Taking Humanity Off-Planet:
Exploring Design and Branding’s Vital Role
By Frank H. Vial, Director of Strategy at Landscape
Images created with Midjourney
It’s a great time to talk about space travel: recent years have seen an explosion in conversations around the possibilities of extraterrestrial adventures, while recently, we also saw the literal explosion (‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’) of SpaceX’s Starship as part of a successful test launch.
But space travel today is still frowned on by some for several reasons: as the preserve of billionaires playing with toys they can’t control; a sci-fi nerd’s fantastical pipe dream; yet another example of humanity’s inability to take care of planet Earth, and our relentless desire to take up yet more space (pardon the pun) and resources.
Yet, as a race, we are fascinated by the prospect of participating in space exploration. From the 10-day global television coverage of the Apollo 11 Mission in 1969 to the millions of viewers glued to the livestream of Space X’s first crewed mission, we are undeniably intrigued by the idea.
The whole thing begs the question: Should we stay here on Earth and fix what we’ve got or instead explore the far-flung opportunities in space? The answer is that we must do both to ensure our survival as a species in the universe. And it can be done.
Images created with Midjourney
It’s a great time to talk about space travel: recent years have seen an explosion in conversations around the possibilities of extraterrestrial adventures, while recently, we also saw the literal explosion (‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’) of SpaceX’s Starship as part of a successful test launch.
But space travel today is still frowned on by some for several reasons: as the preserve of billionaires playing with toys they can’t control; a sci-fi nerd’s fantastical pipe dream; yet another example of humanity’s inability to take care of planet Earth, and our relentless desire to take up yet more space (pardon the pun) and resources.
Yet, as a race, we are fascinated by the prospect of participating in space exploration. From the 10-day global television coverage of the Apollo 11 Mission in 1969 to the millions of viewers glued to the livestream of Space X’s first crewed mission, we are undeniably intrigued by the idea.
The whole thing begs the question: Should we stay here on Earth and fix what we’ve got or instead explore the far-flung opportunities in space? The answer is that we must do both to ensure our survival as a species in the universe. And it can be done.
Making the Future Tangible
As crewed space exploration at scale is starting to move from sci-fi fantasy towards achievable reality – if not for us now, then certainly for my daughter’s generation – design and branding will play a critical role in accelerating humanity’s escape velocity. By translating the alien idea of life in outer space in a way that’s accessible to mainstream audiences, we can over time build trust, enthusiasm, and participation in daring space-faring.
But cliched design routes only serve to maintain the view of space travel as unattainable – something possible only in blockbuster movies and imagined futures rather than a viable breakthrough in our lifetime. As designers, we can translate the challenges and possibilities of off-planet living, bridging beyond early adopter audiences (sci-fi fans) to everyone else and ground the future more tangibly in our present.
Good design can make space exploration feel less alien and more attainable by framing complex experiences in relatable ways. The best product or UI design is all about functional clarity and ease of use, balanced with aesthetics: the same principles apply when designing for space.
As crewed space exploration at scale is starting to move from sci-fi fantasy towards achievable reality – if not for us now, then certainly for my daughter’s generation – design and branding will play a critical role in accelerating humanity’s escape velocity. By translating the alien idea of life in outer space in a way that’s accessible to mainstream audiences, we can over time build trust, enthusiasm, and participation in daring space-faring.
But cliched design routes only serve to maintain the view of space travel as unattainable – something possible only in blockbuster movies and imagined futures rather than a viable breakthrough in our lifetime. As designers, we can translate the challenges and possibilities of off-planet living, bridging beyond early adopter audiences (sci-fi fans) to everyone else and ground the future more tangibly in our present.
Good design can make space exploration feel less alien and more attainable by framing complex experiences in relatable ways. The best product or UI design is all about functional clarity and ease of use, balanced with aesthetics: the same principles apply when designing for space.
Stimulating Interest
The frontier of design for space is being explored vigorously here on Earth, across everything from fashion to food, lifestyle, and architecture, to product design and interiors. MIT’s Space Exploration Initiative draws all of these sectors and more together, with research projects ranging from an 'interplanetary cookbook' to the Space Grip Shoe and even a solution to time, as well as space, with the ‘interplanetary time device’, Zenolith .
The frontier of design for space is being explored vigorously here on Earth, across everything from fashion to food, lifestyle, and architecture, to product design and interiors. MIT’s Space Exploration Initiative draws all of these sectors and more together, with research projects ranging from an 'interplanetary cookbook' to the Space Grip Shoe and even a solution to time, as well as space, with the ‘interplanetary time device’, Zenolith .
Elsewhere, Israeli startup Aleph Farms is exploring how to grow cell-cultivated meat in space; and NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge is still looking for designers to help bring ‘innovative food production to space and here on Earth’.
Exploring how people will sleep, socialize, and relax in space, innovation firm Teague’s Zero Gravity Living conceptualizes experiences that will make space travel feel familiar and comfortable. Taking a human-centered design approach, these speculative designs are rooted in universal concepts like community, biophilia, and spatial orientation.
While at this point, many of the most dynamic projects are still speculative, a growing number of design projects focus on the prototyping of concrete ideas and technologies in support of actual space programs. With NASA backing, advanced construction technology company ICON is exploring to take 3D printing to the moon to build comfy habitats. Connecting the dots between construction on Earth and in space, the project aims to shift our space-going paradigm from ‘there and back again’ to ‘there to stay’.
