Description:

In 1977, NASA launched the Voyager spacecraft carrying the Golden Records—time capsules intended to tell the story of humanity to any extraterrestrial life that might find them. These records hold a mix of music, photographs, and scientific data, curated to represent life on Earth. While culturally rich and historically significant, their contents can feel dense, outdated, or inaccessible to a contemporary audience.

This project began with a simple but compelling opportunity: to reimagine the Golden Records through a design lens that makes them approachable, engaging, and emotionally resonant for today’s reader. Rather than treating them as static relics, the goal was to explore them as a living archive—an evolving reflection of humanity’s attempt to be understood across space and time.

Inspired by the aesthetic of original NASA documents, the design incorporates monospaced typefaces, technical diagrams, and archival imagery such as newspaper clippings from the Voyager era. These elements help ground the publication in its original scientific and historical context while creating a visual language that feels credible and of its time.

A key feature of the design is its ring binding, referencing NASA’s utilitarian documentation style while allowing the publication to evolve. Sections can be reordered or added over time, making space for future reflections, annotations, or newly uncovered materials. Low-resolution images from the Golden Records are retained in their original form to preserve authenticity, while supporting imagery is styled to look scanned and archival, reinforcing the tactile, documentary feel.

Ultimately, the project reframes a scientific artifact into something intimate and human—inviting connection across both time and space