An upcoming auction of space memorabilia at
Swann Galleries features a number of unusual specimens of paper ephemera which have miraculously survived the last half-century of American (and Soviet) space exploration. Who designed them? Among them are two brochure coversfrom 1969 and 1972 respectivelydocumenting the journeys of Apollo 11 and 16. It's not the miniature American flags that are unusual: after all, the image of Neil Armstrong skewering a lunar crater with an American-made flagpole has become one of the more permanent images with which so many of us remember these comparatively early days of astro-pioneering. But what of the ornate Victorian typesetting? Perhaps the anonymous designer(s) of these booklets believed that NASA's ambitions in space were simply an extension of the Westward expansion that had typified gold rush America. (A few weeks ago we discovered water on Mars. So much for the gold rush.) Pioneering as a nomadic, cultural ideal remains perhaps lodged in the American consciousness: as such, it is perhaps worthy of its own typographic bias. But somehow, it remains a bizarre and somewhat counterintuitive choice a visual oxymoron.
Comments [8]
What I find more compelling are the typewritten letters of provenance with 'paragraph space' to fit the corresponding patch or momento. I can easily imagine a retired astronaut rummaging through the attic, finding their old parking permit, and sitting down to the typewriter -- all to raise a bit of cash.
Even more haunting are the 'life insurance covers'. Astronauts would sign a limited number of first-issue stamp/envelope covers commemorating the mission before liftoff. These pieces were kept by the astronaut families as 'life insurance' in case they didn't return. Notably, the only items with Neil Armstrong's signature.
Thanks for the link.
03.26.04
02:57
Within NASA, the trappings of military esprit de corps, including all the filigree and quasi-Victorian affectations of rank and insignia, have been slow to die, and never really have. Even at the high tide of the Federal Design Improvement Program in the 70s, Bruce Blackburn's wordmark for NASA (also known as "the worm") was not popular within the ranks. And when NASA management decided to reinstill past glory after the Challenger disaster, a key signal was the reinstatement of the original NASA insignia ("the meatball") which identifies the organization to this day. The ornate typography on the Apollo brochure covers is probably meant to invoke the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant as much as Wild Bill Hickock.
03.27.04
03:31
The design planners of the fair wanted it both ways - they sought to project a futuristic aura but understood it could not be too over the heads of its audience. In fact, the first year of the fair never achieved its projected attendence in part because the public did indeed perceive "The World of Tomorrow" was over their heads (the other reason was it cost too much at the tail end of the Depression).
The second year the fair was called "Towards Peace and Freedom" and underplayed the futurism conceit. In fact, the most popular attraction (even more so than GM's Futurama) was the Entertainment Zone with its carnival midway full of burlesque (akin to Coney Island and Times Square) and a strip joint designed by Salvador Dali. While Futurama employed futuristic typography, the Entertainment Zone relied on bifurcated tuscans and other antiquated carnival styled letterforms to signal the fact that it was "for the masses," not the elite.
While the designers of the NASA identity (and especially Bruce Blackburn's futuristic worm - the logo that followed the "meatball" and was ultimately retired in favor of the more nostalgic meatball almost a decade ago) may have sought to project a futuristic aura, the PR people understand the need for balance between space age and homespun design.
I can only presume that even when it comes to NASA they think the public prefers nostalgic futurism (i.e. Jules Verne) to Ridley Scott. Something like a Disney blend of Frontierland and Tomorrowland.
03.28.04
05:29
03.31.04
12:09
Just ran across your blog today and have enjoyed it. I'm teaching undergrad arts students Flash - I'm a programmer, they aren't - so it's nice to find places like yours that help to bridge the gap between us -- and wonderful how blogs encourage that kind of cross discipline interaction.
03.31.04
09:07
04.01.04
03:43
05.26.04
04:25
I presumed that the baroque typography above was nothing more than some jobbing printer's reach for "something special," the semantic equivalent of rathskeller blackletters that appear on college diplomas. Vernacular typography is full of these near misses, and it's the generally appreciable style that wins out over the increasingly ambiguous culturally association.
05.27.04
09:54