Combine imagery

The Combine heavily relies on imagery through logos, symbols, and propaganda posters to assure their influence on Earth and recall their presence its residents. Combine units - humanoid and Synth - also bear insignias, logos and other markings. Many Combine posters are also scattered around City 17 and its sector (including the Coast, Nova Prospekt, etc.). Most of the time they include the two common Combine symbols (see below), with variants in color and image backgrounds. The Combine imagery is quite abstract, and the intended messages can be very subtle.

Randy Lundeen stated that the team made periodic attempts to create and scatter many Combine propaganda posters throughout City 17, designed by Lundeen himself and Damarcus Holbrook. The posters were heavily relying on texts, such as the slogans "They're here for you" and "It's great to be part of the greater good" for the Metropolice and "Keep it clean... or he will" for the Cremator, as well as a welcome poster for City 17, featuring a long text split in several paragraphs. It was eventually decided that most of the posters detracted from the atmosphere, and that they were overused, while the Combine propaganda was to be more subtle. It was also fairly obvious for the team that the Combine did not need to rely on subtle messaging to achieve its ends, resulting in the more abstract posters in the final product.

"Claw" Combine symbol

 * Two prominent symbols of the Combine can be identified. They can be seen throughout the game on Combine structures, propaganda posters, directly painted on walls, and on various Combine forces.


 * The first common Combine symbol and the most striking consists of a circle inside of a sharp edged claw shape, and recalls in style the utilitarian architecture of the Combine.


 * The circle inside the claw probably symbolizes domination and control over everything. It could also be seen to symbolize slavery of other species (the circle being a planet), the control of fertility (the circle being an egg, thus referring to the Suppression Field), and life and existence itself.


 * Being that the Combine have control of almost every resource and media outlet, such an abstract symbol can be communicated and understood universally.


 * That symbol can be found on propaganda posters scattered around City 17 and its sector, behind Breen during his Breencasts, on several Synth units such as the Combine Dropship, the Shield Scanner, the Advisor Pod (in dark red for the two first ones and white for the latter), and other units such as the Stalker (on the small box attached to its belt), the Nova Prospekt Prison Guard, and the Overwatch Elite, the circle replaced in this one by a cracked skull, the only Combine imagery that indicates hostility or threat.

Behind the scenes
Studies for the Overwatch Soldier seen in Raising the Bar feature many different sleeve insignias, one of them featuring an early claw Combine symbol.

"CMB" Combine symbol
The second Combine symbol reads "CMB" in the Latin alphabet, based on or the base of the name "Combine". It is likely used only on Earth. It can be found being used with the claw symbol, sometimes horizontal, sometimes vertical. Only two Combine units, the City and Shield Scanners, feature it.

"Claw" + "CMB" symbol combinations
The two common Combine symbols are often used in combination, mostly on posters.

City 17 logo
City 17 has its own logo, a yellow shape based on a layer of the Citadel, but the cut "tiles" version. It can be found on several Combine units and devices such as the Suppression Device, the Thumper, the Floor Turret, the Hunter-Chopper and the APC (in grey). It is probably more the logo of the greater Sector 17 than the city itself, as it can always be found on the same devices located outside of the city.

Behind the scenes

 * Designed by Damarcus Holbrook, the City 17 logo was originally different. Its shape was mostly identical, but it was black, with an additional red line around the middle, and the number 17 in the center, written in the font "DIN", a typeface widely used by Valve.


 * It can be seen in several pieces of concept art for City 17, such as the Combine SWAT Truck, the Air Exchange tower (without a number, a possible with the red color of the small line replaced by yellow) and the stenographer's chasm worker missing model.


 * It can also be seen on two posters/signs, such as a City 17 welcome poster from Raising the Bar (featured for example in the stenographer's chasm), and another found in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta files, featuring the image of a statue of Vladimir Lenin, used for instance in some WC mappack maps featuring the Manhack Arcade main entrance and inside one of the arcades, as well as in concept art for a Trainstation Plaza shelter, on a Combine structure. The "17" from the "Lenin" poster logo is not written in the font "DIN", while the name "City 17" located under is.


