CIA Logo

Headquartered in Langley, Virginia, the CIA (the Central Intelligence Agency) is the main foreign intelligence and counterintelligence agency of the American government. It collects and analyzes intelligence from various parts of the globe and organizes covert operations.

Meaning and History

While the CIA was formally established in 1947, we should mention its best-known predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services created in 1942. Just three years later, in October 1945, the OSS was dissolved, while its functions were divided between the Departments of State and War. However, by the end of that year the first public mention of the “Central Intelligence Agency” already appeared. It took about two years for the concept to fully develop until on July 26, 1947, Harry Truman signed the National Security Act, thus officially founding the CIA.

What is CIA?
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the American government. The list of its priorities includes counterterrorism, fighting against the transfer and export of weapons of mass destruction, warnings for senior policymakers, counterintelligence, and cyber intelligence.

1947 – present

The Central Intelligence Agency has been pretty loyal to its original visual identity. The seal that can be seen on the floor at the headquarters in Langley has grown almost as well-known as the CIA itself.

In the upper part of the roundel, there’s an eagle. It is used as a reference to the national symbolism of the US and also represents “strength and alertness,” according to the agency’s official site.

Below the eagle, there’s a white shield featuring a 16-point wind rose. The shield has been chosen as “the standard symbol of defense,” while the wind rose symbolizes the way intelligence data from every corner of the globe is gathered in one place.

2021 – present

The agency got rid of the colorful palette of the old identity. Instead, they chose to present the seal in black and white only. Also, a new design was introduced featuring a more modern and less official style. In the center, there is the word “CIA” in an all-caps font. The full name of the agency is repeated three times along the border of the roundel. But the most striking thing is the unusual texture somehow reminiscent of the visual symbols associated with electro music.

Font and Color

CIA extensively uses the GT America typeface from Grilli Type. This font is a link between 19th-century American Gothic and 20th-century European Grotesk styles.

The original logo was dominated by the colors echoing the color of the national flag plus some yellow. The decision to replace it with black and white could have multiple reasons. Whether we like it or not, it does somehow resonate with the CIA’s covert core and the mystery shrouding its operations.