From Sail to Symbol
Melissa Van der Sanden
Belgium
About
Melissa Van der Sanden is a graphic design student based in Belgium. As well as working on other graphic design projects, she enjoys exploring existing objects and transforming them into a new visual language.
Project
From Sail to Symbol is an analysis of windsurf sails from 1948 to 2026. It consists of graphic elements derived from existing sails that have been analysed and abstracted in order to develop a new visual language. The project was inspired by a personal childhood memory.
As a child, I spent a lot of time by the water, watching my dad windsurf. When I tried to spot him amongst all the other windsurfers, I didn’t look at their faces, but at their shapes and colours. I could recognise his sail instantly thanks to its unique colour blocks, lines and patterns.
Without realising it at the time, I had developed a unique perspective on things. My attention was drawn not only to the object itself, but also to the hidden graphic language within it. It was this memory that later inspired my fascination with analysing windsurf sails for my Master's project.
A windsurfing sail is made up of a complex array of layers, panels and joints. A sail can consist of more than a hundred individual panels of sailcloth, and including all technical components it can comprise as many as three hundred parts. Each component has its own shape, function and place within the whole.
This visual language serves as my personal interpretation of windsurfing sails. At the same time, it seeks to evoke a sense of familiarity through the shapes, panels and connections that come together to form layers. In this way, the project links childhood memories with graphic design.