 * As in the final game, the early City 17 logo is probably more the logo of the greater Sector 17 than the city itself, since it was to be seen on the Air Exchange tower without a number. It is also likely that any Combine-controlled city was to have the same logo, the Citadels being all the same, with only the number changing. It is unknown however how the city logos are differentiated in the retail version, the number having been removed. Although the retail Citadel is completely different than the "tiles" one, the logo shape remained.

Advisor markings
Some sort of dark-colored ring encompasses the edge of the Advisor body suit, where the suit meets the "head". That ring bears strange golden markings which could be the evidence of an Advisor alphabet. Of note is that for Episode Two, the markings have changed with the model, and appear slightly less golden.

Civil Protection insignias and posters
Metrocops have two insignias on their uniform, only consisting of letters and numbers. The red armband they have on the right arm has "c17:i4" written in the font "Impact", followed by a small circle emblazoned on it, written in a squeezed "Impact" font. The first half of "c17:i4" refers to City 17, while ":i4" and the small circle probably refers to a particular sector, the Combine using many code names for many things, as heard in the radio transmissions and the Overwatch Voice messages. However any CP model has the same code, likely due to game limitations. At the back of the collar can be also be read "C17".

Behind the scenes

 * The pre-release Civil Protection insignias are the same as the retail ones, with different colors. The Combine Guard also had another armband / sleeve insignia, and was featured on all the cut Metropolice propaganda posters, designed by Randy Lundeen.


 * Two of the three Metropolice propaganda posters are in Raising the Bar, while the third can be found in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta files. They feature the sentences "They're here for you" and "It's great to be part of the greater good".

Overwatch Soldiers insignias
Overwatch Soldiers have several insignias. The standard soldier has an orange triangle on the right forearm, with white unknown symbols in it. The left arm features a yellow circle with two black triangles it (it was originally featured on the Combine Super Soldier, with different colors). The Nova Prospekt Prison Guard has on its right arm the same triangle with white symbols in it, only that it is yellow, and that a yellow "Nova Prospekt" is written below in a black rectangle, again in the font "DIN", a typeface widely used by Valve. On its left arm is the claw Combine symbol, yellow in a black circle. The same rectangle with "Nova Prospekt" inside it is also on the back, bigger. Finally, the Shotgun Soldier has the same logo as the Overwatch Elite, darker and on a maroon background, and no insignia on the right arm.

Behind the scenes
Different concept art pictures for the Overwatch Soldier seen in Raising the Bar feature many different sleeve insignias, one of them featuring an early claw Combine symbol.

Overwatch Elite insignias
The Overwatch Elite insignia featured on its left arm, chest (in a grey variant, with a campaign ribbon under it) and neck guard (inside it) is the only Combine imagery that indicates hostility or threat, displaying a cracked human skull within a straightened up standard claw Combine symbol. While the original symbol does not portray the Combine as horrific, the Elite symbol is a deliberate attempt to show the Elites as brutal and deadly. It was possibly influenced by the Totenkopf symbol used most prominently by the Schutzstaffel, an organization in Nazi Germany which served as both political police and an elite military formation.

Synth symbols and markings
Gunships and Striders bear the same symbol on their back and head, respectively, while the Strider has maroon lines on its legs. This symbol was on the back of the Overwatch Soldier's old skin (in white) and can also be seen on the shoulder of one of the Combine Synth Elite Soldier versions. Its meaning and whether it is a Combine symbol or not or if it proves a closer relation between the Gunship and the Strider are unknown.

Behind the scenes

 * Several cut Synths also bore symbols. The Wasteland Scanner bears the standard Combine claw symbol (in dark red), and other unknown markings, notably a "7" like symbol seen again in the triangle insignia featured on the Overwatch Soldier's right arm. The Combine Guard has no symbols, while its predecessor, the Combine Synth Elite Soldier, has some informal symbols in some of its versions, as well as the same symbol seen on the Gunship and the Strider. The Sacktick has two informal markings, one on its back, one on its right front leg, not seen elsewhere. Like the Strider, the Combine Super Soldier bears maroon lines on its legs, while its white version was to also have maroon lines on the arms, the number "314" on the chest, as well as two maroon triangles in a circle on the arm. Of note is that the "314" number can also be found on the outfit of the Overwatch Soldier model featured in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta, while the two triangles in a circle can be found on the retail Overwatch Soldier model, with different colors.


