Course: CCT204H5 (Design Thinking I)

Medium: Adobe Illustrator

Styles & Techniques: Vector Illustration, Experiential Design

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For my ‘fun place,’ I conceptualized the Niagara Marinelife Reserve, a marine sanctuary dedicated to the protection of both captive and endangered sea life. The reserve reflects not only my love of animals, but concern for their welfare, especially considering Marineland Niagara Falls’ recent animal cruelty allegations (Robertson, 2021). Although it also recognizes the strong need for tourism and employment in the Niagara area, which Marineland provided in its heyday. The reserve would thus provide an area of both entertainment and education: it would provide a secure, safe haven for ailing sea creatures, as well as retired show animals that unfortunately cannot return to the wild. The three displayed signs would direct visitors to the park’s three major areas: Whale Watch Cove, the Keiko Amphitheatre, and the Marinelife Infirmary and Aquarium.

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Each sign reflects a theme based on the reserve’s three adjectives: educational, authentic, and interactive. This sign inspired me to create design concepts that considered the specific needs of life-long captive animals, particularly life-like, spacious environments that permit routine interaction with their caretakers. To further exhibit each exhibit’s natural yet comforting environments, I used soft pastels throughout all sign concepts, particularly appropriate pale blue hues. A minimalist combination of shapes, paint strokes and lineart was also used to prevent clutter and thus convey messages quickly. Both creative aspects were especially vital toward Whale Watch Cove, a large man-made lake for the reserve’s residing whales and dolphins. As the lake would also be used for whale-watching sessions, it would require a sign that would indicate its massive size. Such was accomplished through means of perspective, particularly rendering the boat minuscule in comparison to the orca’s massive tail. A similar effect was used for the Keiko Amphitheatre's sign. Named after the portrayer of 'Willy' in 1993's Free Willy, the seats far in the distance indicate a large amount of space given to the animals to exercise and play as informational lectures are held. The opposite effect, however, was used for the infirmary’s sign. Its large illustrations indicate that visitors are more likely to get up close and personal with recovering animals in their temporary tanks. All three signs, however, contained a shared focus on their exhibit’s respective inhabitants; the animals remained the largest item on each sign, indicating not only the sign’s purpose but the animals’ importance to the sanctuary overall.