Volume 4

TheTheSmithsonian
SmithsonianNational
National Zoo

A Guide to being
A Graphic Designer
The Zoo SymbolForm Process Book

By John Salazar

Table of Contents
Zoo SymbolForm Project...................................................4
Symbol System Overview..................................................5
Zoo History.........................................................................6
Smithsonian National Zoo Symbol System.......................8
The Green Sea Turtle.......................................................10
Turtle Matrix.....................................................................12
Rough Sketches................................................................14
Computer Sketches.........................................................16
Final Symbol.....................................................................18
Fitting in the System........................................................20
Works Cited......................................................................22
2

Zoo SymbolForm Project

So what is a symbol and a

symbol system?

Welcome to our next project! The

next lesson in becoming a graphic
designer is to learn about symbol
systems, why they are important,
and how they work all around us.
We will be creating our own symbol
of an endangered or extinct animal
that will fit in the existing National
Zoo Symbol System!
The goal of this project will be to
understand the process of developing a simple mark and practicing
both by hand and on the computer
the best way to create a symbol.
4

Symbol System Overview

A symbol is a sign or mark that
represents an activity, idea, or
object. Symbols can be pictures
or abstract and can stand for
something cultural, social,
political, or commercial.

A symbol system is a collection

of symbols that are meant to represent groups of ideas or objects
and can be understood without
a need for words. These systems
are meant to be recognizable
and bring something simple to
our lives. They are meant to be
universal!

Can you tell what these symbols mean?

Examples of what we
will be creating!
5

The Smithsonian
National Zoo
Zoo History

Did you know: Modern Zoos

started when royalty wanted to
own collections of animals to
show their wealth?

Before we look at the symbol

system for zoos, lets do some
research and look at why we have
them! The earliest signs of zoos
were around 2500 BCE, when
Egyptians held records of exotic
animals they would collect from
their trips. However, it wasnt until
the 18th century Enlightenment
that the modern zoo became
popular, with the first one
opening in 1793 in Paris. People
had an increasing scientific focus
and wanted to study animal
behavior and anatomy.

Today, while zoos are meant

to entertain and educate the
public, there is an emphasis on
scientific research and conservation. Zoos recreate natural
habitats for the animals as if they
were living in the wild. Types of
zoos range from typical suburban zoos to safari parks, which
are more open-range areas.
Zoos have a lot of regulations,
such as inspections regarding
conservation and the health of
the animals. The largest United
States zoo is located in San
Diego, which contains over 4,000
animals of many species. A trend
among modern zoos is that many
are looking for conservation
projects that help endangered
animals and habitats.

Smithsonian National Zoo

Symbol System
The National Zoological Park,
located in Washington, D.C., is
a part of the Smithsonian institution. Home to 2,000 animals
of nearly 400 species, the zoos
mission is to demonstrate leadership in animal care, science,
education, and sustainability
through being a research center
for endangered species.

The Smithsonian National Zoo

symbol system was designed
by Wyman & Cannan in 1973
and it created a consistent look
throughout the signs of the zoo.
They developed 36 pictograms
of featured animals that were
used for posters, maps, totem
poles, and much more. Each icon
focused on key features of the
animals to help characterize it
and break language barriers. The
system is carefully constructed so
they all work together.
The zoo logo represents the
continuation of the species

TheThe
Smithsonian
National
Green Sea
TurtleZoo
The endangered animal I chose
to make a symbol on is the
green sea turtle! You are free
to choose whichever animal you
wish, but I will walk you through
the process with this one.

Did you know: Green sea turtles

get their name from their skin
color? Their shell is actually
brown and olive!

10

First, lets get to know our new

friend some more. The green
sea turtle can weigh up to 700
pounds and is amongst the
largest of the sea turtles. Unlike
many turtles you probably know,
these cannot retract their heads
back into their shells.

The green sea turtle inhabits

tropical and subtropical coastal
waters around the world,
mainly being found among two
subspecies, one in the Atlantic
coasts and the other in the
East Pacific coasts. They like to
sunbathe and you can often find
them lying on coastal land. They
are also herbivorous, with their
diet consisting of sea grasses
and algae.
Green sea turtles go on lengthy
migrations to lay their eggs on
the nesting ground beaches.
Because predators know about
this, the most dangerous time
of a green sea turtles life is the
journey from nest to sea.

