identity Program, or FAABIP. Blakey says the FAA does so many wonderful things, "but it has not received proper credit for all the good work it does in so many areas because it does not have a strong brand identity." Blakey added the dozens -- if not hundreds -- of different FAA logos used in and on materials of all kinds, well, confuses people.

Her solution? Why, a standardized logo, of course.

"One of the hallmarks of a successful business or organization is a strong single brand," a story in the FAA employee newsletter states, "not separate brands for various parts of the organization; BMW, IBM, Boeing, Airbus, McDonald's, to name just a few."

FAABIP mandates one logo, and one logo only... with "a circular gold border, a blue background bearing the white letter near its outer rim the words 'Federal Aviation' at the top and 'Administration' at the bottom."

And the best part? From now on, when you see the letters FAA... there'll be no doubt in your mind you're dealing with the Federal Aircraft Association. Wait, I mean the Agency of Airplanes? Wait a minute, just look at the logo. There is it in black and white... I mean blue and white... The Federal Aviation Administration!

Yes, we jest... but the agency said it expected as much, with the newsletter also noting there "will be messages from some who will ask if we don't have bigger things to think about than cosmetics."

Hey, anything that takes the agency's collective mind off of user fees.

FMI: www.faa.gov