NASA reveals secret 1970s SPACE PANTS NASA has released its graphics manual from 1976. The manual (PDF) explains how the agency's logo, typeface and other visual identifiers are to be used. NASA's administrator of the time, Richard H, Truly, writes in his introduction that the manual is no mere document for style wonks but ““a new tool to enhance and symbolize …
Wot? No hair styles specified?
I expected to see detailed specifications of afros and shoulder-length hair [1] as well as permitted perms for the female staff.
Helvetica — the font of the 1970s. It is unusual to see it specified in inches rather than in points.
[1] 'Who can try to understand | the New York Times' effect on man | whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother | you're stayin' alive ah-ah-ah stayin' alive...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_izvAbhExY
Ah, but who cares. Product quality control is very important. But it's also seen as such. And is quite easy to control, as you've got a few departments in a few design offices and factories to manage.
Ensuring that the logo is at an angle of exactly 19° on the other hand... Well let's just say it's much harder to persuade the whole company staff to give much of a damn. In my corporate days I requested a copy of the logo to put on a new invoice, that was going out to our suppliers so we could claim volume rebates. I was rather surprised to receive a 19 page document explaining how to use the 3 or 4 different logos I could choose from, depending on background colour. And reminding me in the strongest possible terms that the logo must be displayed at the all important 19° angle!
If I dealt with a company that had an excessive interest on inconsequential items, I would wonder what was being skimped on to see that the appearance was "just right".
I'm sure we have all seen the company that has the highly glossed pseudo-secretary on the reception desk. She has bright varnish on nails so long that she can barely type. Although she is wearing something that looks like the company uniform, hers has been specially tailored to fir her BMI15 form and her hairdo probably cost over £100. Some of them are chewing gum as they file those long nails.
Companies with that sort of gatekeeper are trying to make a statement rather than a product.
Core product was named after a girl, and was used in the financial services industry ....
Started with a logo, which was a stylised image of a young lady sitting down, knees up, in the product theme colours.
Company hits problems, so (obviously) spunks £50,000 on a massive rebranding exercise. The *only* outcome of which was the new logo had the woman standing. Company no longer exists, by the way.
I would be amazed if there isn't one El Regger who knows exactly where this was. Maybe everyone left clutching heavily expanded train times ?
El Reg is read by a slightly wider demographic than just your home town/country, and it stands to reason most readers would be completely unaware of what you are talking about -- especially since if it was in the noughties, 5-15 years have passed since, and in some of those cases, it's before widespread Internet access in even the most developed countries.
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