Symbols

Before starting to draw sketches I decided first to do a little bit of research about some pictograms in different olympic games. Results were quite varied and I was surprised about how the same idea for the same purpose can be designed in so many different ways.

London 2012

Athens 2004

 

Beijing 2008

Moscow 1980

Munich 1982

I decided I would do a pictogram of a Scottish bagpiper, since it's something I always liked. I first checked the book Symbols that I bought some weeks ago to see what ideas could be interesting for this kind of designs.

The one at the bottom-left of the page looks similar to a bagpiper

At this point I realised one more time that the simpler the more effective. Simpler shapes were easier to identify. If more complicated shapes were chosen the result would be like Beijing olympics, which had some un-recognisable pictograms.

Then I went to google images to see what elements of a bagpiper I had to represent.

Examples of very effective use of negative space

Simple idea but less elements that can be recognisable in a pictogram.

A more martial look: The hat, the band on the chest, the kilt and sporran makes the bagpiper.

Using the supplied grid I started to draw sketches basing my practice in 1982 Munich olympics. Specifically, the archer, as it is not just a human body, but also an instrument.

After some experimentation it was clear that I had to decide whether the bagpiper would be represented from the front or from a side. I chose from a side, since the drones of the bagpipe would have been more easily represented, with the only cost of the band on the chest.

I didn't entirely stick to the lines of the grid because otherwise spaces would have been too big. Although, I only cut distances by drawing strokes using half of squares instead of the whole.

Once I vectorised it on Illustrator I used different colours to represent it as something Scottish. A possible audience for this kind of pictograms could be tourists in Scotland or signage to indicate where a school of bagpipes is.

As extra elements I added the bag of the bagpipe in negative space, the chanter of it and I made the back of the head plain, so it looks like is looking at the left.

Colours of Scottish traditional fabric

Dashed stroke to simulate stitches of the fabric

Scottish flag colours