visual communication

NASA Clock Design

why

As a senior in visual communication design, I had the opportunity to assist in promoting NASA's mission to explore the Psyche asteroid. In order to showcase the investigative process that was conducted on Psyche, I created a clock that visually represents the various stages of the mission. This clock serves as a dynamic and engaging way to communicate the complexity and significance of this exciting scientific endeavor.

what

Adobe illustrator
Acrylic/recycled plastics
Laser cutter

when

2022

Problem

Abstract concept communication

During the design process, I had to make a decision about what was more important: the function of the clock or the subject matter it represented. Initially, my focus was solely on optimizing the communication of time, but I soon realized that this approach was not effective. Instead, I shifted my aim to make time a secondary element and to allow the clock to explain an important aspect of Psyche. By prioritizing the subject matter over the function, the design became a powerful tool for educating and engaging audiences about this exciting scientific mission.

Experimentation

My design process for this project involved several iterations and a significant shift in focus. I initially explored a minimalist approach that emphasized intuition and usability. However, I eventually realized that this approach was not well-suited to the subject matter at hand: NASA's Psyche mission. To better capture the essence of the mission, I created a mind map to explore the relationship between Psyche and time, ultimately deciding to focus on how the mission gathers information in different phases of its orbits. I drew a connection between this form of movement and the radial motion of an analog clock, which inspired the final design. By marrying form and function in this way, the clock became a powerful representation of the complexity and significance of the Psyche mission.