Green sea turtles are classified as

an endangered species. They are
often killed by poachers for their
meat and eggs, so many conservatories are looking for ways to
protect this gentle creature!

11

The Turtle Matrix

ze
Si

er

p
lip

a
Cl

os

i
Sk

id

l
ye

Ja

el

Sh

Eating
Swimming

The next step in creating our

symbol is to go further in our
study of the green sea turtle and
see its behavior.

The matrix on the right shows

how the sea turtle uses its various characteristics to perform
different activities. This really
helps us look at what its defining
features are and what is unique.
Green sea turtles have a single
pair of prefrontal scales in front
of the eyes, setting it apart from
other sea turtles. Its body is flat
and the shell, or carapace, is
wide, heart-shaped, and bony
without ridges.

12

Nesting
Protection
Sounds/
Vibrations
Sleep
Warmth
Mating

13

Rough Sketches
Now its finally time to make
the symbol! To start off, look at
the key features of a head profile
of your chosen animal and highlight those on your sketch. Make
sure to get a decent shape of the
head too. It is always better to
make many sketches with different attempts!
I put a focus on the large eye and
the scale pattern of the turtle,
especially the unique front scales.
I also want to use the hooked
mouth as well.

14

This is the sketch I moved

forward with

For these, I play around with

the positioning of the head and
body as well as how organic and
geometric I want the shapes.
The positioning looks like a land
turtle, so I end up choosing the
horizontal body sketch.
Now its your turn! Do a practice
sketch of your animal!

15

Computer Sketches
Were getting closer! Now its
time to create your symbol on the
computer using Adobe Illustrator.
The key to this step is to finding
ways to be more concise and simple while still showing recognition
of the animal. You have to make
sure it is similar to the others so
that it fits in the system!
After tracing my original sketch,
I quickly realize I have to cut
down a lot of detail. I remove the
mouth outline and proceed to
remove the eyelid as well. I also
need to significantly smoothen
the shape of the head, so I
16

simplify most bumps in place of

curves. I try a geometric outline
too, but that doesnt work.
The pattern is troublesome, but I
eventually decide to go for a few
simple shapes that repeat noticeably instead of scattered and unrelated geometric shapes. I also
remove the frontal scale, which is
a compromise I have to make to
keep the icon simple and similar
to the other symbols.
The eye transforms as well, going
much smaller and more curved at
the edges.
17

Final Symbol
We have finally reached the
final symbol! This piece goes
through significant changes
from the previous computer
sketches. Most notably, the eye
is significantly smaller and more
curved. While I wanted to have
a large eye, in the end it is more
fitting to have a similar eye to the
other animals in the system.
As far as the pattern, I decide
upon a simple two-shaped
pattern. I also have it bleeding off
the white into the black because
this allows for a complete pattern,
as shown by the jaguar icon.
18

The mouth is exaggerated more

to highlight the beak and show it
off as a key feature of the green
sea turtle. The related outline
that forms the forehead and
throat are also changed with the
mouth, creating a smoother and
more consistent shape.
Just like that, we are done! The
next page will show the sea turtle
fitting into the rest of the system.
In this lesson, you have learned
how to spot detail and apply it
to a simplified mark, so now it
is your turn to contribute to the
symbol system!
19

Can you Find the Symbol?

Works Cited
About Us. Smithsonian National Zoo. Smithsonian National

Zoological Park, n.d. Web. 14 December 2014.
Green Sea Turtle. National Geographic. National

Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 13 November 2014.
Information about Sea Turtles: Green Sea Turtle. Conserve
Turtles. Sea Turtle Conservatory, n.d. Web. 13

November 2014.
National Zoo Washington, USA. Graphic Ambient. Graphic

Ambient, n.d. Web. 14 December 2014.
National Zoological Park / Washington, DC. Bill Cannan
Design. Bill Cannan & Company, n.d. Web. 14

December 2014.
Zoological Park. National Geographic. National Geographic

Society, n.d. Web. 10 December 2014.
22

Other Volumes
The Cube and Letterform

Volume 1

Mixing Word and Object

Volume 2

Designer Inspiration

Volume 3

Design for Social Good

Volume 5