COP3// Practical Final Photos: Items as a set & Evaluation

In Evaluation. The aim of this project was to take knowledge I had gained through the process of writing the dissertation element of this module and synthesise this new understanding with a design based practical element. I chose to re-design the visual identity for the company Deep Space Industries, an American start up hoping to mine asteroids in the near future. The reasoning behind this is that the written element focuses heavily on the cold war era space race between the US and USSR. Today private companies are just beginning the same journey, albeit with different aims, nevertheless ‘racing’ each other into space. This new race will focus heavily on the technology involved, however as they are privately owned rather than government bodies they also need a strong visual identity to guide investment and public opinion in an open market with competition looming.

The core identity I came up with takes reference from Deep Space Industries existing logo, with heavy, wide, swooping lines, and brings it up to date with a more modern and usable standard. With the addition of the text element I have drawn a simple ‘encounter line’. This red line represents a spacecraft trajectory as it encounters, orbits and then de-orbits from an object in space. The new visual identity directly relates DSI with space activities through this simple graphic analogy.

One other aspect of the redesign included the production of various paraphernalia that the identity may be used with. This is discussed in detail in the visual identity manual which I have provided for guidance. The aim of the visual identity manual is to lay down rules and explanations on how to use the new DSI identity with examples.

This process has been continued with the production of mission insignia for upcoming DSI missions named ‘Firefly’ and ‘Dragonfly’; real word events planned for launching in the near future. To design these I took elements from the existing mission insignia and completely overhauled the design. The new versions appear more professional with a more simplistic and suitable tone of voice. The insignia redesign looks futuristic, incorporating visual representations of the insects described carrying out the mission tasks; Firefly illuminates with his tail and Dragonfly captures and asteroid. The production of the insignia directly relates to topics discussed in the written element of this module, from the use of illustrations to the depictions of mission parameters in a simple and workable way. I mounted the insignia on some laser-cut plastic to give an impression of what the insignia would look like in action; which would be on the side of a space craft.

To flesh out the development of the identity further I produced a mission plaque. This was inspired by the use of mission plaques by NASA, most famously on the Apollo 11 mission. The wording on the plaque itself is heavily inspired by this. Its use would theoretically be too leave it on the first asteroid visited by a private company in history aboard the ‘Firefly’ mission. The plaque looks great but I had a few problems in its production. At the moment it looks used, as if it has returned from space, due to the staining of the engraved portions. The aim was too have the engraved portions inked up, however this was not possible due to time constrains. Nevertheless, visually it is still striking and the rusty aesthetics of the unfinished product gives a good tone of voice for a deep space mining organisation.

Finally I produced a small plastic sign to illustrate a scaled down version of  much larger corporate signage, that could appear outside offices or launch facilities. This is the DSI logo laser-cut in plastic and affixed to some white plastic. This product gives a lot of context to the design, especially in photography, as it displays a working version of the logo in context. The ability to photograph it under different conditions illustrates the strength of this visual identity, it is readable even at very low visibility and as different scales; this is illustrated further by images which can be found on my blog.

Overall I am very happy with the DSI visual identity redesign. The new logo is very strong visually, referencing space activities and science fiction aesthetics. It can remain so at a range of scales and lighting conditions; desirable properties for an identity which must be readable in all extremes. In its relationship with the written element; I have taken the goals and aims of NASA in using mission insignia to propagate notions of American identity and nationhood and applied the theory behind this to a private organisation. The visual identity here connotes on a sci-fi futurism which will reflect well on the aspirations and level of vision of this new organisation. The visual identity manual explains how the DSI logo works and the insignia, plaque and signage exists to flesh out and contextualise this. My aim for the future of this project is to produce a design pack for this work and ink the plaque, I would then send the designs to DSI and ask for their opinion of the work, or if I could do any work for them in the future. Looking forward I am very interested in this new industry and would very much like to be part of it.

COP3// Practical Final Images: Mission Insignia

 Here are a few images of the mission insignia. The aim of which was to redesign the existing DSI mission patches for firefly and Dragonfly missions. The photos came out really well, especially against the deep black backdrop. The use of white plastic to act as spacecraft panels was pretty effective too, and I used the burnt sides as an example of a post atmospheric re-entry image. one thing that the insignia do well is lighten the tone of voice of the whole project, which without them would be rather corporate looking. These are a more colourful addition, and which remaining professional and following the rule of the visual identity manual, they do brighten the overall set. I will evaluate the outcomes further in the Evaluation. 

COP3// Practical Final Images: Sign

The sign is a great way to test the suitability of the new visual identity in a range of environments. It also illustrates the strong and iconic feel of the lettering and encounter line combination. Through the use of photography I have illustrated the logos effectiveness from different angles and under extreme lighting conditions to test its ability to be used in extreme condition and still be recognisable. I will discuss the final product further in the Evaluation.

COP3// Practical Final Images: Copper Plate

Despite the problems of not being able to get the copper plate inked I think it turned out pretty well. The use of this more rustic version is more in tone with an organisation which operates in deep space, and creates the notion that it has been used well. The raw copper version looks like a piece of sci-fi fan art whereas a well polished version may have looked slightly out of place in this context. It is also another good test of the new logos strength of character as it still reads well in this difficult application.  