That’s not to say that the only valid space designs are those based in physical reality with active prototypes: indeed, it’s often the more experimental, out-there designs that help bring huge, complex topics – like human life on other planets – not only into focus (and headlines, of course) but into the realm of our interest and understanding. In fashion, for example, futuristic apparel brand Vollebak uses space-inspired storytelling and space-age materials to build clothing for going to Mars or the grocery store.
Exploring how people will sleep, socialize, and relax in space, innovation firm Teague’s Zero Gravity Living conceptualizes experiences that will make space travel feel familiar and comfortable. Taking a human-centered design approach, these speculative designs are rooted in universal concepts like community, biophilia, and spatial orientation.
While at this point, many of the most dynamic projects are still speculative, a growing number of design projects focus on the prototyping of concrete ideas and technologies in support of actual space programs. With NASA backing, advanced construction technology company ICON is exploring to take 3D printing to the moon to build comfy habitats. Connecting the dots between construction on Earth and in space, the project aims to shift our space-going paradigm from ‘there and back again’ to ‘there to stay’.
That’s not to say that the only valid space designs are those based in physical reality with active prototypes: indeed, it’s often the more experimental, out-there designs that help bring huge, complex topics – like human life on other planets – not only into focus (and headlines, of course) but into the realm of our interest and understanding. In fashion, for example, futuristic apparel brand Vollebak uses space-inspired storytelling and space-age materials to build clothing for going to Mars or the grocery store.
Reducing Fear Barriers
Good design not only demonstrates new possibilities in tangible, accessible, and inspiring ways; it also plays a vital role in helping remove fear barriers. On a practical note, branding and identity work are vital in signaling safety and reliability – encouraging trust through thoughtful, comprehensible, and attractive language and voice.
Whatever you’re designing for, much of that trustworthiness comes from reframing newness into familiar, recognizable tropes and systems. In approaching space-related projects, designers can learn from and build on designs that enable human life in remote and harsh environments here on Earth, such as deserts or the Arctic. These are great opportunities to iterate on design while preparing larger groups of humans for the possibility of living off-planet.
One example is The Line, a $500 billion city-building experiment in Saudi Arabia’s austere, arid desert to tackle the issue of rising population growth. Designed to eventually house nine million people in a narrow 106-mile-long high-tech structure, it doesn’t take a massive leap of imagination to see a second generation of Line-natives born ready to live in generation starships or orbital stations. By enabling millions to live in a contained biosphere, the designers of The Line are, consciously or not, preparing the minds (and bodies) of future generations for the experience of living beyond Earth.
Good design not only demonstrates new possibilities in tangible, accessible, and inspiring ways; it also plays a vital role in helping remove fear barriers. On a practical note, branding and identity work are vital in signaling safety and reliability – encouraging trust through thoughtful, comprehensible, and attractive language and voice.
Whatever you’re designing for, much of that trustworthiness comes from reframing newness into familiar, recognizable tropes and systems. In approaching space-related projects, designers can learn from and build on designs that enable human life in remote and harsh environments here on Earth, such as deserts or the Arctic. These are great opportunities to iterate on design while preparing larger groups of humans for the possibility of living off-planet.
One example is The Line, a $500 billion city-building experiment in Saudi Arabia’s austere, arid desert to tackle the issue of rising population growth. Designed to eventually house nine million people in a narrow 106-mile-long high-tech structure, it doesn’t take a massive leap of imagination to see a second generation of Line-natives born ready to live in generation starships or orbital stations. By enabling millions to live in a contained biosphere, the designers of The Line are, consciously or not, preparing the minds (and bodies) of future generations for the experience of living beyond Earth.
Building a Shared Vision
Design has the power to not only make new possibilities tangible but also to inspire and influence humanity’s imagination in favor of going into space. As a race, we are driven by the need for our survival as much as an optimistic vision of our future. Just as the best sci-fi storytelling tells compelling hero stories about space exploration, inspiring branding can do the same.
Take the idea of NASA’s Exoplanet Travel Bureau, a series of posters establishing distinct brand identities for several exoplanets, or NASA’s increasingly sophisticated brand storytelling for its Artemis missions. Branding distant planets to bring them closer or positioning astronauts as everyday heroes through personal stories fuels our inspiration and allows everyone to see themselves as one-day space explorers.
Design has the power to not only make new possibilities tangible but also to inspire and influence humanity’s imagination in favor of going into space. As a race, we are driven by the need for our survival as much as an optimistic vision of our future. Just as the best sci-fi storytelling tells compelling hero stories about space exploration, inspiring branding can do the same.
Take the idea of NASA’s Exoplanet Travel Bureau, a series of posters establishing distinct brand identities for several exoplanets, or NASA’s increasingly sophisticated brand storytelling for its Artemis missions. Branding distant planets to bring them closer or positioning astronauts as everyday heroes through personal stories fuels our inspiration and allows everyone to see themselves as one-day space explorers.
Whatever we as humans can imagine, we can manifest, whether on our little blue planet or in the far reaches of our universe. Our grand challenge will be to engage everyone in shaping a shared vision of our off-planet future. Design and branding will help us build escape velocity towards it—and far beyond.