NASA logos cannot appear together with insignia from other brands, to avoid the perception that NASA is endorsing a specific company or product. Ulrich and his co-worker approve merchandise requests based on a few, different criteria. This spring, he requested additional help to deal with the approval requests and now has a co-worker involved, which has been especially helpful because the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing has made things “quite busy,” Ulrich said. The approval process can be as short as a few hours or as long as a couple of days, Ulrich said. To use either NASA logo on merchandise, companies submit designs to the agency for approval. The National Park Service, for example, does not allow its arrowhead symbol - the brown insignia depicting a green tree, a snowy mountain and a buffalo - to be licensed for consumer merchandise. Use of federal agency logos on consumer products is not the same across the board. It deals with space exploration - things that I feel the entire world could benefit from, not just our country.” “It almost doesn’t feel like it’s part of the government, even though I know it is,” said Reza, a middle-school teacher who lives in Chino. But he said he wouldn’t wear promotional clothing with logos from other federal agencies, at least under the current government. This month, he bought a similar shirt from Urban Outfitters. Last year, space enthusiast Edwin Reza, 31, bought a black T-shirt featuring the NASA meatball logo from a discount retail store. “A lot of people, I think, were quite nostalgic for this logo.” “If you grew up in the ’80s or early ’90s or the ’70s, this logo is what NASA looks like in your mind,” Smyth said. The worm logo has a cult following in the branding and design industry, said Hamish Smyth, who co-founded the publishing house Standards Manual, which produced a coffee-table book about it.Īnd it taps into the childhood wonder that generations of Americans have had about space.

Bert Ulrich, a multimedia liaison at NASA in charge of logo approvals, said he used to get one request every week or so - until a few years ago. In keeping with its public mission, NASA doesn’t make a cent off merchandise bearing its name.Ĭompanies need permission to use the logo, and requests have been pouring in lately. This affinity does not, however, bring revenue to NASA. “NASA fits into the mold where it not only has broad appeal, but there is almost nothing to dislike about it.”Īs it did in other times of political polarization, love of the space agency brings the nation together. “Very, very few brands have broad appeal,” said Utpal Dholakia, marketing professor at Rice University. Singer Ariana Grande sold clothes emblazoned with it as a tie-in with her Coachella performance. Coach put it on bags, shoes and sweatshirts priced at hundreds of dollars apiece. Walmart and Target offer T-shirts, swimsuits, sippy cups and ugly Christmas sweaters covered with it. It’s the rare fashion emblem you can find everywhere.

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