Bruce Blackburn | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 2, 1938 Dallas, Indiana |
| Died |
February 1, 2021 (aged 82) Arvada, Colorado |
| Occupation | Graphic designer |
Bruce Blackburn (June 2, 1938—February 1, 2021) was an American graphic designer, who was a designer of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) logo and the American Revolution Bicentennial star.[1]
Personal and military life[]
Bruce Nelson Blackburn was born in Dallas on June 2, 1938, to Ruby (Caraway), a real estate agent, and Buford Blackburn, an electrical engineer. The couple also had a daughter, Sandra. Blackburn grew up in Evansville, Indiana during which he pursued his interests in music and art.[1] In 1961, he graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in design from the University of Cincinnati.[1] He served as a communications officer in the Navy. In 1979, he married Tina Harsham and they had a daughter and two sons.[1]
Bruce Blackburn lived during his later years in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Lakewood, Colorado. He died on February 1, 2021, in Arvada, Colorado.[1]
Graphic designer[]
NASA "worm" logo by Bruce Blackburn and Richard Danne
Orion Artemis I]]
Blackburn worked for Chermayeff & Geismar, a design firm in New York, by the late 1960s.[1] In 1974, Blackburn was a designer, with his partner Richard Danne, of the 1976 NASA logo, also known as the "worm" for the shape of the red letters that make up the logo[1][2] for astronaut's uniforms.[3] Their design firm, Danne & Blackburn, was located in the state of New York.[1] The worm logo has been used as a logo for NASA and the Orion spacecraft.[4]
American Revolution Bicentennial symbol
He also created the symbol for the American Revolution Bicentennial celebration,[1] using two stars (blue and red) to represent the multiple centuries with curved points for a less militaristic image than an outline of sharp points.[3] It was used on a 1971 special issue postage stamp, as well as letterhead, tax returns, products,[5] flags, and trains.[6] In 1978, he was a seminar professor at the school of design at the University of Cincinnati.[6]
Blackburn created logos for the Museum of Modern Art, Mobil, IBM,[1] Champion Paper, RCA, and other organizations,[6] like the Department of Transportation, and Army Corps of Engineers.[1]
He established his own design firm, Blackburn & Associates in New York City in the 1980s. In the mid-1980s, he was president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. He was awarded the Presidential Design Award by Ronald Reagan in 1984.[1] In 2016, a short documentary Blackburn told of his work on the logo and his career that spanned over 40 years.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Vadukul, Alex of New York Times (2021-02-20). "Bruce Blackburn, design of NASA logo, bicentennial star". The Buffalo News. p. 15. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-bruce-blackburn-design/142317564/.
- ↑ Beach, Charlotte (2023-11-15). "NASA Celebrates the Worm Logo Designer, Richard Danne" (in en-US). https://www.printmag.com/branding-identity-design/nasa-worm-logo-richard-danne/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Artist Bruce Blackburn, 37, Airs Bicentennial Symbol" (in en). The Marion Star. August 12, 1975. pp. 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/293420186/?match=1&clipping_id=142328101.
- ↑ Chang, Kenneth of The New York Times (December 14, 2023). "How a Space Agency Learned to Love 4 Squirmy Letters" (in en). p. B7. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1024370133/.
- ↑ Robinson, Angela (August 13, 1975). "The 'Fat Star' -- From Tax Forms to Beer Mugs". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). pp. 11. https://www.newspapers.com/image/711910285/?match=1&clipping_id=142325739.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lang, Tony (May 21, 1978). "Good Design Spreading After All" (in en). The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. 138. https://www.newspapers.com/image/101687271/.
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