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NASA’s ‘Worm’ Logo, Officially Killed in 1992, Will Rise Again on Falcon 9
AdWeek ^ | 04/06/2020 | Jess Zafarris

Posted on 04/08/2020 8:16:17 AM PDT by BenLurkin

The Worm was born, a decision prompted by the 1972 launch of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Federal Design Improvement Program that aimed to improve visual standards across government agencies.

Danne & Blackburn’s “cleaner, sleeker” design system—complete with a full Graphics Standards Manual—aimed to make the agency’s logo more universal and versatile. The Meatball was not retired with the introduction of The Worm, but appeared in more limited contexts.

Although the “simplistic, yet innovative design” of The Worm logo was initially a hit... affection for the logo had soured less than a decade later.

At the suggestion of Langley Research Center’s then-director Paul F. Holloway, who had fielded both complaints from employees and the public about the “despised” logo, NASA administrator Daniel S. Goldin killed The Worm in May of 1992 and reinstated The Meatball as the official logotype.

The typographic logo was unpopular enough that Goldin’s assertion that “Slowly it will die… and never be seen again,” was met with the applause of Langley employees, according to a 1992 South Florida Sun Sentinel article.

The Worm was relegated to only limited appearances on NASA’s merchandise.

But love for the logo quietly endured, seeing a surge in popularity in 2015 when a Kickstarter by Pentagram designers Hamish Smyth and Jesse Reed initiated reprinting of Danne & Blackburn’s 1975 NASA Graphics Standards Manual.

The decision to emblazon the Falcon 9 with The Worm for its launch, which will carry astronauts to the ISS, marks an official renaissance of the typographic logo.

While NASA is still deciding exactly how and where each logo should be used, the agency also hinted that The Worm’s reappearance will be more than one time only: “There’s a good chance you’ll see the logo featured in other official ways on this mission and in the future.”

(Excerpt) Read more at adweek.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: logo; nasa; worm; wormlogo
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To: madison10
Calling it a “worm” is a stretch.

A kind stretch.

(Third snarky comment?)

21 posted on 04/08/2020 8:44:25 AM PDT by null and void (By the pricking of my lungs, Something wicked this way comes ...)
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To: nwrep; ZirconEncrustedTweezers
Meatball with tweezers.

At least they aren't Zircon Encrusted Tweezers...

22 posted on 04/08/2020 8:45:39 AM PDT by null and void (By the pricking of my lungs, Something wicked this way comes ...)
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To: BenLurkin
Calling it the "worm" is obviously prejudiced against centipedes, caterpillars, eels, snakes and the like...

Also, CNN will find a way to proclaim the new/old logo racist in 3...2...1...

23 posted on 04/08/2020 8:46:27 AM PDT by ThunderSleeps ( Be ready!)
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To: dfwgator

Not much of a disguise </MIB>


24 posted on 04/08/2020 8:46:36 AM PDT by null and void (By the pricking of my lungs, Something wicked this way comes ...)
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To: SunkenCiv

*ping*


25 posted on 04/08/2020 8:48:37 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Dear Mr. Kotter, #Epsteindidntkillhimself - Signed, Epstein's Mother)
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To: ThunderSleeps

It does look a bit like the same style book was used for the CNN logo...


26 posted on 04/08/2020 8:48:57 AM PDT by null and void (By the pricking of my lungs, Something wicked this way comes ...)
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To: Moonman62
So far, you got two snarky comments.

You ain't seen nothing yet!

27 posted on 04/08/2020 8:56:14 AM PDT by Fresh Wind ("We're not going to make America great again. It was never that great." Andrew Cuomo)
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To: BenLurkin

I prefer the Worm. But if Hillary was president, the Worm would have a rainbow background.


28 posted on 04/08/2020 9:00:16 AM PDT by Fresh Wind ("We're not going to make America great again. It was never that great." Andrew Cuomo)
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To: madison10
It looks similar to the CN "wet noodle" logo.


29 posted on 04/08/2020 9:00:59 AM PDT by ZirconEncrustedTweezers (Posting from deep within enemy territory - San Jose, CA)
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To: ThunderSleeps

CNN just said the old worm logo looked too much like cursive writing and only rich white elitists can read cursive writing.

jk


30 posted on 04/08/2020 9:03:15 AM PDT by teeman8r (Armageddon won't be pretty, but it's not like it's the end of the world)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
What a useless ****ing thing for NASA to worry about.

31 posted on 04/08/2020 9:20:03 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
Those “tweezers” always bugged me.

Maybe they're not tweezers...


32 posted on 04/08/2020 9:48:58 AM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: hoagy62

Um...we’re NOT in the Obama administration anymore.

NASA’s main function is NO LONGER ‘Islamic outreach’.

I am really getting SICK and TIRED of FReepers continuing to trot that old thing out anytime something NASA does makes the news.

For the love of Pete....KNOCK IT OFF!!!

...

Amen!

When the Shuttle stopped flying, a group of FReepers bitched and moaned for years about not having the capability anymore to fly our astronauts on an extremely expensive and dangerous rocket.

Now that we are weeks away from flying Americans on a much more affordable and hopefully safer rocket, they still aren’t happy.


33 posted on 04/08/2020 10:04:04 AM PDT by Moonman62 (http://www.freerepublic.com/~moonman62/)
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To: Disambiguator

LOL...Never saw that before, but that fits perfectly!

How are things in Boise? My wife is up in Hayden and they are having PERFECT spring weather. All the people from Washington are coming over to use the Idaho State Parks. ;>(


34 posted on 04/08/2020 10:07:06 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: BenLurkin

“Once you go worm, that’s what you’ll yearn.”

- M. I. B.


35 posted on 04/08/2020 10:07:31 AM PDT by Coffee... Black... No Sugar (No tagline provided...)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I remember the “Worm”. I grew up with the “Worm”. I like the “Meatball” better.


36 posted on 04/08/2020 10:15:28 AM PDT by Data Miner
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To: hoagy62

I agree but NASA is being held back by an infestation of bureaucrats and layers of red tape and waste. They would rather be a job bank than do serious space exploration at this point. NASA is funding the SLS heavy booster which is a decade late on delivery. Why? You have the Falcon heavy which could launch Orion easily and far cheaper. The money spent on the SLS could be used for a lunar lander, mars lander and deep space module for a mars mission. NASA is just spreading the pork.


37 posted on 04/08/2020 10:30:46 AM PDT by sarge83
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

The weather’s great, but going shopping is still a surreal experience. The roads are empty. Ever see the movie “The Omega Man?” It’s kind of like that.

We drove out to Idaho City on Sunday. All the Forest Service facilities along 21 are officially closed, but they were all being used.


38 posted on 04/08/2020 10:31:26 AM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: reed13k

39 posted on 04/08/2020 10:34:44 AM PDT by mabarker1 ((Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress !!!!)
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To: BenLurkin; Chode; Squantos; SkyDancer; Delta 21; tubebender; Lockbox; OldMissileer; ...

OK so how much MONEY did this nyc ad agency HOW-BAD-DEWY & SCREW’EM did all Us Taxpayers get ripped off for ?

$20,000.00 ?

$52,000.00 ?

$100,000.00 ?

$2,500,000,000.00 ?

$Youdon’twanttoknow ?

Broke Citizens want to know.


40 posted on 04/08/2020 10:44:38 AM PDT by mabarker1 ((Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress !!!!)
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