It’s found on High Street hoodies, bed sheets and even underwear. NASA’s logos are experiencing a meteoric rise when it comes to merchandise. But the US space agency has yet to cash in on this boon.
Perhaps it was the symbolism that wowed NASA management when designer James Modarelli submitted the blue planet with red chevron wing and four memorable letters back in 1959. It certainly wasn’t the simplicity.
The “meatball” insignia, as it is referred to, was soon found to be complicated to reproduce with technology available at the time. And so, in 1975, it was usurped by the slicker NASA worm–the space agency’s name in red letters, developed by the agency Danne & Blackburn. Today, the logos are among the most-recognised in the world and they continue to gain in popularity.
NASA’s Bert Ulrich credits the rise to the heady mix of nostalgia and social media. As an official logo, the worm was retired in 1992 and rode a social media tsunami when it was reinstated in 2020. Surely, it is not coincidence that in the same year there was considerable media buzz around NASA since it was the first time its astronauts were ferried to the International Space Station on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Big fashion brands like Coach also contributed to the merch mania. In 2017, it launched “Coach Space”, a limited-edition NASA-themed collection. “Major brands caught wind of NASA merchandise after Coach did an activation in 2017”, says Ulrich.
“The applications are accepted if they adhere to our graphics standards and merchandise guidelines.”
Bert Ulrich
Today, the logos feel ubiquitous and, one might assume NASA would charge a licence fee for the right to reproduce its popular logo. Yet, as a government agency, NASA allows external parties to use the meatball and worm logo based on an approval process, licence fee-free.
According to Ulrich, the agency’s communications office receives on average 225 requests per week. “The applications are accepted if they adhere to our graphics standards and merchandise guidelines,” he says, referring to a 1500-word document setting out the strict restrictions of use. Among them, the logos should not be used in any way that suggests the owner of the product is sponsored or endorsed by NASA. Nor should they be altered. Ulrich says that normally the agency does not allow applications to produce NASA logos on underwear. There are always cases that slip through the net, a quick online search would suggest. The use of NASA logos on tobacco or alcohol is also strictly forbidden, adds Ulrich, who says the decision often comes down to perception and representation.
While NASA does not produce its own merchandise, Ulrich says that some revenue is generated from its NASA Exchange stores, which “helps finance activities created to contribute to the efficiency, welfare and morale of NASA/Kennedy Space Center personnel.”
It does not appear to be a big money maker. According to NASA’s 2019 audit, the 12 NASA Exchanges generated $10.5 m in net revenue, and incurred $10m in costs. Its exchange stores were also closed for much of the first year of the pandemic, leading to “significant financial losses”, the audit report found.
This article was first published in the Silicon Luxembourg magazine. Read the full digital version of the magazine on our website, here. You can also choose to receive a hard copy at the office or at home. Subscribe now.
