A Closer Look: The Bird and the Lasers
Slide between the bird and its lasers, compare them side by side, or turn each layer on and off.
Get the Laser Loon Artwork
Print it, put it on a website, or make something of your own. Pick the format you need below; the artwork is shared under CC BY 4.0.
Layered vectors, global swatches, infinite resolution scaling
Spot color separation, CMYK print pipeline compatibility
Embedded resolution-independent vector graphics
Minimized DOM footprint, CSS/SVG animation friendly
300 DPI lossless alpha transparency channel
High-resolution layered compositing file
Standard web display compression
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 Open License
Free for commercial print, screen printing, vinyl plotting, merchandise, digital publications, and software development. Requires attribution to Frederick de Ruiter / Laser Loon Project.
The problem
For Minnesota’s state flag redesign, I submitted a common loon with red eye lasers. Submission F277 became Laser Loon. This project collects the artwork in formats people can use on screens, in print, and on whatever else needs a laser-eyed bird.
The approach: The bird silhouette and laser layers remain editable as vectors. The download set includes source, print, and web formats.
Reported project measurements: Sub-5KB optimized SVG payload; 300 DPI lossless raster masters; full CMYK/RGB print-pipeline interoperability.
How it works
Anatomical Accuracy & Stylization: Stark black-and-white field blocking capturing the distinctive bill curve, crested crown, and patterned plumage for micro-favicon and billboard scales.
Focal Convergence & Glow Dynamics: Hard-edge vector rays with layered radial glows engineered along the sightline for high contrast on light and dark backgrounds.
Multi-Tier Asset Packaging: Dual-track packaging separating source editing vectors (.ai, .eps) from web-optimized assets (.svg, .png).
How the pieces connect
flowchart TD
A[Master Vector Source: Laser_loon.ai] --> B[Asset Packaging & Build Pipeline]
B --> C1[Scalable Web Vector: Laser_loon.svg]
B --> C2[Commercial Print Vector: Laser_loon.eps / .pdf]
B --> C3[Master Layered Raster: Laser_loon.psd]
B --> C4[Lossless Web Alpha: Laser_loon.png / .jpg]
C1 --> D1[In-App Portfolio Showcase: /work/laser-loon]
C2 --> D2[Screen Printing & Physical Merchandising]
C3 & C4 --> D3[Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 Open Distribution]
Implementation notes
Production Asset Distribution Matrix
Laser_loon.ai Master Vector Source Editing Layered vectors, global swatches, full scalability Laser_loon.svg Scalable Web Vector Web UI, Icons Minimized DOM footprint, responsive rendering Laser_loon.eps Print Vector Commercial Print Spot color separation, CMYK print compatibility Laser_loon.pdf Vector Document Universal Proofing High-res vector embeds, universal document exchange Laser_loon.png Transparent Raster Social Media / Web UI 300 DPI lossless alpha transparencyTradeoffs and lessons
- Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 Distribution: Open licensing accelerated grassroots community propagation and third-party merchandising without legal friction.
- Color Gamut Clamping: Designed distinct color profiles for digital sRGB displays versus physical CMYK spot-color inks to prevent dull laser tones during commercial textile printing.