A Logo Fit for a 60th

This November ushered in a huge milestone for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, ringing in 60 years as the home for human space exploration and operations. In 1961, with the massive undertaking of putting Americans in space and, eventually, on the Moon, NASA chose southeast Houston as the nucleus control of human space missions, spacecraft development and testing, astronaut selection and training, and research and development.

Many major human spaceflight programs later, as the 60-year anniversary approached, the center needed a logo to commemorate its storied history. Enter: a collaboration with NASA@Work and Johnson’s Celebrations team.

“We announced the design opportunity in Roundup in early June and used the NASA@Work Challenge platform to garner submissions for the logo,” said Susan Anderson, Celebrations team member and lead for Space Flight Awareness. “We had 16 different designs come in over the four-week open period.”

Two weeks following, NASA@Work allowed the greater NASA team to vote for their favorite designs.

Anderson said, “There was a clear favorite, and the Celebrations team confirmed the selection met the criteria for a recognizable and interesting design that could be used on merchandise, banners, signage, and in communications.”

Starport Operations Manager Deborah Denton, also a member of the Celebrations team, felt the process was perfect for finding the right logo to encompass the historic occasion. “It was great because we received a wide variety of inputs, and then people were able to vote on their favorite. The process really worked very well and yielded a beautiful logo.” 

Johnson team members will recall seeing the logo used to promo special articles relevant to the history of the center, such as for the Building on a Mission series and even on special-edition merchandise.

The NASA@Work logo design winner, Christian Getteau, is no stranger to creative work as the Human Space Flight Technical Integration Contract Imagery Integration and Multimedia producer, part of the International Space Station Imagery Working Group.

Amazingly, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to submit a design to begin with.

“There is a wealth of talent at JSC, and I knew the competition would be difficult,” Getteau said. “I had a couple of ideas steeping in the back of my mind and eventually it decided it was worth a shot.”

The meaning behind the design.
“Approaching the design was difficult at first. How does a single graphic capture 60 years of history of a place as unique and diverse as Johnson Space Center? Recently, I've been exploring minimalism as a design influence, so I thought about using simple elements to represent the accomplishments of the past as well as the ideas of the future.

“At the center of the design is the 60, with the Earth and Moon inside the numbers to symbolize the achievement of the lunar landing that underscores the legacy of JSC. There are two orbits in the design — the first contains the Earth and Moon, representing the history of human spaceflight programs at JSC, as well as the future with our return to the Moon with Artemis and Gateway. The second orbit diverges, taking the lessons we learn and points to Mars. Mars remains partially obscured, representing the unknown destinations of future exploration.

“Two blue stripes run from the bottom of the design, leading to a single star at the top. The blue stripes represent the sky above and our path through the heavens to the stars beyond. The single star symbolizes multiple things: it is Polaris — the North Star — guiding explorers throughout history; it is space and all of the destinations that inspire and invite us; it is Texas — the Lone Star State — home to Johnson Space Center,” Getteau said. 

A part of that history.
The wonder of Johnson is that for all the people working to make missions possible, there are countless others indirectly influencing the legacy we later get to read and reminisce about.

“It truly is a privilege to work at JSC and to be surrounded by so many incredible people,” Getteau said. “The talent here is staggering. As an artist and storyteller among engineers and scientists, I’m always surrounded by clever people. I try to soak up as much of the history around me so that I can use it to inform and inspire my design choices. Occasionally, I get to be part of that history. It’s a nice feeling to look back on a project and get to say, ‘Hey, I was part of that.’”

Getteau, who grew up in Clear Lake in the shadow of human spaceflight, is now an unforgettable part of NASA’s 60-year story.

“Every now and then I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s still real,” Getteau said.

He is surely not alone.