Active Worlds Logo

11/9: This site is down in protest to the Active Worlds. 'Objects created by Active Art Design for V-UCSC 1998' object link added. Added a Cy Awards logo and link near the bottom of the main page. I should've probably done this right after I won it on 9/12 but I guess I didn't think it was that big of a deal.

Logos, (Greek: “word,” “reason,” or “plan”)plural logoi, in and, the divine in the cosmos, ordering it and giving it form and meaning. Though the concept defined by the term logos is found in Greek, Indian, Egyptian, and Persian philosophical and theological systems, it became particularly significant in Christian writings and doctrines to describe or define the role of as the principle of God active in the creation and the continuous structuring of the cosmos and in revealing the divine plan of salvation to man. It thus underlies the basic Christian doctrine of the preexistence of Jesus.The idea of the logos in Greek thought harks back at least to the 6th-century- bc philosopher, who discerned in the cosmic process a logos to the reasoning power in man. Later, the, philosophers who followed the teachings of the thinker (4th–3rd century bc), defined the logos as an active rational and spiritual principle that permeated all reality. They called the logos providence, nature, god, and the soul of the, which is composed of many logoi that are contained in the universal logos., a 1st-century- ad Jewish philosopher, taught that the logos was the intermediary between God and the cosmos, being both the agent of creation and the agent through which the human mind can apprehend and comprehend God. According to Philo and the Middle, philosophers who interpreted in religious terms the teachings of the 4th-century- bc Greek master philosopher, the logos was both immanent in the world and at the same time the divine mind.In the first chapter of, is identified as “the Word” (Greek logos) incarnated, or made flesh. This identification of Jesus with the logos is based on concepts of revelation, such as occurs in the frequently used phrase “the Word of the Lord”—which connoted ideas of God’s activity and power—and the Jewish view that is the divine agent that draws man to God and is identified with the word of God.

The author of The Gospel According to John used this philosophical expression, which easily would be recognizable to readers in the Hellenistic (Greek cultural) world, to emphasize the redemptive character of the person of Christ, whom the author describes as “the way, and the, and the life.” Just as the Jews had viewed the Torah (the Law) as preexistent with God, so also the author of John viewed Jesus, but Jesus came to be regarded as the personified source of life and illumination of mankind. The Evangelist interprets the logos as inseparable from the person of Jesus and does not simply imply that the logos is the revelation that Jesus proclaims. “Jesus Before the Gates of Jerusalem,” manuscript illumination by Liberale da Verona, 1470-74; in the Piccolomini Library, Siena, Italy SCALA/Art Resource, New YorkThe identification of Jesus with the logos, which is implied in various places in the New Testament but stated specifically in the Fourth Gospel, was further developed in the early but more on the basis of Greek philosophical ideas than on Old Testament motifs. This development was dictated by attempts made by early Christian theologians and apologists to express the Christian faith in terms that would be intelligible to the Hellenistic world and to impress their hearers with the view that was superior to, or heir to, all that was best in pagan philosophy. Thus, in their apologies and polemical works, the early Christian Fathers stated that Christ as the preexistent logos (1) reveals the Father to mankind and is the subject of the Old Testament of God; (2) is the divine reason in which the whole shares, so that the 6th-century- bc philosopher and others who lived with reason were Christians before Christ; and (3) is the divine will and word by which the worlds were framed.

Take a virtual trip to alien worlds, and maybe even plaster your living room with new, futuristic space tourism posters.

Background

A creative team of visual strategists at JPL, known as 'The Studio,' created the poster series, which is titled 'Visions of the Future.' Nine artists, designers, and illustrators were involved in designing the 14 posters, which are the result of many brainstorming sessions with JPL scientists, engineers, and expert communicators. Each poster went through a number of concepts and revisions, and each was made better with feedback from the JPL experts.

David Delgado, creative strategy:
The posters began as a series about exoplanets -- planets orbiting other stars -- to celebrate NASA's study of them. Ford racing 3 ps2 cheat codes. (The NASA program that focuses on finding and studying exoplanets is managed by JPL.) Later, the director of JPL was on vacation at the Grand Canyon with his wife, and they saw a similarly styled poster that reminded them of the exoplanet posters. They suggested it might be wonderful to give a similar treatment to the amazing destinations in our solar system that JPL is currently exploring as part of NASA. And they were right!

The point was to share a sense of things on the edge of possibility that are closely tied to the work our people are doing today. The JPL director has called our people 'architects of the future.'

As for the style, we gravitated to the style of the old posters the WPA created for the national parks. There's a nostalgia for that era that just feels good.

Joby Harris, illustrator:
The old WPA posters did a really great job delivering a feeling about a far-off destination. They were created at a time when color photography was not very advanced, in order to capture the beauty of the national parks from a human perspective. These posters show places in our solar system (and beyond) that likewise haven't been photographed on a human scale yet -- or in the case of the exoplanets might never be, at least not for a long time. It seemed a perfect way to help people imagine these strange, new worlds.

Delgado:
The WPA poster style is beloved, and other artists have embraced it before us. Our unique take was to take one specific thing about the place and focus on the science of it. We chose exoplanets that had really interesting, strange qualities, and everything about the poster was designed to amplify the concept. The same model guided us for the posters that focus on destinations in the solar system.

Lois Kim, typography:
We worked hard to get the typography right, since that was a very distinctive element in creating the character of those old posters. We wanted to create a retro-future feel, so we didn't adhere exactly to the period styles, but they definitely informed the design. The Venus poster has a very curvy, flowy font, for example, to evoke a sense of the clouds.

Credits for the posters
Creative Strategy: Dan Goods, David Delgado

Illustrators:
Liz Barrios De La Torre (Ceres, Europa)
Stefan Bucher (Jupiter Design)
Invisible Creature (Grand Tour, Mars, Enceladus)
Joby Harris (Kepler 16b, Earth, Kepler 186f, PSO J318.5-22, Titan)
Jessie Kawata (Venus)
Lois Kim (Typography for Venus and Europa)
Ron Miller (Jupiter Illustration)