I have been having some trouble with the direction I am trying to take with this assignment. Mike and I were talking and he was telling me that climate change is such a broad topic that many people are talking about and I agree with him. There is so much to cover and so many people know about it and will just ignore it because they hear about this all the time. Mike suggested that I take the idea of the four elements and turn it into something spiritual. Having animals being symbolic to each element, tell the story of the earth through symbolic expression, and relate the elements in a spiritual way. I think that’s a great idea! This opened up my brain to many other possibilities.
I am a fan of hard colours and fantasy illustrations so this is where I would like to aim the look of the campaign towards. Here are some inspiring images I found. These Images show different ways of expressing the elements:
Now with these pictures in mind, I had an idea of incorporating these with mythical creatures. I originally wanted to use animals that exist here on earth. I am still open to using either or.
For Mythical creatures I am thinking of:
Fire = Phoenix
Air = Griffin
Earth = Spirit Wolf
Water = Seahorse
The animals I had in mind are:
Fire = Fox or cheetah
Air = Hawk
Earth = Cheetah
Water = River Otter (or some kind of fish?)
Each animal would be symbolic.
Mike suggested each element connecting to one’s self, which was another great idea:
Fire – Spiritual    Earth – Physical   Air – Mental   Water – Emotion
For the logo I want to incorporate all the elements as well as the animals/mythological creatures. What I have in mind are the elements glowing in the background of the animals or either the animals glowing in front of the elements.
I want to have separate logos with each individual element to place on a book or poster. For example, One of the books are about the earth element, there would be a logo with the earth and the animal over top somewhere. Each logo will categorize certain parts of the posters, tattoo’s, booklets, etc..
I wanted to add temporary Tattoo’s also, which will be the animals (or creatures) in black with some colour splashed onto it. I am either thinking of putting the top half of the creature and then the bottom of it turning into whatever the element is. For example, the spirit wolf represents the earth element, I would have the head of the animal and the rest of the animal transitioning into falling leaves and a splash of green around it. Â Here is an example I found of the elements. This is the kind of style i am looking towards:
Here are some other inspiring images I found relating to the animals/creatures I want to work with:
I also was thinking of doing nail art. I am not officially sure if I am going to go through with this… I basically wanted to put each individual logo as stickers for nails.Â
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I think you have created a very solid theme to wrap your environmental concept in. Out of the proposed animals, your mythic creatures are the most captivating in terms of design – these will really suit the tattoo aesthetics you want. I feel like there is more you can do with the mythical animals rather than the regular ones, since everyone knows what a fox looks like but might not know what a griffin or spirit wolf is. My only question is, how is a seahorse mythical? It seems pretty commonplace. I would suggest you try something from Scottish mythology, either a kelpie or even selkie. Or you could even go with a leviathan – that would work well with your tattoo aesthetics too.
I wouldn’t stray too far away from your initial four-book concept, it was really strong, and your new approach to the elements and design can carry over into that very nicely. I don’t think it’s necessary for you to do nail art or temporary tattoos. The tattoos would be nice on a promotional level, but I don’t know how effective they would be.
For your logo, I like that you are thinking of it in four facets, each unique one can carry over to the book, branding it. It would also be neat to see them come together in some way – I am thinking of a four circle diamond shape pattern. Also, do you have an official name for your project? I like where this has gone.
Thank you for your comment Leigh, I will probably stick with the mythical creatures over the animals, I do prefer them myself. For the water element, I was having some trouble finding a mythical creature for it so I chose a seahorse. I really like the Ideas you have suggested, especially the leviathan, I will probably use that. For the logo, the diamond shape pattern would be highly effective, instead of clumping all the elements together. I do not have a name for it at the moment, it’s something i’m struggling with, any suggestions would be great. Thanks again, your feedback helped a lot!
Glad to hear my advice helped, I really like where your project has gone. As for the name: when I think of your topic, I picture words like “transformation”, “evolution”, “change” etc. Kind of like what Mike was getting at with the idea of having the animals represent a spiritual counterpart. To me, this has a very alchemical feel, which was all about transformation and creating something better out of something preexisting – which is a good notion to hit upon because of your topic of the environment. We are trying to change the current crisis into something better for tomorrow’s generation. So maybe the name of your project can mirror this, i.e. Transforming the Future, or Creating Tomorrow. I’m sure you can come up with something better, but I like the idea of humanity making/ shaping something that isn’t typically thought of as being in their realm of control.