Design Production 2: Study Task 1- Product, Range and Distribution

For this research brief, we have to pick an individual subject matter and begin to research the topic and relevant design around it. From this, we must focus into it. It must fulfil one of these topics:

• A Brief History of..
• A Collection of...
• An Introduction to...
• An Exhibition of...
• Things you need to know about...  

To start with, I made a spider diagram based on these topics to think of ideas that I could focus on.

Topics Brainstorm

Ou to fall of these, I felt a topic which would be quite fun to do was the topic of zoos. I like animals and have a cat so I'm pretty animal friendly. The reason I decided on this topic of research was that I was having a conversation with a colleague at work on the topic of zoos and our opinions on them as we are vegetarians. She sees them as bad places which confine and trap animals whereas, even though I would prefer that they were in the wild, I see them as educational places which can help species in extinction. I felt this was quite an interesting debate so I felt this would be quite a good research topic to feed into my design work.

General Research:

Zoos are a facility which house different animals in displays, open to the public in which they may be viewed as well as kept for breeding in order to aid conservation to prevent extinction. The term zoo comes from the science of zoology which is the study of animals. These established are usually regulated by the government to ensure the best care and treatment of the animals, with emphasis on space and natural environments. The amount of zoos around the world exceed over 1000 as 80% of cities have a zoo with other 175 million people visiting a zoo each year who help contribute to the $16 billion given to zoos and aquariums each year.

History:

Before zoos were Menageries, which was a common form of keeping exotic animals, defined as 'an establishment of luxury and curiosity' yet this changed with the times at it later referred to the travelling nature of the menageries as they would travel around exhibiting their animals. They were mainly had by royalty and kings, with menageries highlighting power and status due to the fact that the animals were uncommon, difficult to acquire and expensive to maintain yet at the turn of the 19th century, the modern zoo focused on education in order to educate and entertain the public. These zoos were normally small with as many of one species as possible in a cage that could be fit in in a museum like setting.

"Ancient Animal Graves From Private Zoo" (2009) by Renee Friedman

Walters, P. (2009) "Ancient Animal Graves From Private Zoo" [Internet] National Geographic 14th September Available from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/photogalleries/animal-tombs-ancient-egypt-missions/index.html (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The earliest evidence of zoos were from 2500BC in Egypt and Mesopotamia where wall carvings depict the collection of strange creatures. These carvings recorded the expeditions taken place by various tribes to different territories as they tried to out-do each other. They would handle the animals with the intuition of getting them to reproduce so that they could have a better collection than another tribe. The Egyptians initially classed animals as very powerful and would worship them which is why they became gifts for the rulers as it was a symbol of power to have large animals. It is only in later Egyptian Hieroglyphics that showed animals as pets or sacrifices.

This early fascination with creatures developed alongside civilisation itself as Chinese, Greek and Roman cultures began to develop an interest in animals. One of the earliest animal collections is the Aztec emperor Montesuma II's menagerie yet this was destroyed by Hernan Cortes during the Spanish conquest of 1520.

"The Royal Menagerie" 

Stuart, J. (2010) "The Polar Bear Who Lived at The Tower..." [Newspaper] Daily Mail 21st September Available from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313816/The-polar-bear-lived-Tower--grumpy-lion-baboon-threw-cannon-balls-Britains-bizarre-zoo.html (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The Age of Enlightenment during the Renaissance aided the popularity of public zoos as we know them today as the want for scientific knowledge extended to zoology. It was of interest to learn about their anatomy and natural behaviours so it was paramount to make the enclosure as natural as possible so it was like the traditional habitat of the animal. The most well-known version of this in England was in the Tower of London, as the animals were gifts for the king and there needed to be a safe and secure place to house them. However, it closed due to the animals escaping and attacking each other as well as visitors so the animals were moved to London Zoo in Regents Park so they had more room.

"Royal Beasts" 

Historic Royal Places "Royal Beasts" [Internet] Available from http://www.hrp.org.uk/MediaPlayer/ViewPlaylist.aspx?PlaylistId=123 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

It housed animals such as grizzly bears, lions, dogs and monkeys as well as griffins, zebras and alligators, building up a menagerie of 60 species and 280 animals.

The first zoo in the world to uses the term 'zoo' is London Zoological Gardens which was open in April 1828 and was intended to be just a house to collect animals for study but became open to the public in 1847. The need for a collection was based on the idea that exotic animals would not be able to survive the cold weather of London so they were kept inside until 1902, where they were let outside in outdoor enclosures.

