Longleat: Koala Creek
Logo design - Interp - ID signage - Feature artwork - Photo Op Wall - Threshold Signage - Mural design
Creating a Unique and Culturally Sensitive Design for Longleat's
flagship animal enclosure, 'Koala Creek'
Creating a Unique and Culturally Sensitive Design for Longleat's
flagship animal enclosure, 'Koala Creek'
THE BRIEF
The client's brief for Koala Creek required incorporating an unmistakably Australian aesthetic style while avoiding any cheap and obvious pastiches. One jumping point was to take inspiration from the iconic Aboriginal art native to Australia. However, they also expressed a desire to avoid clichés and cultural appropriation. Other inspirations included the colours of the landscape and rural aesthetics of Australian life. The design needed to appeal to parents and children alike.
The client's brief for Koala Creek required incorporating an unmistakably Australian aesthetic style while avoiding any cheap and obvious pastiches. One jumping point was to take inspiration from the iconic Aboriginal art native to Australia. However, they also expressed a desire to avoid clichés and cultural appropriation. Other inspirations included the colours of the landscape and rural aesthetics of Australian life. The design needed to appeal to parents and children alike.
My approach:
With dozens of Aboriginal tribes, each with their own distinct patterns and colors, it was important to avoid offending any specific tribe or misrepresenting their culture. To address these challenges, I took a unique approach. Rather than simply looking to create a crass copy of their aesthetic, I looked to develop my own unique interpretation of the themes that I saw running throughout Aboriginal art, of patterns and relationships within what appeared to be a sea of pure energy. I perceived parallels in the modern Western tradition, from algorithmic art to the Pointillist artists of the mid-century to the patterns and forms discovered by physicists at the atomic level. Within all I perceived a running theme, of the parts making up whole and the whole existing within each part, and was struck by how well this chimed with the conservation theme of the enclosure, that the parts (koalas and other native species of their habitat) cannot be seen as separate from their environment; the two coexist and they survival is, to a large degree co-dependant.
With dozens of Aboriginal tribes, each with their own distinct patterns and colors, it was important to avoid offending any specific tribe or misrepresenting their culture. To address these challenges, I took a unique approach. Rather than simply looking to create a crass copy of their aesthetic, I looked to develop my own unique interpretation of the themes that I saw running throughout Aboriginal art, of patterns and relationships within what appeared to be a sea of pure energy. I perceived parallels in the modern Western tradition, from algorithmic art to the Pointillist artists of the mid-century to the patterns and forms discovered by physicists at the atomic level. Within all I perceived a running theme, of the parts making up whole and the whole existing within each part, and was struck by how well this chimed with the conservation theme of the enclosure, that the parts (koalas and other native species of their habitat) cannot be seen as separate from their environment; the two coexist and they survival is, to a large degree co-dependant.
Outside of work hours I'd been experimenting with newly developed artificial neural networks, that effectively allow you to transfer the style of one image onto another. The resultant images had an abstract, dreamlike quality and I felt that this would be the perfect solution to creating an image style that would evoke the Aboriginal Australian aesthetic whilst standing on it's own as a completely unique and non-specific style. I fine-tuned the results and ultimately settled on a fusion of traditional art with urban graffiti elements and then finished the artwork using a colour stipple effect. This styling became the basis of most of the featured art within the enclosure.
For elements within the interp, where more photographic precision was required I utilised a simpler stippled effect, in keeping with the more abstract work but appearing detailed and realistic from afar. I saw in this style an echo of the boulders one might find in the Australian landscape and went on to introduce boulder forms as a graphical device in the design of much of the enclosure signage.
Throughout the project I oversaw and worked closely with the fabricators to ensure that the highest quality print production and materials were used.
Typography:
For the display text, I chose a rather playful yet legible font, in keeping with the fun, funky aesthetic I'd developed for enclosure artwork and paired this with a simple san-serif for the body copy, where legibility was of utmost importance. This pairing helped enforce the fun yet informative nature of the enclosure.
For the display text, I chose a rather playful yet legible font, in keeping with the fun, funky aesthetic I'd developed for enclosure artwork and paired this with a simple san-serif for the body copy, where legibility was of utmost importance. This pairing helped enforce the fun yet informative nature of the enclosure.
Conclusion:
By approaching the design for Koala Creek with sensitivity and creativity, I was able to create a fun yet sophisticated aesthetic, a visually striking environment that celebrated the rich heritage of Australia while meeting the client's requirements.
One of the highlights of the project was seeing my work wrapped across a Singapore Airlines plane as it transported our new furry friends over from Australia.
The opening of Koala Creek was a great success and my work on the project came to be regarded by the upper management as a benchmark for all future Animal enclosures and animal interp signage at Longleat.
By approaching the design for Koala Creek with sensitivity and creativity, I was able to create a fun yet sophisticated aesthetic, a visually striking environment that celebrated the rich heritage of Australia while meeting the client's requirements.
One of the highlights of the project was seeing my work wrapped across a Singapore Airlines plane as it transported our new furry friends over from Australia.
The opening of Koala Creek was a great success and my work on the project came to be regarded by the upper management as a benchmark for all future Animal enclosures and animal interp signage at Longleat.
Detail of wombat TV wall artwork – stipple effect
Interpretation:
Monoliths x 2
Monolith A
Monolith B
ID signs for the enclosures' three key species.
Montage plan for the koala enclosure's 360degree mural art.
Photo Op wall art, made from three layers of die cut dibond
Koala Double Exposure art print and wombat graffiti wall TV display
Introduction to IKCE charity
Chuffed to see my Koala Creek brand lockup featured on the Singapore Airlines plane that brought Longleat's koalas over to England
