Jocelyn Curry

A swan taking off from a lake or a pond is not as endearing an image as one romantically swimming calmly across the water. Nevertheless, this is what was asked of me: to create an illustration of the splashingly awkward and chaotic swan at liftoff. Below are four of the sketches I submitted to the client after doing my research:

Considerations were: how much detail should be included in the wings, and in the depiction of the water being churned and splashed? Should the swan be made to look more graceful than it realistically does when accelerating in the water? In the end, a classic, poised swimming swan was chosen over the active version. Why? It was much easier to incorporate with calligraphy and type in the final logo. And, there was no ambiguity as to what bird it was. There's no mistaking a swimming swan.