The Zoo Symbolform Process Book

8/10/2019 The Zoo Symbolform Process Book

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The Smithsonian National ZooThe Smithsonian National Zoo

By John Salazar

A Guide to being A Graphic DesignerThe Zoo SymbolForm Process Book

Volume 4


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Table of Contents

Zoo SymbolForm Project...................................................4

Symbol System Overview..................................................5

Zoo History.........................................................................6

Smithsonian National Zoo Symbol System.......................8

The Green Sea Turtle.......................................................10

Turtle Matrix.....................................................................12

Rough Sketches................................................................14

Computer Sketches.........................................................16

Final Symbol.....................................................................18

Fitting in the System........................................................20

Works Cited......................................................................22

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Symbol System OverviewZoo SymbolForm Project

Welcome to our next project!The

next lesson in becoming a graphic

designer is to learn about symbol

systems, why they are important,

and how they work all around us.

We will be creating our own symbol

of an endangered or extinct animal

that will t in the existing National

Zoo Symbol System!

The goal of this project will be to

understand the process of devel-

oping a simple mark and practicing

both by hand and on the computer

the best way to create a symbol.Examples of what wewill be creating!

So what is a symbol and asymbol system?

A symbolis a sign or mark that

represents an activity, idea, or

object. Symbols can be pictures

or abstract and can stand for

something cultural, social,

political, or commercial.

Can you tell what these symbols mean?

A symbol systemis a collectionof symbols that are meant to rep-

resent groups of ideas or objects

and can be understood without

a need for words. These systems

are meant to be recognizable

and bring something simple to

our lives. They are meant to be

universal!

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The Smithsonian National ZooZoo History

Before we look at the symbolsystem for zoos, lets do some

research and look at why we have

them! The earliest signs of zoos

were around 2500 BCE, when

Egyptians held records of exotic

animals they would collect from

their trips. However, it wasnt until

the 18th century Enlightenment

that the modern zoo becamepopular, with the rst one

opening in 1793 in Paris. People

had an increasing scientic focus

and wanted to study animal

behavior and anatomy.

Today, while zoos are meant

to entertain and educate the

public, there is an emphasis on

scientic research and conser-

vation. Zoos recreate natural

habitats for the animals as if they

were living in the wild. Types ofzoos range from typical subur-

ban zoos to safari parks, which

are more open-range areas.

Did you know: Modern Zoosstarted when royalty wanted toown collections of animals toshow their wealth?

Zoos have a lot of regulations,

such as inspections regarding

conservation and the health of

the animals. The largest United

States zoo is located in San

Diego, which contains over 4,000animals of many species. A trend

among modern zoos is that many

are looking for conservation

projects that help endangered

animals and habitats.

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Smithsonian National ZooSymbol System

The National Zoological Park,

located in Washington, D.C., is

a part of the Smithsonian insti-

tution. Home to 2,000 animals

of nearly 400 species, the zoos

mission is to demonstrate lead-

ership in animal care, science,

education, and sustainability

through being a research centerfor endangered species.

The Smithsonian National Zoo

symbol systemwas designed

by Wyman & Cannan in 1973

and it created a consistent look

throughout the signs of the zoo.

They developed 36 pictograms

of featured animals that were

used for posters, maps, totem

poles, and much more. Each iconfocused on key features of the

animals to help characterize it

and break language barriers. The

system is carefully constructed so

they all work together.

The zoo logo represents thecontinuation of the species

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The Turtle MatrixEating

Swimming

Nesting

Protection

Sounds/Vibrations

Sleep

Warmth

Mating

Size

Flipp

ers

Claw

s

Nose

Skin

Eyelids

Jaw

Shell

The next step in creating our

symbolis to go further in our

study of the green sea turtle and

see its behavior.

The matrix on the right shows

how the sea turtle uses its var-

ious characteristics to perform

different activities. This really

helps us look at what its dening

features are and what is unique.

Green sea turtles have a single

pair of prefrontal scales in front

of the eyes, setting it apart from

other sea turtles. Its body is at

and the shell, or carapace, is

wide, heart-shaped, and bony

without ridges.

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Rough SketchesNow its fnally time to make

the symbol!To start off, look at

the key features of a head prole

of your chosen animal and high-

light those on your sketch. Make

sure to get a decent shape of the

head too. It is always better to

make many sketches with differ-

ent attempts!

I put a focus on the large eye and

the scale pattern of the turtle,

especially the unique front scales.

I also want to use the hooked

mouth as well.

This is the sketch I movedforward with

For these, I play around with

the positioning of the head and

body as well as how organic and

geometric I want the shapes.

The positioning looks like a landturtle, so I end up choosing the

horizontal body sketch.

Now its your turn! Do a practicesketch of your animal!

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Computer SketchesWere getting closer!Now its

time to create your symbol on the

computer using Adobe Illustrator.

The key to this step is to nding

ways to be more concise and sim-

ple while still showing recognition

of the animal. You have to make

sure it is similar to the others so

that it ts in the system!

After tracing my original sketch,

I quickly realize I have to cut

down a lot of detail. I remove the

mouth outline and proceed to

remove the eyelid as well. I also

need to signicantly smoothen

the shape of the head, so I

simplify most bumps in place of

curves. I try a geometric outline

too, but that doesnt work.

The pattern is troublesome, but I

eventually decide to go for a few

simple shapes that repeat notice-

ably instead of scattered and un-

related geometric shapes. I also

remove the frontal scale, which isa compromise I have to make to

keep the icon simple and similar

to the other symbols.

The eye transforms as well, going

much smaller and more curved at

the edges.

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Final SymbolWe have fnally reached the

fnal symbol!This piece goes

through signicant changes

from the previous computer

sketches. Most notably, the eye

is signicantly smaller and more

curved. While I wanted to have

a large eye, in the end it is more

tting to have a similar eye to the

other animals in the system.

As far as the pattern, I decide

upon a simple two-shaped

pattern. I also have it bleeding off

the white into the black because

this allows for a complete pattern,

as shown by the jaguar icon.

The mouth is exaggerated more

to highlight the beak and show it

off as a key feature of the green

sea turtle. The related outline

that forms the forehead and

throat are also changed with the

mouth, creating a smoother and

more consistent shape.

Just like that, we are done!Thenext page will show the sea turtle

tting into the rest of the system.

In this lesson, you have learned

how to spot detail and apply it

to a simplied mark, so now it

is your turn to contribute to the

symbol system!

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Can you Find the Symbol?


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Works Cited

About Us. Smithsonian National Zoo. Smithsonian National Zoological Park, n.d. Web. 14 December 2014.

Green Sea Turtle. National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 13 November 2014.

Information about Sea Turtles: Green Sea Turtle. Conserve Turtles. Sea Turtle Conservatory, n.d. Web. 13 November 2014.

National Zoo Washington, USA. Graphic Ambient. Graphic Ambient, n.d. Web. 14 December 2014.

National Zoological Park / Washington, DC. Bill Cannan Design. Bill Cannan & Company, n.d. Web. 14 December 2014.

Zoological Park. National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 10 December 2014.

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Other Volumes

The Cube and Letterform Volume 1

Mixing Word and Object Volume 2

Designer Inspiration Volume 3

Design for Social Good Volume 5

Documents

The Zoo Symbolform Process Book