Norfolk’s Revitalized Waterfront

This mermaid is inspired by the movement of people as displayed in curling water and mist and the blinking lights of a busy city. The contrasting colors bring out each other to create a bold color palette fit for a city. A city is full of continuous movement and the interconnecting of people and places. The flow of the water splashes against the orange lights and the orange lights dive into the water.

Since Waterside was such an iconic and social area in Norfolk that was shut down and is currently being revitalized to regain its former glory I wanted to embody that in an already iconic image. The Norfolk Mermaid. My design incorporates the recognizable blue color of the roof with the orange color of the new logo along with the other main colors in the Waterside color palette. The swirling ribbon design that’s red and orange i sa reference to a veil, in tribute to the unveiling of the new Waterside. The blue fading into the darker blue at the top of the mermaid represents the transition from old to new, and that reference also runs along the bottom of the mermaid in the blue and green. Along the bottom, I used a satellite images of WAterside and Harbor park to create an interesting design and subtle map of the area and the yellow dots along the entire mermaid represent the lights all around WAterside. I wanted to use mostly glittering/shimmering colored paint, except for the dark blue and the bright red and dark red because I imagined it shining under the sunlight during the day and the lights of WAterside at night. When the design does shine, the designs would glitter while the colors underneath would remain somewhat flat.

In my proposal, I wanted to show the diverse aspects through texture and material. In my piece I included metal hoops for the mermaid to jump through to show the exciting opportunities and interested activities you can do at Waterside. On the mermaid’s tail, I used an abstract way of representing water that surrounds the area and what this city has to offer. On the skin I used different textures and a mix of two colors to show the diversity in the community and how welcoming and family friendly it is. The hair is also two different color intertwining to represent how exciting and high energy Waterside is. My intent for this piece is for the bright colors and interesting aspects to bring positivity and excitement to the community.

For my design, I made a simple design that was easy on the eye that still had a fun look, but also gave it a small amount of advertising. By that, I used the Waterside color palette that was given, and since the two primary colors were orange and the lighter of the blues, I used those the most. I also made sure to use the logo, and did minimal line designs that flowed with the shape of the mermaid. I put the Waterside logo in the middle of the mermaid, because people’s eyes tend to go toward the middle of an object, along with if there is more going in a certain area. That is why I put the objects, the glass and the music notes next to the logo, so it helps give your eye somewhere to go to. Those objects are there to also help advertise what Waterside will deliver, but in a minimal way. I kept the orange and red areas simple so it wouldn’t get cluttered and so it wouldn’t take away from the logo, which is the main focal point. In conclusion, my design is a fun and simple way to help advertise. I hope my design has met up to the requirements of what Waterside is all about.