The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. federal public health agency headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, uses a square badge-style logo featuring a white “burst” pattern on a blue background with the words “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” displayed below.[1] The agency operates as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.[1]
Design and History
The CDC’s visual identity has evolved alongside the agency’s expanding mission. In 1964, the agency promoted a character called “Wellbee” as its national symbol of public health, appearing in campaigns that encouraged behaviors such as handwashing and booster vaccinations.[2]
In the late 1990s, the CDC undertook a formal identity-building process. After Jeffrey P. Koplan became CDC Director in September 1998, the agency assessed its existing logo and tagline, developed creative concepts, and tested a new logo, tagline, and brand architecture strategy based on audience research.[3]
The long-standing CDC mark, documented on Wikimedia Commons, is described as a detailed logo with a white “burst” in the background and the agency’s full name set below the emblem.[1] In 2024, the CDC introduced an updated logo, identified on Wikimedia Commons as the logo of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “since 2024.”[4] The newer mark was sourced directly from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[4]
The CDC logo is a proprietary trademark, not in the public domain, and may not be used by non-CDC parties without a trademark licensing agreement.[5] Official CDC branding guidance requires that the logo appear on the front page of multi-page documents within the page margins at the bottom of the page.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The agency’s earlier “Wellbee” character was explicitly promoted as a “national symbol of public health” in CDC materials from the 1960s.[2] For the 2024 logo update, no official statement of design intent or symbolism has been located in the available research.
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