‘Navigators’ is a typographic exploration that celebrates the theme of ‘migration.’ My topic is on Polynesian migration and the ancient art of navigation. 

One of the greatest feats of human migration in history was the colonisation of the vast Pacific Ocean by Polynesian peoples. They achieved it thanks to their sophisticated knowledge of positional astronomy and celestial navigation. This was a significant part of history and should be celebrated. My target audience are those who are interested in history and want to learn more about Polynesian culture. My work aims to act as a reminder of the extraordinary journeys that have taken place throughout history by highlighting past voyages and preserving the memory of ancient Polynesian ancestors and traditions. 

My initial idea revolved around the art of Polynesian wayfinding. My first attempts were explorations into the history of Polynesian migration and the different navigational techniques they used such as the stars, waves and birds. I developed my idea into also looking at the story of Hōkūleʻa, a modern-day canoe replica that uses traditional Polynesian navigational techniques to sail around the world. My final publication was split into three sections and follows the story from past to present, starting with the history of Polynesian migration, the navigational techniques they used and finally, the story of Hōkūleʻa. Throughout this publication, I included black and white images of historical voyagers and navigators. A timeline of Polynesian migration and a black and white map showing their migration pattern was also featured. 

I used a combination of two fonts, Big Caslon FB and Proxima Nova. Big Caslon FB was used for my titles, subheadings and the body copy for the first two sections. Proxima Nova was used for the body copy in the third section. My typographic choices were to show a distinction between historical and contemporary periods. For consistency, I used the colour maroon for the titles and subheadings while keeping the body copy black. Maroon is the main colour in this publication as it is an earthy tone that is popular in many Polynesian islands.

Throughout the publication, I experimented with expressive text. Typographic expression was used to mimic the movement of the sun, stars, waves and birds. I reference movement by creating text out of triangles, a ubiquitous element in Polynesian art. This was implemented into my cover page and section openers. Along with using typographic expression, I referenced Polynesian symbols of the sun, stars, waves and birds. Each illustrated symbol relates to different ancient navigational techniques. From this, I created a repeating pattern which was used in the background of a few selected spreads. I also referenced Hawaiian terms throughout my work and poetical sayings in each navigational technique spread. 

I envisage my book to be digitally printed on 170gsm silk matte white paper. It will then be sent to the local bookbinders where the spine will be cross stitched using white cotton thread. It is then placed in a wooden bookcase that has Polynesian symbols of the sun, waves, stars and birds laser engraved onto the front.