The posters began as a series about exoplanets - planets orbiting other stars - to celebrate NASA's study of them. A creative team of visual strategists at JPL (the NASA program that focuses on finding and studying exoplanets is managed by 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.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency was to have a distinctly civilian orientation, encouraging peaceful applications in space science.