The 1970s was a golden age in Federal Government graphic design. Why?
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This video’s all about the briefly groovy period (I know, groovy is more 60s than 70s, but it just feels right) in which Federal designers let it all hang out. From the NASA Worm, to the EPA’s funkadelic graphics, to, heck, the Department of Labor acting like it just took mushrooms, this was an unquestionably adventurous period. And then it stopped. What went wrong?
The Federal Graphics Improvement Program was an NEA initiative started under Richard Nixon, and its brief reign inspired design conventions, logo revamps, and graphics standards manuals. But it was also just a cash infusion rather than a bureaucratic overhaul. And as a result, we only remember toasty Federal Graphic Design, rather than enjoy its enduring legacy.
Some sources:
This Fast Company article definitely treads some of the same ground.
https://www.fastcompany.com/3068659/nixon-nasa-and-how-the-federal-government-got-design
I felt I was adding enough value here though by including and showing the primary sources more, as well as having a somewhat different take than the author. However, you should read the article and appreciate the reporting there.
The Design Necessity – big book about why design matters in context with the FGIP
https://archive.org/details/designnecessityc00cher/page/n7/mode/2up
Why Arts Mattered to Nixon (Garment’s big memo):
The Web Design System today:
https://designsystem.digital.gov/?dg
NYT introduction to the FGIP:
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1973/02/12/90916981.html?pageNumber=22
NASA’s podcast all about The Worm (with Danne): https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/the-nasa-worm/
The Standards Manual company:
https://standardsmanual.com/
Full Nixon Tapes convo between Garment and Nixon:
Blanket link for a bunch of other sources, including Federal Design Matters and some of the other books:
https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22National+Endowment+for+the+Arts.+Design+Arts+Program%22
The Standard for…uh….Design Standards:
https://archive.org/details/designstandardsm00blac