Belen Aerospace - Branding Guide

“. . . NE W HOPE S FOR KNOWLEDGE” Belen Aerospace was founded by Alfred Belen III. The son of a physician and an engineer at Boeing, Alfred was raised in California and became a doctor himself. It was during his time in the United States Air Force he first thought of the concept of internal atmospheric propulsion.

In 2021, Belen Aerospace was founded with the hopes of making new discoveries in the realm of space travel. Specifically, the organization seeks to find, cultivate, and promote breakthroughs in Internal Atmospheric Propulsion, a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical propulsion systems.

To do this, Belen also hopes to inspire in the next generation a passionate interest in space exploration and its possibilities, driven not by fear but by hope. This inspirational and educational component is at the core of the Belen Aerospace brand.

“Well, space is t h ere , and w e're g oing t o climb it, and t h e m o on and t h e plane t s are t h ere , and ne w h o pes for kno w led g e and peace are t h ere .”

- J ohn F K ennedy

“. . .WE HAVE SEEN HIS S TA R ” The brand for Belen Aerospace has its foundation a central logo with four main iterations: a primary, full-color version for dark backgrounds (opposite page, top left); a primary, full-color version for light backgrounds (opposite page, top right); a secondary, single color version for dark backgrounds (opposite page, bottom left); and a secondary, single-color version for light backgrounds (opposite page, bottom right).

The primary versions should be used whenever the logo is meant to take center stage, whereas the secondary versions ought to be used in less-dominant spaces, like at the bottom of a poster. Tertiary versions of the logo are detailed later in this branding guide.

All versions of the logo feature a retro-future aesthetic, combining simplicity and symbolism into a single dynamic mark.

It’s primary colors are vibrant purple, teal, and white.

“. . . beh o ld, w ise m en fr om t h e East cam e t o J er usalem , saying , “Wh ere is He wh o h as been born K ing o f t h e J e w s? For w e h a ve seen His st ar in t h e East and h a ve com e t o w orsh ip Him .””

- Mat t h e w 2:2

“. . . A COMPLE TELY NE W MEDIUM ” The brand was built upon a “mood board,” which establishes the aesthetic of a company and of the brand’s various elements. This mood board emphasizes tactility - a departure from the sleek and sterile aesthetics of other outer-space-inspired brands. There is also a strong “retro future” presence in the elements which serve as inspiration, hearkening back to a time where space travel was hopeful and collaborative rather than fearful and competitive.

Included among the specific elements are patches, buttons and stickers from various space launches; retro future maps and posters; technical sketches, Christmas ornaments, and even modeling kits. The physicality of these elements conjure the wonder of childhood and the tactility of experimentation, both themes important to the spirit of the brand.

“I t h o u g h t t h e at t ract ions o f being an ast r onaut w ere act ually, no t so m uch t h e Mo on, b ut flying in a com ple t ely ne w m edium .

- Neil A rm st r ong

“. . .THE EFFORT S OF MA N ” Building on the aesthetics of the mood board, these sketches represent the symbology which made their way into all versions of the final logo. Each symbol complements and blends seamlessly into the next.

Primarily, the logo is made up of an uppercase letter B, the initial of Belen.

However, this shape not-coincidentally references the rough shape of the Internal Atmospheric Propulsion system which Belen seeks to promote. The ecologically-savvy sustainability of this system is further symbolized in the leaf in the upper right hand corner of the shape. This leaf is made possible by the negative space left by a mid-century modern Star of Bethlehem. This references not only the name “Belen” (Spanish for “Bethlehem”) but the wonder and hope of looking towards the stars for inspiration. Furthermore, the star is made up of 4 asymptotes approaching but never reaching the x or y axis; in analytic geometry, an asymptote of a curve is a line such that the distance between the curve and the line approaches zero as one or both of the x or y coordinates tends to infinity.

This represents the infinite possibilities still

“G od h as no int ent ion o f se t t ing a lim it t o t h e e ffor t s o f m an t o conquer space ."

- Po pe Pius X II

Natural Green 56a578

Astronaut Orange d16b27

Neon Yellow edc43a

Fuel Tank Rouge c42038

Galactic Grape 492e82

“COLOR TO CONTINUE” The primary colors of the Belen Aerospace brand are a rich, galaxy-inspired purple (”Galaxy Grape,” 492e82) and a soft, nature-inspired green (”Natural Green,” 56a578). There are, however, other colors which are to be used sparingly (as in this very branding guide) in order to add a sense of visual diversity and intrigue.

