A competition looking for solutions to catalyze aerosol sensor technology for earth communities and space habitats. Don't know what that means? Neither did I, initially.
As I sat in the room with the subject matter experts giving presentations on particles in space and the tech that was being used in the International Space Station... I felt a bit in over my head. It was only after I had this sinking feeling of despair that one of the presenters approached me to tell me how excited they were for my presentation; claiming that they had "no idea how I do what I do".
That phrase helped me gain back some confidence in my ability and also feel like I could geek out with them as they were doing with me and my work. And that's exactly what this project is... me geeking out over the fact that I was given the opportunity to design something for NASA.
This project could have gone many different directions. We could have used x-ray photography of particles that looked like abstract art, or we could have used iconic images from the NASA database of photography. However, this team had a clear vision for line art, and I embraced this vision whole heartedly.
Retro Space and the Great Unknown
Line art was my true north, but I wanted to make it somewhat nostalgic and yet at the same time futuristic. The curves that frame the different sections are meant to represent an astronauts helmet's visor... as if you're the one looking through it. The line art icons form a galaxy in which you can navigate as a space explorer.
Bringing the different "scenes" together through animation was what brought this project to life. The arrival and departure of planets and aircrafts, as well as the parallax triggered by your mouse hover made the whole website feel like a playground.
Nothing about this project was common. It was all specialized, and that was the point... nothing about space is common... nothing about NASA is common.
