RAFAC Heraldic Badges

This is something I mentioned much higher up in this thread. As I questioned the fact the new region badges say RAFAC, not ATC, even though they are historically ATC formations.

No offence, but without the crown I’d say it’s not making it worse and falls outside of your purview as they would all then just be logos with a thematic influence, partially standardised across teams which are not themselves requiring (or even necessarily deserving) of the formal badge.

The College of Arms doesn’t own red circles with writing in, bordering a logo.

Besides, these would only be used and recognised internally, so no branding drama.

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Why would I take offence?

What you’re proposing is to create an entirely new branding problem we just don’t need. And good luck telling units how they can and can’t use it once you’ve given them permission to invest money in creating their own, unmanaged graphics.

It’s completely unnecessary, while also diminishing the privilege of official unit badges.

If you want to use some branding, we have stuff everyone can use already.

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Units? No.

We’re talking about RandoWing’s Pool Noodle on a Segway Jousting Training Team.

Hardly an official formation requiring a 600 quid painting for heritage.

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Basically something for a polo shirt

And they shouldn’t use their formation badge and perhaps something like the words “pool noodle jousting team” written below because…

They should make a chippy logo because…

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So you’re also anti unofficial team badges that can help with cohesion and morale? Just the sort of little badges that have been used in the regular forces for many years? They don’t get worn on uniform, but for example as zap badges on rucksacks, polo-shirts etc. They can also be used to raise much needed funds.

Just wanting to gauge here, and is this your view or that of higher ups?

Team dynamics, cohesion, morale, sense of belonging, mission focus…

A bit of (inoffensive) fun?

You will not stop such teams producing their own for personal use*, so they are either left to their own devices or we can design a way to try to bring them on board with some degree of consistency.

(* I have a few, one of which is a company’s branded corporate shirt with the team name beneath it)

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We already have a way for “Teams” to have a logo, and a branding route to follow.


We don’t need to be creating something that kinda resembles a badge when we already have official branding options.

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These logos are also strictly controlled, albeit not by the Inspectorate of RAF Badges, but you still can’t just make your own up without authorisation.

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HQAC banned these sort of things under Special K.

As I mentioned above, the ban on thin blue line patches at work has had zero effect on the number of TBL patches you see.

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I’m barely literate in ingleesh, so google translate for latin is best I can do :grimacing:

It was once a thing of the past, albeit briefly

Just to be clear (my last declaration was a while ago), everything I’m saying here is a personal view and may not even align to what I think we should do as an organisation, unless I’m specifically telling you it’s a rule etc.
You can quibble about what makes something a rule in the wooly and changeable world of heraldry, but that’s the cleanest way for me to differentiate.

The point I’d make is, if you’re not intending for something to be worn or used in any sort of official capacity, then what’s the point? Anything you create will still represent the organisation, and a proper unit badge is significantly better.

The ACF det I share a building with has made unofficial team logos. One of them has a nuke and a white Z on it. It’s called Zulu platoon or something, but it doesn’t look great…
If you’re asking me whether I support this organisation giving everyone the right to make their own stuff up with no oversight, I do not. We’ve seen how bad the unauthorised stuff is even when there’s an established format.

If you were to email me with a well-considered formal proposal, I’d be very happy to represent that to the team. But my personal view is that we shouldn’t be encouraging anything that is fundamentally uncontrolled, otherwise there’s no legitimate way to stop negative stuff coming out of it without dropping a ban-hammer.

Under your above proposal, there’s nothing to stop a team creating something inappropriate because you’re trying to divorce it entirely from the authority of the organisation they’re representing.

And people saying “you’ll never stop it all” might be correct, but that’s not grounds for letting it happen generally. We’re supposed to be leaders — maintain the standards.

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The problem here is that you have set out your stall as the big ‘I am’ in this as a representative of the organisation. Maybe find out what the intention for all of this stuff is then feed that out with updated OFFICIAL guidance, properly authorised, distributed and notified?

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I reject your very negative framing of this thread. Frankly, you’re just being a bit rude.

It’s done a lot for promoting authorised badges and helping communicate that a process exists, which many, many units weren’t even aware of before.

If you don’t want me to engage on anything else informally then you can simply stop asking questions.

I’m happy to oblige.

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Neither of which makes them wrong.

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However, posts should be civil regardless. Please follow our AUP.

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Direct, yes; rude sorry if you think so. But I think that in places it is not easy to separate formal policy, and what your personal opnion is in your posts, both of which you do push pretty hard.

I’m out.

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I’m happy to take that criticism. Fair enough.

That’s why I did try to state when I was making a statement of personal opinion vs policy, or correct in an immediate follow-on post if I’d forgotten to.

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So inspired by another thread I put the below into ChaptGPT

There are specific design rules for RAF Air training corps squadron & wings for designing a heraldic badge (attached in the image file). Suggest a design for central & east region RAF air cadets that conforms to these design rules.

Along with a copy of the design rules (I picked C&E as they have a recently approved badge so would be interesting to compare)

It suggested this

Main Image (Central Emblem)
• A rising sun symbolizing the “east” and >new beginnings, reflecting the region’s name.
• A winged lion or golden eagle >representing strength, leadership, and the air environment.
• The lion/eagle should be stylized >uniquely for Central & East Region, ensuring it >does not resemble other ATC or RAF badges.

• Suggested motto: “AD ASTRA PER DISCIPLINA” (To the Stars Through Discipline) or “STRENGTH IN UNITY

& when ask to create it as an image

:person_facepalming:t2: