The concept is interesting. There are two major, extremely conflicting ideas that hit the viewer upon first seeing it,
centering around the concept of human relationships. A worthy subject, and true.
The first of the two ideas is the obvious one, the idea that there's a huge gulf between two people, suggested
doubly by the title. The other is subtler, introduced first in the unity of the color scheme, and the rendition of light
passing through water that covers the design.
There is significant space between the participants of the design, but they're still connected by this uniform sea
of water--which is something that is quite literally in our veins.
Thus, the primary concept that I'm getting out of this is the contradiction of the gulf that separates people, and
the connectivity of them all. I really have no idea if that's what you were aiming for, but it's what's
hitting me. When I first looked at your design, I thought to myself that you have a very different philosophy than I do,
but now I'm not so sure...
Artistically well executed, it leaves me wishing for a tad more aesthetic coordination, though it's still
excellently done. The complaint: the shapes of the two characters are made stranger than the original scan's
version, either by the angle of the piece in one case, or, in the other, the obscurity of some lines through the
editing.
Don't get me wrong, the aesthetics are excellent, they just don't quite reach the same levels as the artistic endeavor does.
As much more time as I could spend commenting on how nicely everything does fit together, I'm sure my sentiments in
those areas will be covered by others, and there's no point in reading the same things over and over again.
I'll agree with DREAM's comment conditionally: This is no progression. The core concept corresponds to the
model of yin and yang perfectly, with people drifting closer and further--much in the same way that the ocean sweeps
things along. In the end, no progress can ever truly be made, which is, perhaps, saddening; but many of the important
things in life are thus, and we can only fight vainly against destiny to make our way in a universe that cannot change
in the ways we expect it to.