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NASA Graphics Standards Manual (1975)

by agomez314 on 7/22/24, 4:34 PM with 68 comments

  • by mkhalil on 7/26/24, 2:26 PM

    High-quality PDF Version of the manual (NASA Graphics Standards Manual) if anyone is interested (legally distributed by NASA): https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nasa_graphic...

    Never was the type of person to spend $90 on a look-book/coffee-table book, but bless those who make things like this possible I guess \-_-/

  • by jen729w on 7/26/24, 11:07 AM

    For those nostalgic for this era, go give Neil some money for his epic typeface Berkeley Mono. He work(s/ed?) at NASA.

    https://berkeleygraphics.com/typefaces/berkeley-mono/

  • by glimshe on 7/26/24, 9:56 AM

    As a Gen Xer, I feel I've been promised the future represented by the logo on this manual, but instead got what we have today... :(

  • by dang on 7/26/24, 6:19 PM

    Related:

    NASA Graphics Standards Manual - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14890791 - July 2017 (8 comments)

    NASA Graphics Standards Manual (1976) [pdf] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11356246 - March 2016 (8 comments)

    NASA’s 1976 Graphics Standards Manual [pdf] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10236380 - Sept 2015 (1 comment)

    NASA's 1975 Graphics Standards Manual - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10171018 - Sept 2015 (10 comments)

  • by monocultured on 7/26/24, 11:59 AM

    It's such an incredible flex to have a design system and brand guidelines for a calling card, side of van, oh and here's how to apply logo on a rocket btw.

    Love these old design systems and how prescriptive they are.

  • by Optimal_Persona on 7/26/24, 6:01 PM

    One of my favorite software developers - Valhalla DSP, who make awesome reverb, delay, and modulation audio plugins - references the NASA design guidelines.

    https://valhalladsp.com/2011/04/26/valhallaroom-an-overview/

    "The idea behind the GUI was to organize the controls in a logical manner, such that their size and display status was an accurate representation of their relative importance. The GUI is also proudly 2D, with the controls being more of an abstraction of knobs and sliders than an ersatz depiction of hardware that doesn’t exist. Futura Demibold was chosen as the font, as it is specified as the control panel font in the NASA usability guidelines, and because it just looks cool. The tooltips area is an effort to incorporate documentation as a design element, in keeping with the minimalist/Swiss School influences."

    Valhalla is one of the few audio plugin developers who make plugins that are usable/legible even when the vector interface is zoomed down to its smallest size. Apple could do well to take inspiration from NASA and Valhalla - their redesigned plugin interfaces in Logic Pro X have small regular weight Helvetica, tons of wasted blank space and are unreadable to my not-getting-younger peepers at smaller sizes. I feel like no one in Apple's design department is over 30.

  • by pndy on 7/26/24, 3:55 PM

    For last 3 years it feels like clothing with worm logo is all around - there are tshirts, hoodies, pretty sure I even noticed socks and backpacks. NASA managed to promote itself quite well and its branding raised to the range of a popculture symbol. Comparable ESA is rather a "quiet" agency and its merchandise exist solely on their site and nowhere else; I wonder if they do have similar document regarding logotype.

    ---

    Since we're talking about space, agencies and logos, a little story: there's POLSA - Polish Space Agency, cause we can into space contrary to popular belief. In 2015 the agency has launched a competition to design its logo and over 400 works were sent. The reward was 10k PLN/ ~2.3k €. Work of renown poster artist was selected, independently from all other works submitted which raised quite a storm here. The director of the organizational office stated that: "none of the designs submitted met the aesthetic requirements for a logo. In addition, despite the fact that close to 400 designs were received, in many cases we had to deal with reproductive work." In the end, in 2021 another logo was made and agency didn't disclosure who was the author and how much this lovely thing cost.

    Works submitted: https://joemonster.org/art/35407 - copied from fb page that tried to collect all rejected designs; some are clearly jokes (Bolek and Lolek inside Jetsons' flying car, or coat of arm eagle tail repurposed as rocket) but there are few which were really good

    Design commissioned and executed by prof. Mieczysław Wasilewski for 15k PLN/ ~3.5k €: https://brandingmonitor.pl/zenujacy-zart-polskiej-agencji-ko...

    The final logo: https://www.urania.edu.pl/wiadomosci/polska-agencja-kosmiczn...

  • by wolframhempel on 7/26/24, 4:04 PM

    I need to develop better impulse control. I was already halfway through filling out the shipping address when I took a deep breath and thought - really? Are you ever gonna seriously read this?

    But then again, it does come wrap in space foil...so there's that...

  • by d3nit on 7/26/24, 10:59 AM

  • by corysama on 7/26/24, 4:14 PM

    Related: Nixon, NASA, And How The Federal Government Got Design

    https://web.archive.org/web/20181005033340/https://www.fastc...

    Archive link because the actual page is missing a few images :(

  • by mwexler on 7/26/24, 1:08 PM

    The other books they offer at https://standardsmanual.com/pages/titles follow a similar pattern but across a variety of domains. Worth a look to see approaches to the NYC Subway map and DC Comics.

  • by bangaroo on 7/26/24, 2:34 PM

    my girlfriend bought this for me as a gift and it's one of my favorite things i own

    i find the whole concept of brand identity and branding so cool, i love looking at branding guides for whatever reason, and one that includes "the proper way to brand a spaceship or satellite" is high up in cool factor

  • by hanniabu on 7/26/24, 1:25 PM

    What you think you'll get when you pay $50k for a branding and design document

  • by starkparker on 7/26/24, 6:18 PM

    FWIW NASA's modern brand standards (including RGB/HEX/CMYK/PMS codes for the brand colors) are at https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/brand-guidelines/

  • by tommiegannert on 7/26/24, 10:07 AM

    Context:

    > 1975 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Graphics Standards Manual Reissue. Published by Standards Manual, LLC. 2015.

  • by blackhaz on 7/26/24, 4:34 PM

    Ah. The times when designers were actually designers.

  • by ezekg on 7/26/24, 3:00 PM

    I have this in my office. My wife got it for me years back. One of my favorite things to flip through when I need some branding inspiration.

  • by michaelhoney on 7/27/24, 12:39 AM

    I have this. The silvered bag it comes in is very satisfying.

  • by m3kw9 on 7/26/24, 1:21 PM

    would be the most interesting coffee table book

  • by speckx on 7/26/24, 6:04 PM

    I have this book; as a NASA nerd, I love it!

  • by sandworm101 on 7/26/24, 10:59 AM

    They want 100+ for a nasa book? Are not nasa publications outside copyrights? This should be availible somewhere as a pdf. Perhaps that is why they added a forward.

    https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/