Standards Manual is one of the greatest recent projects in archival graphic design. Jesse Reed and Hamish Smyth painstakingly recreate notable graphics standards manuals from NASA, the EPA, the American Bicentennial, and the New York Transit Authority. Next up is Identity: Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, an overview of the iconic design firm behind many logos still in use today.
Like many great modern ideas, the imprint started as a Kickstarter to make a print version of their online archive of the New York City Transit Authority Graphic Standards Manual, the basic elements of which are still in use today.
The coolest one in my opinion is the NASA project, salvaged in the same way from a dogeared original into a beautiful book.
The most bittersweet one is the EPA, given its brilliant standards and current state of affairs.
• Standards Manual (via Hyperallergic)