Carver County Veterans
Memorial Panels Case Study
Challenge: Design High Resolution Imagery
The Carver County Veterans Memorial Committee envisioned a memorial with six panels. Each panel was to be etched with a unique design of a saluting figure representing a specific military branch and a POW/MIA.
The committee contracted with Coldspring, a granite company, to construct the monument. The contract specified polished black granite panels measuring 36 inches wide by 80.75 inches tall.
Creature Works’ challenge was to design high-resolution imagery for the panels.
Location and Viewing Distance
The first thing considered was that a monument’s location and viewing distance often determines how large the human figure should appear.
Typically, the smallest scale appropriate for a human form for an outdoor monument is “life and a quarter,” or 125% of life-size. In part, because we humans have an oddly inflated sense of ourselves but also because a life-sized figure placed under the big blue sky seems strangely small and diminutive, which is the last thing you want if you are honoring someone. Elevating a figure enhances the viewing distance, but the greater the distance from the observer to the figure, the larger the figure needs to be. The Veteran’s memorial panels would be raised slightly but also viewed from relatively close-up, so life and a quarter seemed an appropriate size.
Size Mock-up
A quick mock-up showed, however, that a figure scaled up to 125% would not fit well on a 36 x 80.75-inch panel. It left no headroom, and the saluting arm would be clipped. Re-negotiating with the granite company for larger panels was not a viable option.
To solve the width problem, we proposed using saluting figures turned to a 3/4 view – which would have a narrower profile.
To handle the height problem, we proposed positioning the figure with comfortable headroom and using foreground elements at the bottom to push the figure back into the frame, which made cutting off legs visually acceptable.
Given that the figures would need to be extremely high resolution and that they needed to be in a specific pose, it became clear that we would not find what we needed using stock photography.
Early mock-up for positioning and order of the panels: Army, Marines, Navy, POW/MIA, Air Force, Coast Guard.
Photography
The Veterans Memorial Committee had already done a preliminary photo shoot at the Carver County Historical Society for a couple of the military branches. Still, we needed to expand on that to cover all branches and add some diversity in personnel.
We contacted the Guthrie Theater’s costume department, who were very helpful in selecting and loaning us uniforms. The Veterans Memorial Committee arranged for a shoot using military personnel at the Armory in St. Paul, MN. Some of the personnel would be wearing their uniforms. With the addition of the uniforms from the Guthrie Theater and the Carver County Historical Society, we had all branches covered – some in multiple eras.
We knew the size and placement we wanted for the figures on the panels, so we needed to determine a camera position for the shoot.
Using the 125% scaled soldier mock-up, we could see that eye level (64″ for a 5′ 10″ viewer) would be approximately at the soldier’s solar plexus.
So by shooting the live figures with the camera pointed at their solar plexus (about 46″ from the floor), we would get the correct perspective for viewing the installed monument panels.
We did two photo shoots with photographer Gerry Thomas to capture multiple angles of all uniforms.
Before
After
Details, Corrections and Alterations
Although there were no specific time periods for any uniforms, each uniform had to correctly represent one that could have existed for a chosen rank in each military branch’s history. To get these details right, we consulted with experts and did a lot of research.
All accessories, logos, insignia, buttons and uniforms were examined and corrected if needed. Some were easy Photoshop changes – as seen in the adjacent ‘before and after Coast Guard example.
- Change emblem on cap.
- Change chin strap on cap.
- Remove collar buttons.
- Remove lower pockets.
- Shorten jacket length.
- Change buttons – too shiny.
- Change emblems on shoulder boards.
Others changes, like the POW example below, were more involved.
Background Elements
Each panel needed background elements related to the honored military branch. All equipment used in a panel had to belong to that military branch. This requirement involved extensive searching to find high-resolution images that we could then alter to serve desired functions within the available spaces. We also decided that it would be a unique feature for the monument if each panel contained a colored flag. This option was discussed with Coldspring, who could do it by sandblasting color into the panels.
Each panel has a theme but does not limit itself to specific conflicts or battles. The idea was that we would be representing everyone that served – regardless of rank or time period.
The final designs were created at 300 dpi and converted to bitmap-screened images.
Coldspring had specific requirements for the luminance ranges that would reproduce well on polished granite. Areas too bright would not retain details, and areas too dark were prone to speckling in the screens as the values ramped up or down. A few elements were chosen to deliberately not receive any etching; The silhouette of the taps player in the Navy panel, the prison camp barbed wire and tower in the POW/MIA panel, and the land masses in the Coast Guard panel.
Manufacturing
The etching of the granite panels, plus the cutting and assembly of all granite elements was done by Coldspring. The monument was erected in Nov 2018 at the Carver County Veterans Memorial site adjacent to the Dakota Rail Trail in Mayer Minnesota. This
The final designs were created at 300 dpi and converted to bitmap-screened images.
Coldspring had specific requirements for the luminance ranges that would reproduce well on polished granite. Areas too bright would not retain details, and areas too dark were prone to speckling in the screens as the values ramped up or down. A few elements were chosen to deliberately not receive any etching; The silhouette of the taps player in the Navy panel, the prison camp barbed wire and tower in the POW/MIA panel, and the land masses in the Coast Guard panel.
