Onward To Psyche
Addison Mayhew
December 12th, 2025
Major: New Media Design
Genre/Medium: Vector Drawing in Figma
About thee work:
Inspired by the iconic WPA National Parks posters that circulated throughout the United States during the 1930s and 1940s, this poster “Onward to Psyche” aims to celebrate the future of space exploration while acknowledging the visual language of our past. The original WPA series was designed to make America’s national parks feel accessible, exciting, and worth protecting. By borrowing that artistic heritage, this work places Mars—specifically Valles Marineris—into the lineage of landscapes once reserved for Earth. The canyon system on Mars is visually reminiscent of formations like Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon, making it a fitting site for a retro-futurist invitation.
The poster commemorates the NASA Psyche mission and the forecasted Mars flyby in May 2026. The Psyche spacecraft appears at the center of the composition: crisp, geometric, and unmistakably technological, contrasting with the soft, stratified shapes of the canyon below. Although the canyon contains the brightest colors in the piece, the spacecraft remains the visual focal point, flying overhead. This reinforces the idea that space is not distant or cold, but familiar and reachable—another place we might someday explore more freely. Read more…
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