Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun and our neighbour, has forever sparked excitement, vision and greater wonder. Named after the Roman god of war, Mars has been more and more active with visionaries putting dreams now into practice, with the aim of settling man and colonising a alien world.
Ordnance Survey, responsible for making maps and landmarks that are recognised by many, see the opportunity that Mars presents. The planet will require its own maps, symbols and icons creating, all unique to the new landscape and approaching future.
The task given, was to create and produce a set of designs for potential icons to be used to show "Landing Sites" upon Mars. To indicate to future settlers where it is best landing, a concept hard to understand being a species not used to such.
Moodboard for visual research
Inspiration came in the form of propaganda posters, depicting the visions that came from the space race. They show strong visuals, typography and were so different to all other design of the time. I felt that propaganda is greatly relevant for the new era of space discovery and investment.
The imagery provided me with a guideline to follow in the coming design process, aiding me in a area of creativity that is hard to create for, with it being so in the future.
Initial icons 1
Ideas began forming around what a symbol or icon may look like, circles and triangles are the common shape choice for symbols upon our maps. So a different shape was required for a different planet and set of unique maps.
The hexagon gave this feel of futuristic appeal, and combined with the blue that Ordnance Survey requested, it presented a striking icon that would become recognisable and stand out on the landscape of a map.
Initial icons 2
I explored the idea of stripping the icon back to the core symbol of a shuttle surrounded by a plume of cloud. The cloud would come to represent take off and landing, a dual purpose for the symbol. The only problem being, the concept didn't follow the propaganda vision that I had in mind. But creating initial ideas lead to development and direction within the process.
Final Concept 1
A large circle as a backdrop to represent Mars, was to create a strong focal point for the audiences eye to be instantly drawn to and embodied the planet within the symbol. The use of a subtle curve and steak to the stars, creates a more aesthetically pleasing visual, one that isn't so reliant on a solid shape and gives the feel of a brooch or patch. With patches being present upon uniform, habitats and shuttles within films, and sci-fi, you would imagine that design needs to consider other uses where it may be required.
Final Concept 2
The star came from poster design of old, the idea of reaching for the stars and presenting a challenge that we are overcoming. So from this concept, I wanted a icon that would forever remind the early settlers and visionaries, that anything is possible and should dream big.
Incorporating a streak to the star, would represent the flight path and initial push off to the sky, a idea that originally came as a task to show in symbol form.
Final Concept 3
The plume, streak, star and planet were all combined within this one final concept, to fully represent the vision and idea. The concept was created out of my own interest to see whether all these elements would work as one, of become overbearing. Out of experimentation though, the best creativity can be found, and believed that this worked here.
For my own further development, I would consider adding colour, texture as well as incorporate the usage of other symbols that may come from colonisation. The brief touched upon a great passion of mine, and presented a task that embodied my interests of design and space!
"If humanity doesn't land on Mars in my lifetime, I would be very disappointed"
Elon Musk, Space X
ENJOY!
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THANK YOU