Types:

There are various types of zoos which vary in regards to location, type and space:

"Australian Giraffes" by Ian McAdiie

National Geographic "Zoo- Zoological Park" [Internet Encyclopedia] Available from http://education.nationalgeographic.co.uk/education/encyclopedia/zoo/?ar_a=1 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

Urban Zoo- These zoos are usually located in the middle of a city as landmarks of the city, with little space for the animals to roam. The trouble with Urban Zoos is that they find it hard to expand their space or update their facilities due to their location yet it has become the fashion to develop and design realistic natural habitats for the animals in this environment.

"Tiger Traffic Jam" by Obed Suhail

National Geographic "Zoo- Zoological Park" [Internet Encyclopedia] Available from http://education.nationalgeographic.co.uk/education/encyclopedia/zoo/?ar_a=1 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

Safari Park- Safari Parks are usually where visitors will drive around the course from the comfort of their cars, viewing the non-native animals in a large enclosure. This gives the animals more space to roam and they appear more like they are in nature. The fact that the visitors stay in the car means that the animals are less likely to be disturbed yet they may go up to the cars and, in the case of monkeys, climb onto the car itself.

"Game Reserve" by Phillip Oliver

National Geographic "Zoo- Zoological Park" [Internet Encyclopedia] Available from http://education.nationalgeographic.co.uk/education/encyclopedia/zoo/?ar_a=1 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

Game Reserve- Game Reserves are areas of large amounts of land which have been untouched with all the natural ecosystems and species are left completely protected so that they are left to roam in the wild naturally and reproduce naturally. Animals are protected from being hunted due to their endangered nature and it is illegal to hunt animals in a Game Reserve where the only shooting allowed is photographs. The most popular reserves are in Africa where tourists go every year to see the 'Big 5', the main animals to visit: Lions, Leopard, Rhino, Elephants and Buffalo.

"Petting Zoo" by Celena Ribault

National Geographic "Zoo- Zoological Park" [Internet Encyclopedia] Available from http://education.nationalgeographic.co.uk/education/encyclopedia/zoo/?ar_a=1 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

Petting Zoo- A Petting zoo is usually filled with domestic animals which have a gentle and friendly nature that allows children to pet them and feed them in a controlled environment. Usually they are found in farms in the countryside or in larger zoos on a small scale and are usually for the experience of being able to interact with the animals.

"Aquarium" by Loy Norrix

National Geographic "Zoo- Zoological Park" [Internet Encyclopedia] Available from http://education.nationalgeographic.co.uk/education/encyclopedia/zoo/?ar_a=1 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

Specialist Zoo- A specialist zoo where one type of animal or species is housed in one placed, which is varied on in normal Zoos where they will have specialist enclosures or habitats for certain animals. An example of a specialist zoo would be that of an Aquarium which only have sea life and Aviaries that only have birds.

Conservation and Animal Welfare within Zoos:

Animal conservation is looked after by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums where, through the use of research, captive breeding and conservation, the health of animals is studied up close with extinct animals being looked after by biologists. The main aim of conservation projects is to be able to put the animals back into their natural habitat by re-introducting them back into the environment so that they can reproduce and improve the population figures.

"Zoos and Pseudo Sanctuaries"

Peta "Zoos and Pseudo Sanctuaries" [Internet] Available from http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/zoos-pseudo-sanctuaries/ (Accessed 30th January 2014)

On the other hand, a lot of critics argue that animals are kept in captivity and by doing this, it takes away the natural instincts and behaviours of the animals so, if released back into the wild, they would not be able to fend for themselves. A lot of extinction is caused by the destruction of the habitats themselves thereby doing nothing to recover the species. Another argument against them is that the constant voyeurism the animals are under lead to abnormal behaviours due to the stress of zoo life. Despite conservation, there are a lot of zoos where animal welfare is neglected such as barren, concrete cages and lack of food or cleaning of cages. Another area is baiting within modern zoos where live animals are fed to the animals for the view of spectators as sport.

Within this debate are the Zookeepers themselves who spend their days looking after the animals within the zoos. This includes preparing food and feeding the animals, cleaning out cages and checking for signs of health deterioration or stress within the animals so that they can provide the animal with medical attention during illness. People who are zookeepers tend to be individuals who are interested in the well-being of conservation and are animal lovers by nature. With a large amount of time being spent with the animals on a daily basis, the keepers tend to gain a large emotional attachment to the animals that they are looking after.

Despite this, during the researching of this topic, quite a controversial news story came to light to do with Animal Welfare.