COP3// Practical Final Images: Book

This is the DSI visual identity manual. The final product was printed on a heavy stock and stitch bound with black thread. The final product is a professional visual identity manual which states rules on how the new logo should be used as well as other aspects of the visual identity like font usage and example of the logo in context. If I had perhaps given myself a little more time to put this together I would have liked to make a few changes, namely to print the manual on a more suitable, thinner stock, and to have added a coloured cover to hide the stitching. I think the addition of a proper cover would have also tied the manual together in a more approachable way, the current version is great and portrays the right message, but could be less corporate.

COP3// Books Used

 Here is a summery of the books I used to help write the dissertation:

Nasa Art: 50 years of exploration was a great book in terms of idea generation in the early stages of both the written and practical element of the project. Firstly the for the written element it gave me the idea of the hero generation chapter from the way some of the astronauts were depicted in the paintings, secondly for the practical side, it made me more aware of the types of graphic design and creative processes used in the space exploration industry. 

 Miller, D., 1987. "Material Culture and Mass Consumption". Oxford, Basil Blackwell Ltd.
'Claims of relations to land are always made in terms of knowledge of the ancestors who created it; and the recognised rights of a social group are always rights to the representation of a particular ancestor' 

'life cycle ceremonies [marking] authority of the group over the land'

Miller notes how Veblen theorised that due to the lack of historical aristocracy in the US the 'leisure class' must use an 'overt display of wealth and consumption [to form] social hierarchies'  

 Again similar to the NASA Art book, cold war modern informed my of movements and key ideologies, not quoted or used in text, but as a frame of reference for my own understanding of the subject and the notions of style during the cold war.

Beyer, P., 1994. "Religion and Globalization" London, SAGE Publications Ltd.

'the family is the God-orientated institution of the marriage of one man and one woman together for a lifetime with their children. The family is the fundamental building block and basic unit of our society, and its continued health is a prerequisite for a healthy and prosperous nation. No nation has ever been stronger than the families within it. America's families are its strength, and they symbolise the miracle of America' 
'sexual discipline is the basis for moral discipline, which in turn is a prerequisite for national discipline'

 Burgin, V., 1996. "In Different Spaces". California, University of California Press. 

The wagon trains that moved the American descendants of European settlers from the US east to the western frontier allowed '[construction of] a new national identity away from national origins. As one category of displaced subject tumbles on the heels of another' 
 

Schirato, T. and Webb, J., 2003. "Understanding Globalization." London, SAGE Publications Ltd.

Introduces the concept of 'Counter Memory', the practice of 'the obfuscating or erasure of history'.

 Cobley, P. and Jansz, L., 2004. "Introducing Semiotics". Royston, Icon Books Ltd.

Using Levi-Strauss' structural mythemes (Cobley and Jansz, 2004) we could relate the frontier story as a Greek myth in of the birth of America, where she kills her paternal figure during the American revolution and goes on to the slaying of monsters and difficulty of balance represented by the ideological struggles of the American civil war and the cold war.  

 Not referenced in the dissertation but read sections to gain further understanding into the pursuit of post-colonialism in the cold war era by the US and to gain insight into how that reflected on what NASA was doing at the time.

Ekbladh, D. , 2010. "The Great American Mission. Modernization & The Construction of an American World Order". New Jersey, Princeton University Press.

The aim of the US at this time was to secure developing nations under their own political model 'after Mao's 1957 assertion that "the East Wind is prevailing over the West Wind."' following the rise and initial success of communism in China and North Korea whilst South Korea, under American guidance, had stagnated. 

Eisenhowers's 1953 to 1961 government, and those to follow believed that 'the core of the Cold War was psychological, "a struggle to capture symbols ... that express man's aspirations and thereby influence political behaviour,"  

 McLellan, D., 1979. "Marxism After Marx" 4th ed. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

he argues that the US military ambition is to maintain the status quo within other nations in areas concerning 'Social order, property relations, stability of contractual predictability, or any other basic conditions required by capital in its everyday life' and that the US achieves this by 'renewed militarism [and] pursuit of war without end and the threat of military intervention anywhere and anytime' 

McCamley, N., 2007. "Cold War Secret Nuclear Bunkers" 4th ed. England, Pen and Sword.

‘This shock embedded in the US psyche a fear of sudden, unprovoked attack that became an overarching national paranoia. Post-war, in the American military mind the Soviet Union became the aggressor’

The US reaction to its fear of the unknown ability of its enemies manifested in massive military expansion, ‘henceforth the whole of America’s scientific, military and industrial complex would be geared towards a cataclysmic east-west nuclear war.’

Again not referenced in text but a great source for general knowledge in regards to semiotics.

 Jones, P., 2012. Reimagining The Enemy. In: Althaus, F. Sutcliffe, M., 2012. "Drawing the Curtain: The Cold War In Cartoons." London, Fontanka Publications.

'[national ideologies had] shifted the competition between capitalism and communism away from the military arena and made culture a key realm of ideological competition"

Crowley, D. ,2008. "Posters of the Cold War." London, V&A Publishing.

'One of Armstrong's first actions as he stepped onto the dusty surface of the moon was to turn on a television camera that beamed pictures of the American triumph back to earth.'