Despite the many strides that have been taken in Zimbabwe in its 30 year history, there are still reminders through out our country that show us that we are still stuck in the past. None other than symbols of our national identity. In particular I will use the Zimbabwe bird as an example. The graphic which is on the flag was okay 30 years ago.
As a whole the visual identity of our country has been neglected and left behind. We have immensely talented people in the design and visual arts who can come together and define a national identity of which people can relate to and be proud of. But visual arts have been largely ignored and yet they play a huge role in instilling pride and patriotism in the people.
As a whole the visual identity of our country has been neglected and left behind. We have immensely talented people in the design and visual arts who can come together and define a national identity of which people can relate to and be proud of. But visual arts have been largely ignored and yet they play a huge role in instilling pride and patriotism in the people.
The iconic sculpture of which the national emblem of Zimbabwe was derived from. The above is a replica of one of the sculpture. It depicts a Bateleur eagle
The Zimbabwe bird as depicted by the Rhodesian Government on the coat of arms
After Independence it was over simplified and incorporated on the Zimbabwe flag and is still there to date. This current version is usually applied on national sporting uniforms with the red star
The fifty cent coin was by far my favourite coin in the line of coins that we have had in Zimbabwe. There was something I loved about the rising sun which represented the promise of new and brighter day. Initially in coming up with a graphic to represent the POVO brand we wanted to make it in the form of a coin and incorporate two of the most prominent symbols in our country.
The conical tower at Great Zimbabwe
The conical tower at Great Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Bird. In the process of developing the graphic it became apparent for it to be easily applied and memorable I had to make a decision between the two and make it as simple as possible.
Eventually I settled for the bird alone. So I took the bird from the front side of the coin and the rays of the sun from the back and created the current bird.
So I turned the bird to face forward and the wings opening to fly started to look like the Air Zimbabwe bird. I also decided to lose the chevron design and instead replace it with the rays of the sun from the fifty cent coin. I returned to the perched stance but focused more on the posture of the bird. I brought out the chest and gave it a longer neck to emphasize the pride. The legs were more pronounced to establish a strong foundation and add some majesty.
In refining the idea I rounded the flat base to make it more dynamic.
Finally the POVO Bird. The essence of the bird remains the same to keep it recognisable for all Zimbabweans.
