The original NASA insignia is one of the most powerful symbols in the world. A bold, patriotic red chevron wing piercing a blue sphere, representing a planet, with white stars, and an orbiting spacecraft. Today, we know it as “the meatball.” However, with 1970’s technology, it was a difficult icon to reproduce, print, and many people considered it a complicated metaphor in what was considered, then, a modern aerospace era.
Enter a cleaner, sleeker design born of the Federal Design Improvement Program and officially introduced in 1975. It featured a simple, red unique type style of the word NASA. The world knew it as “the worm.” Created by the firm of Danne & Blackburn, the logo was honored in 1984 by President Reagan for its simplistic, yet innovative design.
The Worm showcases over 200 images from NASA’s archives chosen with one simple criteria: each photograph must feature ‘the worm’.
Together, these images demonstrate not only the extent to which Danne & Blackburn’s 1975 NASA Graphic Program had been implemented before being rescinded in 1992, but also the incredible achievements by NASA personnel.
The unfinished final chapter of the book will showcase the return of the worm, as it flies once again aboard a SpaceX rocket on May 30, 2020.
Specifications
248 pages
7.65 × 11.75"
194 × 298 mm
CMYK + NASA Red spot color
Silkscreened cover + jacket
Exposed binding with red thread
Two paper stocks
Red translucent PVC jacket
Printed in Italy
