Studio Brief 01 - Evaluation

Tropical World had a way finding system that was inadequate and unprofessional. There were signs that were clearly an afterthought, made last minute and various inconsistencies that did not represent a coherent identity for the zoo. And even though creating an identity was not an aim of the brief, through research of successful way finding systems, I found that the branding/identity of the establishment extended its design elements to the way finding system. It creates a more consistent and unified image for the establishment that can become an identifier and transitions seamlessly from the logo to the environment. Hence my decision to redesign the logo and overall signage design of Tropical World.

My aim for Tropical World's way finding system was to better help communicate and reflect its target audience, to deliver that aspect of “fun” that is in Tropical World's tagline. However upon analysing Tropical World, there were problems in generating ideas for the way finding system. Due to the layout of Tropical World, visitors follow a fixed path around the zoo, therefore making way finding not an directive tool but rather a guiding one. In other words the way finding system in Tropical World needed to be refined and help guide the visitor along. But because of this layout, there were problems in generating ideas to help better the way finding system. How could I incorporate a more effective way finding solution if the zoo does the way for you? This left me pandering for a solution which ultimately hindered the final outcome of the brief. I was too concentrated on finding a design that was "successful" in changing the way the original signage looked. I failed to experiment with different solutions because I wanted to progress on with the brief, to get rid of the brick walls that I was facing in creating a more effective way finding system. The final outcome simply replaced the original signage with a new design, it did not creatively change the system that may have created a better environment and effectively guide the visitor along. I realised I was probably too invested in the remaking of the signage to notice that I may have not true to the briefs original aim. I felt that I was concentrated more of the identity of the zoo rather than tackling the problem of the way finding system. Part of the reason why OUDG403 was relatively more successful was because of the range of ideas I had created for each of those briefs. The end solution was more informed compared to this because the feedback chose the best solution for the brief. Whereas in this brief the feedback was only based on this idea, therefore it may not have been the best solution.

Overall however, the designs created are successful in appealing to Tropical Worlds target demographic. The brighter, more vivid design successfully convey the aims of creating signage that would be more engaging and eye-catching to the reader. This is due to the bold colours and flora overlay that adds a layer to an already flat design. And despite the new signage simply replacing the old, the effect of changing the design effectively creates a more professional look for Tropical World that makes the way finding system more thought out and planned.

Based on the research on Singapore Zoo, it would have been appropriate to design a leaflet as well for Tropical World. It would give the visitor a better idea of the zoo’s overview, helps build excitement for the visitor in anticipation of seeing the exotic animals and acts as a souvenir. However due to time constraints and the existing efforts in redesigning Tropical World’s signage, I felt that the leaflet would have been rushed and lacking in quality.