On April 17, the Shenzhou-18 ship-rocket assembly has been transferred to the launch area, and the Shenzhou-18 manned mission is about to kick off. On the occasion of the mission, Cao Aodong, the designer of the logo of the mission, shared with reporters the design concept and birth process behind the logo.
"I was born in Gansu and have been on Dunhuang murals since I was a child, witnessing the grace of the Flying Goddess. The ancient legends of this land, like seeds, took root in Cao Aodong's heart, which inspired his strong interest in rockets, spaceships, astronauts and all things cosmic science fiction, and also opened his artistic path as a professional graphic designer.
Last year, the official launched the 2024 manned mission logo collection activity. Upon learning of this news, Cao Aodong immediately signed up for the Shenzhou 18 manned mission logo, and quickly entered the state of information collection and data learning. The first draft of the design began in early September last year, and there were countless minor changes in the process, and there were changes the day before the deadline.
"When it comes to designing work, I'm used to thinking and style out of the box. This time, because it involves a national space mission, it is more rigorous than before, and it cannot be imagined at will, and there must be a basis. He said.
In the early stage of the design, Cao Aodong conducted in-depth research on the logos of previous manned space missions in China, as well as the logos and design cases of relevant foreign space missions, and understood and sorted out the Shenzhou 18 manned mission, the structure of the space station, the docking sequence of each spacecraft, and the association with the logos of previous missions, and decided to explore the design from the three styles of "solemn honor, modern science and technology, and national atmosphere".
After the completion of the first draft design, after comparison and repeated scrutiny, he decided to continue to adjust and improve the plan from the direction of "modern technology". "On the basis of modern science and technology, we can increase the sense of solemnity and honor, which can better reflect the demeanor of a great country and the sense of honor of aerospace. ”
The reporter saw that the final logo as a whole uses the Chinese red used by the Shenzhou spacecraft as the identification color, the design focuses on the sense of science and technology, and the overall appearance of the Medal of Honor, and the main graphic is the main visual element of the logo of the Chinese space station, and the yellow line is used to emphasize the docking position and status of the current mission spacecraft and the space station.
The serial number of the mission "18" is designed in the style of science and technology, and a blue circle pokes upwards to represent China's thriving aerospace industry, and the number is used as the background to emphasize the mission sequence and improve the identification and memory. The 18 stars shining on the blue background correspond to the mission number "18".
"I was so excited to learn that my design was selected! On the eve of the launch mission, the China Manned Space Engineering Office invited Cao Aodong to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to watch. Now, he is looking forward to witnessing the launch of Shenzhou 18 with his own eyes. "The dream of flying is a dream that many people with vast space have had, and it is also the dream of us Chinese since ancient times, and the Shenzhou spacecraft and the Chinese space station are realizing our dream of flying!"
Editor-in-chief: Chen Xizhen
Source: Author: Shu Han