 * The mysterious "TBot1" model has a "15" like symbol featured on a shoulder. It can also be seen on one of the early Dog texture sheets.


 * Early Strider iterations also bore miscellaneous markings, notably a maroon circle with a "Z" or a lightning bolt in the middle, and some sort of L with a small dot in the opposite angle.


 * The early Combine Dropship model had a big red circle on its front, and a "C17" on the side (not featured in the model).

Citizen logos
Citizens do not have any Combine logos on their uniforms; only a blank white tag on the chest, and a bigger one on the back, also blank. However almost all five known previous model always bore at least one logo (see below). The most recent of the previous models, with orange logos on the back and the chest, was kept in the retail game for the rotten Citizen model.

Behind the scenes
All previous Citizen models bore at least one logo:


 * The first known (and missing) model, "Citizen_17", the gas mask Citizen with the green outfit and apron, wears a red armband with a white "17" on it, with black numbers and letters on both sides.


 * The second known Citizen is the first model without gas mask, and is the one seen in the first Half-Life 2 trailer (in the map ") and the one featured in the children models. It consists of a dark green coat and light green trousers, but it has no logos.


 * The third model, "City", has a green coat and brown trousers; in the back is a distorted red rectangle with a black claw Combine symbol on the bottom, and strange black markings above, in a white distorted rectangle.


 * The fourth Citizen outfit is the one featured in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta. With a cream-colored coat and green trousers, it also has a logo on the back, a worn-out dark orange rectangle, with a cream-colored claw Combine symbol on the bottom, and a cream-colored "C17" above (the same "17" as the one featured on the City 17 welcome poster), as well as a dark orange armband with also a cream-colored "C17". It has also two variants, an "ammo" and a "medic", likely temporary models. The first one has the same logos and armband, but they are green colored, and a blue "AMMO" is added on the back and the chest. The "medic" mostly uses the same logo colors, but with a red cross added to the back and the chest.


 * The fifth and last one before the retail version is featured in the E3 2004 Half-Life 2 trailer, and the one kept in the retail game for the rotten Citizen model. It has an orange square on the top of the back with a black "C17" in it, and a bigger orange rectangle on the chest, although it cannot be made out because of the worms, the rot and the blood.


 * The cut Citizen variants, the Borealis worker, the factory worker and the (missing) stenographer's chasm worker also have logo, consisting of a black claw Combine symbol in an orange circle, the old City 17 logo, and a green claw Combine symbol in an orange circle, respectively. The Borealis and factory workers also have the same white square on the collar, filled with abstract blueish markings.

Razor Train imagery
The Razor Train does not display any markins, but used to have some related imagery before the game's final release.

Behind the scenes
A City 17 poster depicting a Razor Train engine can be found in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta files. The early brush Razor Train also features a "C17" logo on the locomotive. Concept art showing the brush Razor Train near the Depot also shows the Cyrillic letters "ЗИЛ" on the locomotive. "ЗИЛ", or "ZiL" in Cyrillic letters, is a Russian truck, car, bus and heavy equipment manufacturer. The Half-Life 2 truck model "truck003a.mdl" is a ZiL truck.

Dr>Breens Private Reserve logos
The Combine drink, "Dr>Breens Private Reserve", or ">B", uses a simple logo only made of letters written in the Impact font, the same font used for the Metrocop armband. The complete version is on soda machines, while the simple ">B" is found on cans.

Citadel Core logo
The Citadel Core has its own logo, as seen on one of its main access doors. Of note is that it is similar to the original City 17 logo, although the armatures in the core room itself reflect similar shapes when seen from above.

"Printed circuit" symbol
A Combine symbol seen in two pieces of concept art from Raising the Bar seem to represent printed circuit board-like lines in a circle. One is found in a Consul picture, while the other, more defined and geometric, can be seen on a train, with the Citadel in the back.

Cremator poster
The Cremator was to have a propaganda poster dedicated to it (again designed by Randy Lundeen), featuring the sentence "Keep it clean... or he will".

Manhack Arcade star
The facade of the fourth Manhack Arcade building features a star, apparently inspired by the Macy's facade in Seattle (the Manhack Arcade is also featured in the "Claw" + "CMB" symbol combinations section of this article).