We chose exoplanets that had really interesting, strange qualities, and everything about the poster was designed to amplify the concept. Our unique take was to take one specific thing about the place and focus on the science of it. It seemed a perfect way to help people imagine these strange, new worlds.ĭelgado: The WPA poster style is beloved, and other artists have embraced it before us. These posters show places in our solar system (and beyond) that likewise haven't been photographed on a human scale yet - or in the case of the exoplanets might never be, at least not for a long time. They were created at a time when color photography was not very advanced, in order to capture the beauty of the national parks from a human perspective. Joby Harris, illustrator: The old WPA posters did a really great job delivering a feeling about a far-off destination. There's a nostalgia for that era that just feels good. The JPL director has called our people 'architects of the future.'Īs for the style, we gravitated to the style of the old posters the WPA created for the national parks. The point was to share a sense of things on the edge of possibility that are closely tied to the work our people are doing today.

They suggested it might be wonderful to give a similar treatment to the amazing destinations in our solar system that JPL is currently exploring as part of NASA. (The NASA program that focuses on finding and studying exoplanets is managed by JPL.) Later, the director of JPL was on vacation at the Grand Canyon with his wife, and they saw a similarly styled poster that reminded them of the exoplanet posters. Each poster went through a number of concepts and revisions, and each was made better with feedback from the JPL experts.ĭavid Delgado, creative strategy: The posters began as a series about exoplanets - planets orbiting other stars - to celebrate NASA's study of them. Background: A creative team of visual strategists at JPL, known as ' The Studio,' created the poster series, which is titled 'Visions of the Future.' Nine artists, designers, and illustrators were involved in designing the 14 posters, which are the result of many brainstorming sessions with JPL scientists, engineers, and expert communicators.

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