"Danish Zookeepers Kill Young Baby Giraffe With A Bolt Gun Because He Was Surplus To Requirements"

Tozer, J. (2014) "Danish Zookeepers Kill Young Baby Giraffe With A Bolt Gun Because He Was Surplus To Requirements" [Internet] The Daily Mail Available from 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2555079/Danish-zoo-kills-young-giraffe-deemed-surplus-feeds-lions.html (Accessed 9th February 2014)

Copenhagen Zoo killed a healthy giraffe called Marius within its zoo with a bolt gun, dissected him and fed him to the lions in front of visitors and young children, citing the reason of over-crowding and to prevent in-breeding. The death itself could have been easily prevented as the zoo had offers from other zoos as well as from private investors to take Marius in but this was ignored.

"Marius The Giraffes Grotesque Slaughter Exposes the Secrets of our Zoos"
Shand, M. (2014) "Marius The Giraffes Grotesque Slaughter Exposes the Secrets of our Zoos" [Internet] The Daily Mail Available from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556351/Mariuss-grotesque-slaughter-exposes-dirty-secrets-zoos-Success-breeding-programmes-leads-culls.html

(Accessed 9th February 2014)

The death of Marius has raised many arguments of the treatment of animals within zoos and this death is even more shocking because of the fact it is a zoo where the animal has been killed, in a place where animals are suppose to be safe. What this has done is shown and exposed how some zoos do not treat the animals as well as they should and has opened up the debate on whether this is a quiet, underground practise that happens within zoos which they do not want the public to know about. From Marius, it has come forward that other zoos had previously killed lions due to overcrowding rules and legislation.

Zoos and Graphic Design:

I went onto looking at design inspirations to do with zoos and soon found that there was a large array of areas that design covers within the capacity of zoos, ranging from brand identity to way finding and signage, editorial, product design, web design and advertising:

"Animalia Zoo" (2014) by Skida Wan

Wan, S. (2014) "Animalia Zoo" [Weblog] The Behance Network 24th January Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Animalia-Zoo/13973875 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

This mocked up concept for a zoo brand identity gives the idea a context by showing where the branding could be placed, such as within magazines. The brand encompasses print and web features and the development of the logo which can be changed depending on the circumstance allows for a more relaxed, wider use of the overall brand.

"Axo Zoo" (2013) by Nicolas Galkowski
Galkowski, N. (2013) "Axo Zoo" [Weblog] The Behance Network 5th November Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Axo-Zoo/11939037 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The map is done in a simple, one colour print with a very clean and clear layout which is precise and to-the-point. The large array of pictograms for the different animals could have been made more use out of if they had included them within the map to make it more visible effective in regards to information.

"One Page. One Ink. One Goal. for Calgary Zoo" (2011) by Trigger

Trigger (2011) "One Page. One Ink. One Goal. for Calgary Zoo" [Internet] Available from http://ideasthattrigger.com/blog/topics/gallery/page/2/ (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The editorial work for the annual report works alongside the sustainability and conservation work that is reported in the content of the publication as it is mirrored in the choice of stock and the way it is presented in a string tie. The use of one page folded up several times gives the impression of being a thin bulky newspaper yet the fact it is all on open piece and is printing in one ink allows for lower printing cost and less emissions from printing.

"Gorilla Guerrilla for Calgary Zoo" (2011) by Trigger
Trigger (2011) "Gorilla Guerrilla for Calgary Zoo" [Internet] Available from http://ideasthattrigger.com/blog/topics/gallery/page/2/ (Accessed 30th January 2014)

Unlike the seriousness of the One Page. One Ink. One Goal. publication, this in-zoo campaign to get people to visit the Gorillas is quite tongue-in-cheek and fun with the focus on making fun of the other animals to show the superiority of the gorillas. This would capture the imagination of the target audience, young children, and make them want to see them.

"Jazzoo Branding" by Ai Carver

Carver, A. "Jazzoo Branding" [Internet] Available from http://cargocollective.com/acarver/BRANDING (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The illustrative branding is very friendly and soft, giving the tone of voice of approachability and fun.  The choice of colour and layout gives the look of a modern children's poster with a collage style giving different areas for the eye to focus on, reflected in the typographic layout of the logo.

"Lincoln Children's Zoo Wines" (2009) by Bailey Lauermann

Lauermann, B.(2009) "Lincoln Children's Zoo Wines" [Weblog] Lovely Package 1st May Available from  http://lovelypackage.com/lincoln-childrens-zoo-wines/ (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The style of the illustrations give a rustic appeal which works well with the appearance of the bottles. The various different animals for different flavours gives the effect that these wine bottles could be gifts or even collectors items.

