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At one point during the Unit 14 project, I researched superstitions as the theme for a possible response, and while I found them very interesting, I decided this was unsuitable because superstitions often develop over many generations and did not have quite the contemporary twist I was looking for. I found nautical superstitions particularly fascinating and would like to use some of these as the basis for future project derived from this one—perhaps with the Degree Show in mind. Wood type seems like an appropriate medium for a project on superstitions because of the habit of saying 'touch wood' for good luck.
Nautical lifestyles and their superstitions are extremely far removed from what most of us are familiar, which is probably what makes them so interesting, so I would like to showcase some of these superstitions alongside possible explanations for them.
What follows is a list of nautical superstitions, and some early thoughts as to how they could influence the direction of the project:

It is unlucky to start a cruise on Friday.
This is the day Christ was crucified on.

Never start a voyage on the first Monday in April.
This is the day that Cain slew Able.

Don't start a voyage on the second Monday in August.
This is the day Sodom & Gomorra was destroyed.

Starting a cruise on Dec. 31 is bad.
This is the day Judas Iscariat hanged himself.

Black traveling bags are bad luck for a seaman.

Avoid people with red hair when going to the ship to begin a journey.
Red heads bring bad luck to a ship, which can be averted if you speak to the red-head before they speak to you.

Avoid Flat-footed people when beginning a trip.
They, like red heads, are bad luck. The danger can be avoided by speaking to them before they speak to you.

A stolen piece of wood mortised into the keel will make a ship sail faster.

A silver coin placed under the masthead ensures a successful voyage.

Disaster will follow if you step onto a boat with your Left Foot first.

Pouring wine on the deck will bring good luck on a long voyage.
A libation to the gods.

Throwing stones into the sea will cause great waves and storms.

A stone thrown over a vessel that is putting out to sea ensures she will never return.

Flowers are unlucky onboard a ship.
They could later be used to make a funural wreath for the dead.

Priests are not lucky to have on a ship.
They dress in black and perform funural services.

Women on board a ship make the sea angry.
It was traditionally believed that women were not as physically or emotionally capable as men. Therefore, they had no place at sea. It was also observed that when women were aboard, men were prone to distraction or other vices that may take away from their duties. This, among other things, would anger the seas and doom the ship.

A naked woman on board will calm the sea.
This is the reason for naked figureheads.

Don't look back once your ship has left port as this can bring bad luck.

A dog seen near fishing tackle is bad luck.

Black cats are considered good luck and will bring a sailor home from the sea.

Swallows seen at sea are a good sign.

Sighting a curlew at sea is considered bad luck.

A cormorant sighted at sea is bad luck.

Dolphin swimming with the ship are a sign of good luck.
Killing one will bring bad luck.

It is unlucky to kill an albatross.

It is unlucky to kill a gull.
They contain the souls of sailors lost at sea.

Handing a flag through the rungs of a ladder is bad luck.

Loosening a mop or bucket overboard is a sign of bad luck.

Repairing a flag on the quarterdeck will bring bad luck.

Turning over a hatch will cause the hold to fill with seawater.

Cutting your hair or nails at sea is bad luck.
These were used as offerings to Proserpina, and Neptune will become jealous if these offerings are made while in his kingdom.

Church Bells heard at sea mean someone on the ship will die.

St. Elmo's Fire around a sailors head means he will die within a day.

When the clothes of a dead sailor are worn by another sailor during the same voyage, misfortune will befall the entire ship.

If the rim of a glass rings stop it quickly or there will be a shipwreck.

Never say the word "Drowned" at sea.

The caul of the head of a new-born child is protection against drowning and will bring the owner good luck.

The feather of a wren slain on New Years Day, will protect a sailor from dying by shipwreck.

A ships bell will always ring when it is wrecked.

A shark following the ship is a sign of inevitable death.
Sharks were believed to be able to sense those near death.

A sailor who died from violence or being lost at sea was said to go to "Davy Jone's Locker".

A sailor with over 50 years of service was said to go to "Fiddler's Green" when he died.

The Evils of the Banana
Bananas are a mainstay of most cultures and are the world’s most popular fruit. However, these deliciously yellow treats have no place at sea. Since the 1700’s, it has been widely believed that having a banana on board was an omen of disaster.

In the early 1700’s, during the height of the Spanish’s South Atlantic and Caribbean trading empire, it was observed that nearly every ship that disappeared at sea and did not make its destination was carrying a cargo of bananas. This gave rise to the belief that hauling bananas was a dangerous prospect. There are other documented origins to this superstition as well.

Another explanation for the banana superstition is that the fastest sailing ships used to carry bananas from the tropics to U.S. ports along the East Coast to land the bananas before they could spoil,” Chahoc said. “The banana boats were so fast that fishermen never caught anything while trolling for fish from them, and that’s where the superstition got started.

Another theory is that bananas carried aboard slave ships fermented and gave off methane gas, which would be trapped below deck. Anyone in the hold, including cargoes of imprisoned humanity, would succumb to the poisoned air, and anyone trying to climb down into the hold to help them would fall prey to the dangerous gas.

And finally, one of the better known dangers of bananas at sea, is that a species of spider with a lethal bite likes to hide in bunches of bananas. Crewmen suddenly dying of spider bites after bananas are brought aboard certainly would be considered a bad omen resulting in the cargo being tossed into the sea.

Any of these scenarios could be the reason behind fishermen’s mistrust of the yellow fruit, possibly all of them. Whatever the case may be, it is best that you don’t attempt to bring any bananas on board your next seafaring excursion, just to be safe.

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Research nautical measurements and increments to define/inform total number of prints. Surely they don't use metric measurements? – 6 feet make a fathon...make 6 A3 prints (side to side they will be roughly a fathom)?

Could use stolen/found wood for the frames or to make type.

Could cobble together images by printing with different shaped offcuts from wood workshop.

Introduce strange superstitions with contemporary/familiar phrases – eg. ‘NO GIRLS
ALLOWED!’, or ‘We have no bananas today’

Visit sea-side/fi shing town and interview people about contemporary nautical superstitions. Are
there any more recent beliefs?

Could collect imagery/visual cues from different ships to inform design decisions.

Use lettering on sides of ships to inform typographic choices – could design a contemporary typeface based on interesting lettering. Perhaps cut from found wood to print posters with?

Collect flotsome and jetsome from sea-side to print with/use somehow.

Be sure to research the reasoning behind the supersition.