In this project, I was tasked with translating an existing object into an effective design that captures its original essence. I chose a Turkey Vulture as a challenge to bring some beauty and sophistication to an under-appreciated creature.
To start, I created some rough sketches to explore the different moods a vulture can convey, from a classic spooky, slightly off-putting mood, to a more majestic silhouette. These sketches were the most effective solutions that went on to be refined.
For these designs, I wanted to utilize a strong figure-ground relationship. At this stage, I was searching for the balance between the simplicity of a strong silhouette and the smaller details that add personality.
The next challenge was to add a typographic element. The most important element here was to find a word that suited the theme and was visually appealing. Carrion was my solution, and led to the word play of CarriOn, or Carry On.
The last stage was applying this design to the final product. I settled on two different moods, one that leans into the traditional creepy perception of a vulture, but for the other, I wanted to appreciate the beauty of these under-appreciated birds by giving it a halo and using the word play to convey an encouraging message.
