Woman on the Moon
On May 14, 2019, the NASA administrator, Jim Bridenstine, announced the Artemis Program, the next series of crewed missions to the Moon. Artemis is the goddess of the Moon and the hunt, and she is the twin sister of the Greek Sun god, Apollo.
In late May, I was invited by the Office of the Administrator to join the Artemis creative team where I contributed several branding concepts. The team was comprised of four creatives–Stefanie Payne and Carlyle Webb from the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, David Delgado from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and myself from the Science Mission Directorate–and was led by Ashley Edwards and Paul Wizikowski.
The Concept
The “Woman on the Moon” concept was designed to directly compliment the original Apollo Program logo, creating a strong female profile to represent all women. The design embodies the intrinsic human yearning to return to the Moon as a gateway for future exploration. Her features are defined by the shadows and highlights of the topography of the crescent Moon, and the surrounding circle doubles as her astronaut’s helmet. The two curved trajectories represent the intertwined journey of the Apollo and Artemis programs, and the crescent represents the return to the Moon.
Challenges
The biggest challenge in creating this design was capturing the right perspective of the face of Artemis using the curvature of the Moon. Through trial and error I was able to create a balance between the Moon’s curvature and the facial profile using high contrast shapes to create her features.
THANK YOU!
Special thanks to Josh Handal, Kirsten Petree, and Alana Johnson, who were communication consultants throughout this entire process; my esteemed colleague Stefanie Payne, who gave me insight into the dynamic world of Human Exploration; and the senior leadership of the Science Mission Directorate for their unwavering support and guidance at every stage, to include the Associate Administrator, Thomas Zurbuchen; the Director for Science Engagement and Partnerships, Kristen Erickson; the Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Management, Dan Woods; and the Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, Steve Clarke.