These colors are as follows: “Astronaut Orange,” d16b27, inspired by the color worn

by NASA astronauts; “Neon Yellow,” edc43a, and “Fuel Tank Rouge,” c42038. Together, these three colors, when used sparingly, can create a flash of warmth in a web page, printed document, or piece of merchandise, not unlike the fire of a rocket flashing through cold space.

These, along with black and white, are the ONLY colors in which the logo is allowed to appear, with how to apply said colors featured in examples throughout this document.

“Co lor , t o cont inue , h ad t o o ccur in space" - Donald J udd

“FRIENDLY, FA MILIA R PAT TERNS . . .”

Beyond the aforementioned colors, patterns too can be used to visually diversify a brand’s identity. The pattern represented on this page does just that. It also further establishes the mid-century modern/retro future aesthetic and the space/earth dichotomy.

This pattern can be featured in several ways: as white stars superimposed on a darkly-hued photograph (as seen opposite); as white stars over a solid color from the brand’s established color palette; or as white stars over two alternating colors from the brand’s established color palette, emphasizing the flowers/leaves in the negative space between each star. The stars, however, should not be rendered in any other color, nor should the negative flowers be rendered in a color outside of the brand’s established palette.

“Th e real friends o f t h e space vo ya g er are t h e st ars. Th eir friendly, fam iliar pat t erns are const ant com panions, unch ang ing , o ut t h ere .”

— J im Lo vell

“A Hubble Space Telesco pe ph o t o g ra ph o f t h e universe e vo kes far m ore a w e for creat ion t h an li g h t st ream ing t h r o u g h a st ained g lass w indo w in a cat h edral.”

— Mich ael Sh erm er

“PHOTO GR APH OF THE UNIVERSE . . .”

Much has been made of the tactility of the Belen Aerospace brand. This visceral, rough-hewn, and vintage quality sets it apart from its competitors, all of which adopt a sleek and sterile aesthetic.

Nowhere is this tactility more important than in the case of the photography utilized by the brand for web and print. This images should seek to inspire both mystery and awe in what they capture. They should also, whenever possible, be vintage photos, captured on film. When this is not possible, various filters should be added (scratches, color distortion, and the like) to adopt that retro feel. The grit from such images lends to the tactile feel of the overall brand.

“LIFE-ENHANCING” Although the main logos have been firmly established, there are some exceptions and enhancements permittedfor use in merchandise and media. The brightly-hued version seen on this page (top left) utilizes all the color’s in the brand’s palette and can be used on t-shirts, patches, and the like.

The simpler logo on a purple circle seen on this page (center) can be used for social media profiles or as a favicon. Neither it nor its predecessor are centered exactly in the circle which surrounds it; however, the star is, and this is what draws the eye.

Finally, the “rainbow” version featured at the bottom of this page is to inspire animators should the logo ever be adapted for motion, perhaps at the beginning of a video. For such a version, the yellow would appear first and slide seamlessly into the orange, and then the red, before the final logo appears. This is inspired by the title animations associated with PBS specials from the 70s and 80s, as well as other such documentary-style openings.

Space t ra vel is life -enh ancing , and anyt h ing t h at ’s life-enh ancing is w or t h doing . It m akes yo u w ant t o live fore ver .

- Ray Bradb ur y

“ 90 PERCENT IS . . . SPACE” Finally, the fonts for the aerospace brand add a cleanliness and clarity. The heading font is Arquitecta, a humanist typography as a rational project. Inspired by American & European hand lettering from the first half of the past century, Arquitecta finds its own space as a great alternative for paragraphs in front of classics like Futura, Kabel or Avant Garde.

Since the experimentation from the Bauhaus through modern sans history, designers Miguel Hernández and Daniel Hernández looked for a new mix to construct a rational geometric typeface with humanist proportions suitable for text layout and continuous reading.

For body copy, Blender Pro is used. Blender is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed

by Nik Thoenen and released by Gestalten in 2003. The design is extremely geometric and angular, even for the geometric sans genre. Blender is available in five weights with matching italics.

Finally, the font Gimp Scribble, by Leigh Erickson, can be used sparingly for small notes in the margins of web and print.

“10 percent o f desi gn is t ypo g ra ph y. And t h e o t h er 90 percent is wh it e space .”

- J e ffre y Zeldm an.

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