Studio Brief 01 - Visiting the Singapore Zoo

Following on the secondary research made on the Singapore Zoo, I went there myself to take notice of the signage used within the environment. 

Based on the signage I saw, the Singapore Zoo uses a wide range of layouts and materials used for describing the enclosures. It differs from enclosure to enclosure and has design cues that are representative of the animals origin.

With the koala exhibit, the signage followed an aboriginal art direction which is appropriate for the koala being an Australian native.

The signage shapes were also done creatively, with it being done in a boomerang. 

With this enclosure, the sign draw hints to stereotypical African tribal art art form with the colour choices and "hand painted" patterns and illustrations.

Some signage incorporated the enclosures design into the display. This makes the signage blend into the environment better and become more of a hint of information rather than forcefully informing the reader with loud layouts and colours. 

With the komodo dragon enclosure, they made the signs take on a form of comic book style in order to effectively engage with a younger audience. Making the information come through as a story with childlike illustrations and injected humour.  

What is key about the signage is the placement. The signs are placed relatively low on the ground, making it accessible for the younger audience. This is unlike the signage used in Tropical World where most of the signage is placed quite high, far from the view of the children's eyes. 

Also what I noticed was the language used in the signs. Puns like A Swinging Good Time add humour to the signs, catching the readers attention and make learning about the animals less dry and more enjoyable. This aspect could be taken into consideration when designing the signage for Tropical World as the target audience are the same. 

 

Another form of signage that was effective was the life size 3D variations. These presented information within the animals body shape and was overall an interactive experience for both the audience. Because the signs are "real" it provides an opportunity for the child to interact with the signs as well as a photo opportunity. Tropical World could have this within the zoo to help get the children more excited and overall create a more immersive experience. 

Overall despite the many forms of signage the Singapore Zoo use for each enclosure, it remains unique to each one, playing on the animals origin and enclosure's design. Furthermore, the language used within the signage is more appropriate for their target audience. The lighthearted tone of voice makes learning about the animals more enjoyable and easy to understand for the children. These aspects in terms of signage can be taken on board when re-designing Tropical Worlds signage.

In terms of wayfinding, there was only the map leaflet and the occasional signs that directed the person along. Due to the nature of the establishment, Singapore Zoo wants you to explore the area rather than tell the person where to go, it gives the audience a sense of adventure that is fitting with the environment the zoo is in. The importance of the leaflet is that it gives the reader an entire overview of the zoo and the range of animals they can visit.