Just in case you are interested, there have been several of the USFG “Old-Timers” come up with the answer to this challenge. They just chose to keep their responses private.
The design of the USFG LOGO was created a long time ago by Fred VanSant. It is called “Honeycomb”. It was featured in his collection of designs known as Star Cuts III. With a little research, you can find out more about his original design collections, the Star Cuts Series.
Anyway, “Honeycomb” was uploaded to FacetDiagrams not too long ago, in memory of Charles L. Moon. There is a lot of cherished history and comradery among the facet guild old-timers. There was much sharing of information for competitions long ago, which was the core purpose of the USFG in the early days. It still is / should be.
http://www.facetdiagrams.org/database/files/pc28098a.html
When you find the design “PC 28.098A FVS-172 by Fred W. Van Sant, Star Cuts III (1989)”, you will notice that there are no thin-line girdle facets, as shown on most USFG newsletters. The 90 degree girdle rises up to meet the honeycomb pattern of the crown. This has a particular fascination for me, because I very much like unusual girdle patters. Through the years, the USFG LOGO has sometimes shown a thin-line girdle, and sometimes it did not. That depends on who was “In-the-Know” at the time of the newsletter publishing. Now you know.
I think it is an interesting part of our history to see the LOGO design change on the newsletters. If you have a few extra minutes, go back through the newsletters posted on this site and take a look. Be careful! You might even find some old information in some of the past newsletters which could help you in your faceting today.
Good Luck!
Jeff