Where the Safari Things Are

The San Diego Zoo has earned a reputation as a world-class facility for educating patrons about the world’s flora and fauna. The Zoo expanded its mission with the 1,800-plus-acre Wild Animal Park in 1972, which was recently rebranded as the Safari Park. Hunt Design (Pasadena, CA) developed a signage and wayfinding program for the facility, which was unveiled this spring.

“The new signage master plan at the Zoo was successful, so the Zoo opted to upgrade its sister facility as well,” Jennifer Bressler, Hunt Design’s co-principal, said. “Comfort, familiarity and ease of access are critical to creating an enjoyable experience at any destination. Simple, clear, well-designed signs are a critical component towards that goal.”

Using a vibrant color palette reflective of a safari, Hunt Design developed a comprehensive system of kiosks, murals and exhibit entry markers. The Safari Park’s sign system guides visitors through a zone system that divides the property into smaller, more accessible parts. A series of red dots leads guests through their chosen safari.

Third Floor North (TFN), Santa Ana, CA, fabricated 130 signs for the Safari Park. The package included six sign types, for the park’s journey through the diverse wildlife habitats: directional signs, maps, street signs, “Journey ID” finger-shaped signs, trail maps and trail markers. For the main entry, the shop also produced large-format maps, hanging banners and identifying signs for customer-service areas.

For the entry map, TFN collaborated with Coloredege (NYC and Burbank, CA), formerly known as Crush Creative, to create the site’s digital graphics. Coloredge printed the 35 x 11-ft., point-of-entry map on 3M’s IJ180cV3-10 Controltac with Comply air-release media on an EFI-VUTEk 3360 solvent-ink printer. To fabricate complementary banners, they printed graphics on 13-oz., laminated-polyester vinyl on an EFI-VUTEk GS3200 UV-cure-ink printer.

“The entry map was a challenging installation because of the wall’s contours, but the Park’s staff was very helpful with prepping the wall,” Casey Hanrahan, TFN’s project manager, said.

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To cultivate a rustic image, TFN fabricated 10 markers, which comprise sandblasted-cedar panels, which were decorated with Frazee’s exterior, low-sheen latex paint and secured to lumber panels another vendor produced. TFN’s installers secured the poles inside aluminum sleeves. He praised Hunt Design for meticulously developing images that could be sandblasted.

The wayfinding kiosks installed through the Safari Park incorporate iZone phenolic-resin panels, which are inset into the wood poles and mechanically fastened to backing panels.