The Ice Corps is Phaeton Group's polar mission unit. Ice Corps members are specially equipped with Phaeton ice gear, such as distinctive white military parkas that are rated for use at the South Pole. Deployed in 2007 to investigate the Northwest Passage, the Ice Corps is considering another Arctic icebreaker mission for 2008, followed by a possible mission to Antarctica in 2009.
The Ice Corps emblem was designed by Phaeton Group's Scientific Graphic Services department, and was as carefully thought out as any other piece of gear used by the team, so that it would likewise serve its purposes well and meet the usual high Phaeton standards.
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The emblem appears most prominently as an embroidered patch on the left shoulder of Phaeton polar uniform parkas, and the design needed to be easy to discern and understand even when it appears small in photographs of personnel in action. The emblem also needed to indicate polar service rather than merely an ice and snow environment; further it needed to serve equally well for missions to both the North and South polar regions.
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To meet these requirements, the emblem uses the natural colors of the polar environment, primarily blues and white. A snowy landscape could have suggested many non-polar locations, so the emblem's primary element is an iceberg, which is instantly recognizable as a distinctively polar feature. The radial grid lines superimposed over the whole design are those seen on a polar map, and are equally appropriate to the North or South poles. The Phaeton logo glows in the sky like an aurora, symbolizing the inspiration offered by Phaeton's ideals just as the northern and southern lights grace the polar nights. Below the iceberg space is left for an indication of the year, which is used for marking items such as correspondence that are dedicated to specific missions. No year marks gear or equipment meant for ongoing Ice Corps service.
The Ice Corps emblem serves as a good example of Phaeton communications principles. It is meant to be distinctive and attractive, and quickly and easily understandable to anyone at first glance. Yet it also offers subtleties that reward closer consideration.