"Mooks" (2009) by Salad Design

Salad Design (2009) "Mooks" [Internet] Available from http://www.saladdesign.net/archive/ (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The packaging of the t-shirt is very innovative as it gives the impression that the t-shirt is a piece of meat. This adds a bit of a novelty element to the T-shirt which would make it more likely to sell in a gift shop. I think that the choice of packaging and style of presentation was used to highlight the plight of endangered species and how they are hunted as delicacies to it, making it a visual confrontation to the viewer.

"Zoo Identity" (2014) by Irina Blok

Blok, I. (2014) "Zoo Identity" [Internet] Available from http://www.irinablok.com/zoo (Accessed 30th January 2014)

This identity for a zoo is very family friendly and lends itself to a wide-range of possible collateral options if the identity was expanded. The way that the packaging bags are shaped to go with the typographic presentation of the logo letters makes them stand out a bit and the fact that they come across more as gift bags rather than disposable bags means that they can be reused and aide promotion of the brand.

"Zoofari" (2013) by Hyperquake

Hyperquake (2013) "Zoofari" [Internet] Available from http://www.hyperquake.com/#/work/zoofari (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The style of the design is to bring a sophistication to a large fundraising event with a mixture of photography, filters and layout consideration giving an african feel to the proceedings. The fact that the tagline states 'wild luxury' gives the impression that wildlife and fashion are being brought together and the bold identity works well with this vision.

"Petting Zoo" by Christoph Niemann

Niemann, C. Petting Zoo" [Internet]  Available from http://www.christophniemann.com/index.php/books/details/petting_zoo (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The production of an interactive book for the iPad would enable the story to capture the imagination of the young child target audience as they would be able to get involved or the story themselves. The fact that the board game product alongside it allows for the fun to continue across both media platforms means that children who do not have the technology do not miss out either. 

"Berlin Zoo 170 Years Calendar 2014" (2013) by Diana Hope
Hope, D. (2013) "Berlin Zoo 170 Years Calendar 2014" [Weblog] The Behance Network 31st May Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Calendar-2014-Berlin-Zoo-170-Years/9045677 (Accessed 30th January 2014) 

The professional nature of the calendars presentation makes for a clean layout which is fluid and consistent throughout, with each page being unified but every illustration being different so they work as a stand alone page as well. The fact that every animals is wearing a hat relating to their place of origin gives it a whimsical and novelty effect.

"Zoo" (2013) by Irina Kruglova
Kruglova, I. (2013) "Zoo" [Weblog] The Behance Network 27th September Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Zoo/11156733 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

Using the illustrations as wall display and exterior designs, this gives a very child friendly tone of voice and aesthetic which would kept their attention. The simplistic allows for consistency throughout yet the use of specific characteristics allowed for instant recognisability for the iconic characters.

"San Diego Zoo Safari Park" (2013) by Jessica Leavitt

Leavitt, J. (2013) "San Diego Zoo Safari Park" [Weblog] The Behance Network 18th October Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/San-Diego-Zoo-Safari-Park/11489393 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

This approach to a brand re-design focuses on the digital aspects of the brand and fixes the print elements off of this. The website looks distinctive and the app and website flow well together, visually unified together which is then followed by the print as it is in keeping with the same layout. It appears like it is easy to use and follow with the navigation to the side and the icons make the information quick to find.

"Tiergarden Klev (Kleve Zoo)" (2013) by Apiwat (Peet) Anuntrachartwong

Anuntrachartwong, A. (2013) " Tiergarden Klev (Kleve Zoo)" [Weblog] The Behance Network 25th November Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Tiergarten-Kleve-(Kleve-Zoo)/12398691(Accessed 30th January 2014)

The proposed brand concept for the zoo is quite basic but comprehensive in the different mediums that the brand will be distributed. The colour scheme is distinctive and constant so that the brand is unified throughout. 

"Signage Natura Artis Magistra (Zoo)- Amsterdam" (2013) by Christiaan van Dokkum

van Dokkum, C. (2013) "Signage Natura Artis Magistra (Zoo)- Amsterdam" [Weblog] The Behance Network 15th February Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Signage-Natura-Artis-Magistra-(Zoo)-Amsterdam/7165223 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

An important aspect of Zoos are the way-finding systems and this one uses pictograms and arrow rather than words for the visitors to find their way around. This would be helpful to international visitors who do not understand the language as it is clear and direct.

"Glasgow Zoo & Park Brand Identity" (2013) by Danielle Complin

Complin, D. (2013) "Glasgow Zoo & Park Brand Identity" [Weblog] The Behance Network 22nd February Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Glasgow-Zoo-Park-Brand-Identity/7246919 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

This identity for the zoo is modern and contemporary using bold bright colours and a rounded typeface with illustrative characters. The play on animal sounds makes it more realistic and bold and would appeal to the younger families who would be visiting the zoo when it relaunches. 

