Nº 1149 U.S. Department of Transportation logo

U.S. Department of Transportation Logo

The U.S. Department of Transportation logo uses 1 primary color. Its dominant color is Brilliance (#FFFFFF, closest Pantone 9345 C). U.S. Department of Transportation operates in the Boats industry.

Color family
white
Industry
Boats
Brand popularity
Top 11% of indexed brands
Website
dot.gov

Design analysis

The USDOT mark is an official government seal rather than a commercial logo, built on the heraldic template of the Great Seal of the United States. A frontal eagle with outstretched wings clutches a shield of thirteen vertical stripes beneath a blue chief; in its beak a scroll reads "DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION," while its talons hold a winged wheel and trident — symbols of land, air, and maritime transport — replacing the traditional arrows and olive branch. The entire composition is encircled by "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" above and "DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION" below in capital serif lettering. This density of fine lines, typography, and illustrative detail makes the seal authoritative at document size but illegible below roughly 25 mm; it does not function as an app icon or favicon without a simplified companion mark.

Great Seal eagle silhouette with transportation attributesCircular inscription in capital serif letteringShield of thirteen stripes and starred chiefWinged wheel and trident in eagle's talons

Logo colors, measured

Colors extracted from the logo image itself (background removed), with share of the mark each color covers.

Click a chip to copy its hex code.

The measured palette shows only white (#FFFFFF), indicating the source file was a knockout version intended for dark or photographic backgrounds. The full-color seal uses federal blue (Pantone 288 C), gold (Pantone 872 C), and white — colours prescribed by U.S. government identity standards to convey sovereignty, trust, and visibility across maritime, aviation, and highway contexts where high-contrast recognition is a safety requirement.

Variations & downloads

Color variants generated from the vector source — free to download for identification, editorial and research use.

U.S. Department of Transportation logo, primary version
Primary SVG PNG
U.S. Department of Transportation logo, white version for dark backgrounds
White SVG PNG
U.S. Department of Transportation logo, black monochrome version
Black SVG PNG

Visually similar logos

Nearest neighbors in visual embedding space — marks that share shape and structure with the U.S. Department of Transportation logo, regardless of color or industry.

Brand web palette

Colors U.S. Department of Transportation uses across its website — the broader brand system around the logo.

About U.S. Department of Transportation

TransportationGov is the official website of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), which is responsible for ensuring a safe, efficient, and reliable transportation system in the country. The USDOT was established on October 15, 1966, by the Department of Transportation Act, which consolidated and coordinated the functions of various federal agencies related to transportation. TransportationGov serves as the digital hub for the department, providing information, resources, and services related to transportation to citizens, businesses, and other stakeholders. The headquarters of the USDOT is located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, D. C. The department is led by the Secretary of Transportation, who is a member of the President's Cabinet. The Secretary is responsible for formulating transportation policies and overseeing the implementation of programs and regulations. TransportationGov offers a wide range of products and services to support its mission of ensuring a safe and efficient transportation system. These include information on regulations and policies, grant programs, research and technology initiatives, safety resources, and various transportation statistics and data. The website also provides access to online services such as vehicle registration and licensing, permit applications, and employment opportunities within the transportation sector. On a global scale, the USDOT collaborates with various international organizations, governments, and agencies to advance transportation safety, sustainability, and infrastructure development. It participates in international forums and initiatives and works to harmonize transportation standards and regulations. The USDOT does not have any noteworthy subsidiaries, joint ventures, or partnerships, as it is a government department. However, it collaborates closely with other federal agencies, state and local governments, industry stakeholders, and research institutions to achieve its objectives

Questions about the U.S. Department of Transportation logo

Who designed the USDOT seal and when was it adopted?

The seal was developed in 1966 when the Department of Transportation was established by Congress. It was created by the Army Institute of Heraldry, the federal agency responsible for designing official seals and flags, following the heraldic conventions of the Great Seal of the United States.

Why does the eagle hold a winged wheel and trident instead of arrows and an olive branch?

The winged wheel represents land and air transportation, while the trident signifies maritime commerce. Together they replace the Great Seal's arrows (war) and olive branch (peace) to symbolize the department's multimodal mission across highways, aviation, rail, and waterways.

What color is the U.S. Department of Transportation logo?

The dominant color of the U.S. Department of Transportation logo is Brilliance (hex #FFFFFF). The closest Pantone match is 9345 C.

How many colors does the U.S. Department of Transportation logo have?

The U.S. Department of Transportation logo uses 1 primary color: #FFFFFF.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation logo is a trademark of its owner, shown here for identification and design research. Color data is measured from the public mark by LogoLabs; analysis is editorial commentary. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.