Studio Brief 01 - Tropical World

I took a trip to Tropical World to see how signage was done in an establishment many people would overlook. With an attraction like Tropical World, getting people to navigate around the zoo effectively to see all the animals would be the number one priority. Not only that but to have signage that captured the atmosphere of the zoo would help increase customer's satisfaction and immersion into the environment.

So to analyse the wayfinding system of Tropical World, I will breakdown the problematic issues from the entrance to the exiting cafe. Then after the analysis, compare the signage to an established system in the Singapore Zoo.

 

So firstly is the entrance of Tropical World. The signage is sub par in engaging with the reader as it is  too small for it to have any visual presence. This lowers their ability to attract customers and conveys the idea that the zoo is sub par in quality and attractions when in reality, the range of animals and environment they've created is definitely worth the £5. The sign in the second picture shares its space with an advert, further lowering the zoo's appeal as an attractive destination. The two signs used are not even consistent with each other colour wise, making it hard for the zoo to have an visual identity on first glances. The typography used as the logo is done in a hand written similar to Papyrus. Despite the value of "handwritten" type conveying a sense of character and personality to the reader, the logo limits the zoo's ability to attract customers because it looks outdated. It looks outdated because of the logo trends of today. Logo's are crisp, clear and modern in their design, with their heavy usage of sans serif typefaces and bold colours. Therefore to bring Tropical World up to date and liven their personality, a logo redesign will be needed to appropriately reflect their "world". Furthermore a logo redesign will also work more cohesively with the wayfinding system when they both have a similar visual style. 

This is the first sign that greets you upon entering the park. It has no relation visually to the Tropical World logo and theme which makes Tropical World feel like a separate entity within the park. The design theme used for this sign could be incorporated within Tropical World's own to help create a more consistent identity. 

The building in the first photo is where Tropical World is housed. There is no indication of that upon arrival. Again much like the signage outside the park, the signage directing you inside is small which gets lost amongst the visual background of the park. This is not helped by the colour scheme of the signs which does not stand out. Also the information hierarchy is wrong with the sign as the "main entrance" is larger than "Tropical World".

The signage in the first photo looks to have been "destroyed" from the weather due to its faded colour which I presume used to be green as there are plants within the picture. And in the third picture, the entire logo of Tropical World along with its tagline. 

Here shows an example of inconsistency that runs throughout the whole zoo. Firstly we have a sign that is keeping within the designs of the zoo's overall colour scheme and layout. Then we have a sign that looks like an afterthought, with no resemblance to the zoo's layout and design. The difference between the two is night and day, making the second sign look too informal for its purpose. Furthermore, the informality is continued from the way its presented. A laminated, printed A4 sheet of paper stuck onto the wall lowers the quality of the zoo's image. It tells me that there was hardly any consideration for wayfinding upon establishing the zoo.

From these two examples we can see that the inclusion of the butterfly within the logo is a permanent feature. So why is it not displayed on the signs in the main road? 

Another example of afterthought, informal signage. 

Next is the signage used to describe the individual enclosures. They all look like they have been designed on Microsoft Word which isn't necessarily a bad thing, however the design and layout does not engage the reader. The main demographic that visits Tropical World are mainly families. Therefore in order to keep in with their tagline of creating a educating and fun environment, the signage of these enclosures need to be redesigned towards them. That may mean lowering the amount of text, introducing bright colours to attract the children's attention or enlarging the signage.

Next is the selection of signage used for the Amazon/South American part of the zoo. This signage is significantly more substantial than the A4 printed paper used in the rest of the zoo and unfortunately it is the only area that appears to have been considered visually.

Here we have the signage used for the nocturnal section. Again, a different layout to the other signage not maintaining consistency. Since this area requires an illuminated sign, there will be some design considerations in terms of materials used for the sign and the colour chosen to allow for legibility. 

Another layout of signage used for the Butterfly House. With this one the key difference is that there are many species within the same area, therefore creating a sign for each one would have been too many. Much like the signage used for the individual enclosures, the layout and content is not engaging for the reader.

Remarks

- There is no map provided for the visitor to navigate around the zoo in a form of a leaflet or booklet. A map would help the visitor have a better understanding for the zoo and allow for the children to educate themselves on the different type of animals. A tactile map would also further the hands on experience provided at the zoo.

- Most of the signage in the zoo were placed above the enclosures, making it hard for children to read them.