To Rachael - stamped-stamps - No.2 (NASA logo, etc)

 Did I forget to photograph these after they were done?

Whew.

There was a bit of a panic until I found this.

I had a lot of fun on the day I did these - and am having a serious debate with myself about whether or not they are too repetitive to give each one their own day. But, with all the stress of the pandemic, etc. I am going to post one a week - and that will give me some open space if I need to insert rants.

I ran one of these previously - on the first of a month - exchange sign-up day.

*****

This is how surfing works:

Enjoying coffee, hoping to linger a bit longer before working on massive house project.

Click on obituaries in NYT

Find the obit for man who designed the NASA logo

Not that interested, but needed to linger

Oh.My.Gosh.

First - the story about the two NASA logos is really good.

Second - he also designed a star that we've all seen a gazillion times.

Third - further surfings led me to a website with stories about logos that could potentially keep me glued to my computer for the entire day.

Instead, I will put it in my new folder of ReallyREALLYgoodSTUFF

and come back later.

If you love graphic design and logos -- you might like this place:

https://kottke.org/tag/logos

I have not backtracked to find out anything more about Kottke -- I'm guessing it's not Leo - but maybe it is.

Here is the star logo that started out for the bicentennial and ended up everywhere, including on stamps.

Also the two NASA logos and the start and a link to the obit of the designer. There are other obits if you Google him. 

Link to Blackburn obit

If you do not want to surf - the story about these two logos goes like this:

He did the first logo.

Then they wanted something a little more streamlined and he did the second one.

Then after the Challenger disaster, they flipped back to the first one - which bothered Bruce (a lot) 

Happily, before he died, they started using the second one again - whew.

And here is one of the best parts off the Kottke blog - part of a conversation from a meeting where Bruce and his partner were pitching the second logo. 

And here is one of the most interesting exchanges I’ve ever witnessed in a design presentation. Fletcher is the client. I'm not sure who Low is - possibly a rep who is valuable to the process since designers aren't always the best people to lead the discussion.

Fletcher: “I’m simply not comfortable with those letters, something is missing.”
Low: “Well yes, the cross stroke is gone from the letter A.”
Fletcher: “Yes, and that bothers me.”
Low: “Why?”
Fletcher: (long pause) “I just don’t feel we are getting our money’s worth!”

Jean's comment: It get's better

Others, not just the designers were stunned by this last comment. Then the discussion moved back to the strong red/rust color we were proposing. We had tried many other colors of course, including the more predictable blue range, but settled on red because it suggested action and animation. It seemed in spirit with the Can Do nature of the Space Agency.

Fletcher: And this color, red, it doesn’t make much sense to me.”
Low: “What would be better?”
Fletcher: “Blue makes more sense… Space is blue.”
Low: “No Dr. Fletcher, Space is black!”

Jean's comment:  If you go to the Kottke blog and scroll down to this part, there is a link to a longer article about the whole NASA logo design which I have not read - but, I am guessing  it might be really good.