Stickers and Logos // Planet Labs PBC
SUPERDOVES GO 8-BAND
When the PlanstScope constellation got an upgrade to 8-band SuperDove satellites, I made a sticker for Planeteers and our customers. While it loudly proclaimed the new capabilities, I decided to play off “bands” (and use a colorful 8-band analytic agricultural image in the background) to make an homage to jazz album covers of the 40s and 50s. It proved geeky enough to be a hit at space and agricultural tradeshows
PLANETQUEERS ERG MARK
The LGBTQ+ ERG of Planet came to me with the idea to highlight the visible, rainbow, part of the electromagnetic spectrum in their new logo. I took the idea and ran with it, even giving them a tagline, “Proudly Visible.” The team loved it and decided to spring for sweatshirts and not just stickers.
4Y LAUNCH PATCH
It’s a tradition at Planet for volunteers to design launch patches for mission launches. Though I finalized the designs of four other patches, I had the privilege to design the Flock 4Y myself. The hex shape is common to all Planet patches, and I wanted to use it to make an isometric grid. It occurred to me that a pixelated 4 and Y could nest very well at opposing angles, and I worked to make it as geometric and as clear as possible.
4X LAUNCH PATCH
The Planeteer assigned to this patch wanted to explore the “sacred geometry” sort of angles a hexagon suggested. I found a way to make a 8-color prismatic mandala that incorporated the shapes of 4x.
4Q LAUNCH PATCH
The first sketch of this patch from the Planeteer assigned to it was split into two halves, one with 36 stars and the other with a dove, for the 36 SuperDoves on the launch. When I asked her about it, she said she was referencing heraldry. I gave her a design that used the heraldic “quarterly” (more clear than just a bisected hexagon), incorporated her dove and 36 stars, plus hearldic “lozengy” cherckering and chevrons launching.
HACKWEEK
In 2022, Hackweek fell on the same week as Halloween, and the team wanted a Halloween themed mark for stickers and mugs. I was directed by my manager not to spend more than two hours on it because of other priorities. So I sprang to work! I had already set up the isometric grid in a hexagon that I’d used for the flock 4Y patch, and used that to make a tech-y jack-o-lantern. The team was very happy with the result.
MISSION ORIENTED STICKERS
The first project assigned to me at Planet was to make some new stickers. Of the handful I made, these were popular with Planeteers. When I learned that Planet satellites take terabytes of imagery a day, I played with the idea of adapting an ecological maxim in a typographic/lettering memes. The second likewise plays with a classic truism, and could be seen on a lot of sustainability-minded Planeteer laptops.
WHOLE EARTH, CATALOGUED
Also from my first project at Planet, and in fact my first idea: when I found out about the mission to image the whole Earth, daily, Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog and question “Why Haven’t We Seen a Photograph of the Whole Earth” instantly came to mind. I made this kiss-cut sticker (the paragraphs are thrown away) that pays homage to his covers but with Planet’s satellite orbits around it. The price? $0, with micetype that some features require a plan — a reference to the trial program. Like the other mission-oriented stickers, this was very popular among coworkers.
DIAMOND CLUB
As at many companies, the most successful salespeople at Planet each year are treated to a vacation holiday. My redesign of the Diamond Club mark highlights the luxury aspect, and in the animated version the destination city animates under the diamond last, the final reveal in the video that teased the program at Planet’s sales kickoff.
PLANETOLOGY NEWSLETTER MASTHEAD
When the Planet Science newsletter Planetology was launching, the science lead came to me to request a masthead. I pitched that as Planet data was useful for hundreds of scientific fields, there be a background pattern of the -ologies it can support. This was then used in several other places, including a science tradeshow booth wall.
PLANET ON THE ROAD LOGO
In 2024, Planet hosted three regional conferences called “On the Road.” We wanted the look to avoid the literal reading of ground travel, so the logo design features a “to the stars,” up-and-to the right orbit design. For more about Planet events, please see the Planet Trade Shows and Events projects page.