Environmental Design: Zoo Signage Brand Refresh
Company: Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo was experiencing fragmented visual communication due to aging signage had deteriorated over time, and much of it no longer reflected the organization’s evolving mission and vision. There was a need for a cohesive, future-forward design system that could strengthen visitor engagement, improve clarity and accessibility, and authentically express the zoo’s refreshed brand across every educational touchpoint.
Working closely with the Senior Interpretive Planner and the Marketing & Communications teams, I created a comprehensive visual system that integrated conservation storytelling throughout the zoo using a strategic color palette and an adaptable signage framework. This unified approach strengthened message clarity, improved accessibility, and deepened visitor engagement.
The environmental signage package included:
Species signage for each park zone starting with the rainforest habitat
Educational signage for Dorothy Harvie Gardens
Creative Direction: Species Signage
For the species signage package, the goal was to create a flexible system grounded in the updated brand voice and visual assets. The layouts were designed to feel playful and immersive while remaining modular and easily interchangeable across zones, Africa, Asia, Savannah, and Wild Canada. Species signage was built with scalability in mind, allowing content to adjust across varying sizes and formats while maintaining cohesion throughout the park.
Creative Direction: Dorothy Harvie Gardens Educational Signage
Through the environmental signage process, the Dorothy Harvie Gardens established its own distinct identity for the first time. In collaboration with a photographer, the new zone interpretation incorporated vibrant, high-quality imagery of plant life and wildlife within the gardens. An elegant tertiary typeface, already used on existing sculptures in the garden, was integrated into the signage system, aligning the space with the immersive storytelling approach established across the zoo’s other geographic zones.
Impact
The refreshed signage system strengthened awareness of the zoo’s conservation efforts by clearly reinforcing each zone’s identity and ecological story. Updated brand language and improved accessibility standards ensured messaging was inclusive, cohesive, and easy to engage with. The result is a more immersive and memorable visitor journey, one that seamlessly integrates conservation storytelling into every step of the park experience.
