Pasadena, CA — July 22, 2010 — Hunt Design Associates, a leading graphic designer for buildings, spaces and places, recently placed the final touches on a whimsical series of signs and graphics for the new “Tierra de las Pampas” exhibit at the Santa Ana Zoo. Spanning an imaginative new logo, entrance marquee and a series of comprehensive and informational and playful cut-out signs and interpretive totems, the program is the latest in a large body of work Hunt Design has created for West Coast zoos.
“Zoos have one of the highest quantities of signage for any attraction. Each sign creates an opportunity to both inform and entertain,” said Jennifer Bressler, principal of Hunt Design. “One of our goals was to provide visitors tools and text they can use to stimulate a rewarding educational, interactive experience.”
The Tierra de las Pampas (meaning “Land of the Grasses”) exhibit occupies the northwestern corner of the Santa Ana Zoo, and is the first of four major biomes (grasslands, forests, wetlands and deserts) that will join the Crean Family Farm to establish five unique themed areas in the Zoo. In Tierra de las Pampas, visitors to the Zoo will encounter two new multi-species exhibits and experience the wonders of the South American grasslands. The first of these areas will house a breeding pair of Giant Anteaters, who range from 6 to 8 feet long, weigh up to 160 pounds and have sticky tongues that can extend 24 inches outside the mouth at a rate of 150 times a minute! The second area will house Greater Rheas, large flightless birds native to South America, and Guanacos, an Andean camel, the wild relative of the llama.
“The Association of Zoos and Aquariums recently identified five types of visitors that frequent these facilities: ‘Explorers,’ ‘Facilitators,’ ‘Professionals/Hobbyists,’ ‘Experience Seekers’ and ‘Spiritual Pilgrims.’ One of Zoo’s goals was to see that the signage spoke to all these types of guests. Hunt Design accomplished this by laying out nine sign types that communicate information in distinctly different ways,” states Suzi Furjanic, City of Santa Ana Zoo Planner. “The new signage is extremely effective and integral to the overall exhibit.”
Visitors will learn to fully appreciate the “pampas” through education nodes, interpretive graphics and interactive elements — both physical and tactile — created by the team at Hunt Design. Viewed both on foot and via the historic Zoofari narrow-gauge railway, The Pampas educates visitors on what is considered to be one of the most endangered habitats on earth — extensive livestock grazing and farming practices that make it one of the richest cultivated regions in the world also threaten its existence.
Now this endangered land the new “Tierra de las Pampas” exhibit at the Santa Ana Zoo will be available to guests — right here in their own community — when visiting the urban oasis that is the Santa Ana Zoo.
In addition to its work at the Santa Ana Zoo, Hunt Design recently developed signage master plans for both the Los Angeles Zoo and the San Diego Zoo and is currently working on a major expansion at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
An extensive e collection of visuals is available upon request.
Founded in 1977, Hunt Design Associates works with recreational venues, museums, themed attractions, civic entities, retail and multi-use developers to create dramatic and effective environmental graphic design solutions. The firm’s clients include Kennedy Space Center, The Walt Disney Company, Clear Channel Exhibitions, Los Angeles International Airport, the Los Angeles Zoo and more than twenty cities and public agencies across the country. Founder Wayne Hunt is the author of numerous articles on environmental graphics and four books with coverage on the subject, including Urban Entertainment Graphics, Designing and Planning Environmental Graphics, and Graphic Design for Building, Places and Spaces. His latest book, Environmental Graphics:Projects and Process, came out earlier this year. Hunt currently teaches at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Additional information is available at: www.huntdesign.com
The Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park is located at 1801 E. Chestnut Avenue, off Interstate 5 at First Street. Managed by the City of Santa Ana, the Zoo welcomes more than 270,000 visitors annually and boasts a collection of 90 animal species, including six endangered species. The Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo, governed by a volunteer board of directors, raises funds for the Zoo each year through membership, fund-raising events and other giving programs. The Friends also sponsors educational programs designed to enhance the community’s awareness and knowledge of the Zoo.
For more information, go to: www.santaanazoo.org
Contact:
Todd Hays
TODD Public Relations
626.345.0255
[email protected]