Launching NASA’s search for life
Europa’s ocean may harbor the conditions for life. In October 2024, NASA launched its flagship mission Europa Clipper to investigate — could Jupiter’s moon have a world much like our own? I joined the launch effort in Jan 2024 to design a 9-destination U.S. roadshow. From there, I owned visual strategy and brand design across the mission’s nationwide physical activations, socials, campaigns, and other high-visibility touch points.
︎ Active Mission
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Science to Story
Faced with scattered legacy visuals and brand inconsistency from over 12 years of project development, our creative team embarked on a challenge to synthesize decades of NASA work into one inspiring story. Shipping the pole banner design (below) was one of many identity-defining moments for the project.
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Brand Design
My objective was to make the Europa Clipper brand beautiful, cohesive, and usable. I championed new typefaces, design guidelines, and a color palette that grounds visual presence in science foundations. This effort secured buy-in from critical stakeholders and enabled the design system to scale with coherence, expanding the visual identity’s functional applications.
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Educational Activations
Europa Clipper reached thousands through an engaging in-person pop-up activation in 9 U.S. cities. We crafted a modular suite of learning tools that inspired all ages to learn about the mission’s science, legacy, and upcoming 1.8-billion-mile journey.
The result: 40 interactive touch points, spanning banners, signage, handouts, worksheets, models, and posters. Partnering with marketing and science experts, we translated science objectives and engineering concepts into dynamic, accessible, and user-centered learning opportunities.
Beyond upholding scientific and educational rigor, the products also had to be systemized and adaptable, accomodating venue differences in aquariums, science centers, and museums across the country. We balanced brand, science communication, craft, and production tradeoffs on a tight timeline. The exhibit kicked off in St. Louis Aquarium in June 2024.
Over 35,000 attendees learned about NASA’s mission on-site.
See below images including captures from my visit to the SF activation at the California Academy of Sciences.
See below images including captures from my visit to the SF activation at the California Academy of Sciences.
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Cleanroom, Launch Prep, and Liftoff
Education and inspiration defined the laboratory experience. Internally, we reflected the visual identity in inspiring office spaces and events leading up to launch.
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Designing for Gen Z
Working with JPL’s media and outreach team, I created a sub-brand for NASA Socials, enabling over 55,000 VidCon attendees to access space resources, learn about Europa Clipper, and get involved with NASA.
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Designing for Partnerships & Press
Working with our marketing team, I translated design standards into useful guidelines for brand engagements. I designed the Europa Clipper Press Kit website︎︎︎ and downloadable PDF, supporting 62 planned partner social engagements, reaching 5M people and 490K engagements. Partners included Google Arts & Culture, LEGO, Mattel, and more.
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Social Media
I designed a bespoke identity, campaign resources, and social media presence for NASA/JPL’s first user-generated content campaign #RunwayToJupiter. The campaign generated 6M impressions and inspired broad participation from new audiences and brands.
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Digital Campaigns
Finally, I supported marketing in designing the shareable graphics for NASA’s Webby Award-winning “Message in a Bottle” Campaign. The Waveform Generator enables users to engage with water in 104 different languages. Try it here︎︎︎
More Cosmos
Beyond Europa Clipper, I’ve supported other NASA/JPL missions and products to surface their work to the mainstream.
Thanks for reading!
See more strategic NASA projects︎︎︎
Or an activation website for Mars science tooling︎︎︎