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Oklahoma ABLE Commission
Infusing rich, historical symbolism into a badge by starting the design process with a history lesson.
The Oklahoma ABLE Commission knew from the start that they wanted their badge to symbolize the history of Oklahoma. There was a strong wish to create a badge unique to their agency, and sharing Oklahoma’s history with the badge experts at Smith & Warren was an important first step.
Learning About the State Seal
A good starting point for the Smith & Warren team was an explanation of the Oklahoma state seal. Inside the rays of a five-pointed star are historical symbols of the Native American population residing in the territory of Oklahoma. The badge design centers the state seal as a focal point of the badge and surrounds it with forty-five smaller stars, marking Oklahoma as the forty-sixth state in the Union.
Distinctive Badge Shape
The shape of the Oklahoma ABLE Commission’s badge is an arrowhead, which sets it apart from a traditional badge shape. The arrowhead pays tribute to the Native Americans in Oklahoma. It has the symbolic meaning meaning of strength, protection, bravery, and perseverance. The detailed, carved edge and the leather rope holding eagle feathers give the arrowhead a realistic and historic design look. Eagle feathers are a second deeply symbolic element. The Eagle feathers are drawn in the concept sketch and subsequently manufactured, to show a light and dark side. This represents the story of life - light and dark, good and evil, peace and war, and life and death.
From Design to Manufacturing
Making sure all of the fine details were preserved when moving the badge from the design phases to manufacturing was essential. The forty-five small stars and the Native American elements within the state seal required precision when sculpting the steel die. The manufactured eagle feathers needed light and dark features and the textural look of layered, soft plumes holding firm to the stiff feather quill. This type of highly technical badge design utilizing layered engineering earned this badge the 2023 NAUMD Innovation Award in the Badge or Emblem category.
Historical Storytelling in Design
The Oklahoma ABLE badge highlighted the importance of listening to historical storytelling and treating symbols and traditions with cultural sensitivity. As the badge “maker,” taking the time to incorporate these elements with care and precision honors the heritage and fosters deep appreciation and satisfaction for the wearer. We were honored to design and manufacture the award-winning Oklahoma ABLE badge.
If you want to design a custom badge for your department or agency, we would love to speak with you about our BadgeStudio concept badge design service.