Red-Crowned Crane Icon

DESIGN DRAWING

Icon Design · Geometric Analysis · Illustration

Through geometric interpretation and analysis, this first-semester project requires translating an organic animal form to a geometric interpretation.

Using the fundamental elements of design and Gestalt Principles of Perception, I aimed to capture the essence of a red-crowned crane in its unique physical, behavioral, and personality traits.

Symbolism of the red-crowned crane

The red-crowned crane is one of the largest and rarest cranes in the world with a wingspan of seven to eight feet. Its habitat lies in East Asia where it has a long history of symbolism in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures. It has often been featured in myths as a symbol of luck, immortality, and nobility.

Sources: San Diego Zoo, The Met Museum

Images by Murray Foote, TurboSquid, and The Met Museum

Hand-sketched explorations

Throughout the ideation process, I wanted to reflect the bird's traditional symbolism in East Asian cultures by personifying the dignity and strength that it represents. I also wanted to visually hint to the traditional Chinese ink paintings involving the red-crowned crane.

Geometric structure and similarity of form

A similarity of form was used throughout the drawing. Lines of similar curvature, stroke weight, and tapered ends form the body, neck, and feathers of the crane. Another set of more angular lines form the beak and legs. They still relate to the rest of the bird with their thin-to-thick-to-thin stroke weight.

An underlying geometric structure provides the framework of similarity in the drawing and holds it all together as a unit. Additionally, principles of closure and proximity allow the form of the bird to be understood by the viewer even though there is not an explicit outline of the animal.