Richard Danne (born 1934) is an American graphic designer who designed the 1975 NASA logotype, nicknamed the "worm", in collaboration with Bruce Blackburn. [1] [2] [3] [4] For his contributions to American design, Danne was awarded the 2014 AIGA Gold Medal. [5]
Danne was born in 1934 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma and grew up at a farm nearby. [5] He attended Oklahoma State University, initially majoring in engineering, before switching to art, and played jazz trumpet. [6] [7] In 1956, Danne enrolled in UCLA Graduate School of Design. Upon graduation, he started his design career in 1957 in Dallas, Texas, [8] before moving to New York City in 1963. [7] [9] [10]
Danne was the president of American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) in 1977–79. [8] He was also the founding president of AIGA/NY, the organization's New York chapter. [6]
Danne was the design director of NASA Graphic Standards Manual, [5] that is included in permanent collections of Museum of Modern Art [11] and SFMOMA. [12] In 2021, he designed a commemorative watch for NASA. [13] [14] In 2023, he was awarded NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal. [15] [16]