Primary Research:

The closest zoo to where I live is Chester Zoo and, in order to get some primary research into the experience of going to a zoo, during the holidays, I went on a family day out to Chester Zoo where I got to see a lot of different animals.

Primary Research Photographs

Based on the research that I undertook at first, I paid particular attention to seeing if there was any signs of stress or malpractice but the animals seemed to have space to roam within their enclosures, however, typically it still wasn't a lot. The space they had was reminiscent of the habitats they would be in naturally with cages being used only when necessary and they had food available from the keepers. In particular, this seemed to be beneficially for the orang-utans who had outdoor and indoor grounds where they had had apparatus built for them so that they could swing around up and down the enclosure.

Map of Chester Zoo

In regards to design, when there we were given a map of the grounds to follow so that we could plot where all the animals were and where we wanted to go.

Sandwich Labels

From the cafe inside the zoo, they had there own version of branded sandwiches that were labelled with different colours and animals depending on the type of filling.

Brown Paper Bag

From the shop, you were given a brown paper bag in which to put your purchases into. The stock of the map and the bag come across as recycled and recyclable so as to help the environment for the animals by considering the materials they use.

Specific Research:

From my trip to Chester Zoo, I enjoyed it so much that I decided to focus my research down from Zoos to Chester Zoo itself making my research matter, An Introduction to Chester Zoo.

Stills of "Chester Zoo Animation- All About Us" (2011) by Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo (2011) "Chester Zoo Animation- All About Us" [Youtube] 11th October Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4hQ9yRo0c (Accessed 31st January 2014) 

The zoo holds over 11,000 animals from 400 different species with over half of them on the endangered species list. It receives no government funding so it relies on donations, memberships and visitors to aid the funding of the zoo in order to care for the animals as well as updated and build better facilities and spaces for the animals. In 2013, they had over 50,000 memberships taken out for the zoo- the highest in the zoo's 80-year history.

In regards to the zoo itself, it takes up 110 acres of space that is accessible to the public. A large addition to the zoo's function of space is the inclusion of a monorail which has 2 stations, one by the elephants at the entrance of the zoo and another by the lions on the opposite side of the zoo. This allows for a wide over-the-top view of the zoo as well as making it easier to get around with less walking for the less able-bodied.

Throughout the day at the zoo, there are talks going on in the enclosures so that you can learn about the animals themselves, their natural habitats and habits and watch them be fed by the keepers. These alternate throughout the day and vary on the animal.

History:

"Oakfield Manor"

"Historical Archives of the Site of Upton Zoo" [Internet] Available from http://www.historyofuptonbychester.org.uk/zoo.html (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The Zoo itself was founded by George Mottershead and opened in 1931 after he bought the Oakfield Manor with 7 acres of land in 1930. As a young boy, he had been to a zoo in Manchester and had decided that he wanted to build a zoo which would have no bars. Initially there was some opposition from neighbours and locals who didn't want the zoo in the area but Mottershead fought for it and won.

Originally he was uninspired by the use of the Victorian-style caged menageries as a way of housing the animals due tot he lack of space so he decided to use moats and ditches as an alternative method of using cages as it seemed a more natural, humane method of housing them. Mottershead already had quite a large avery so he added to that with the first animals which came to the zoo being bought from Shavington zoo.

"Growing Up At Chester Zoo"

BBC Liverpool (2008) "Growing Up At Chester Zoo" [Internet] Available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/image_galleries/chester_zoo_gallery.shtml?6 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

These family photographs highlight the hands-on approach taken by Mottershead and his family. In the early days, the family interacted with the animals by playing with them and feeding them, developing quite a close bond with them. The fact that the animals were not in cages and were roaming the grounds of the zoo with the family gives the impression of being quite an open experience for the animals. Many of the photos show Jane Mottershead (daughter of George) playing and caring for the animals, making them seem more like pets than wild animals.

During the war, with the zoo being a relatively new attraction, it was difficult trying to keep it open but Mottershead managed and soon after, the zoo became a popular destination as it became an escape from the destruction of the real world.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56358803@N02/6952069322/in/photolist-bAkb1b-hcyief-dqyW3c-bVYcxZ-bwf3wS-9karfg-dkz484-egJeBr-btPUZC-8kKxFc-eaQNKV-dyCH5A-8vMU9q-a39p51-bGeK4B-foEz9A-7XFEHo-7XCpGz-cHgEeW-8bBetS-8bBeK3-aNQbv4-9z4ZxM-7D197K-7D1drp-7D4Xwq-7D1bQP-7D1cUg-7D52Kh-7D4XXN-7D1bni-7D19Dx-9ZLpkU-dvucY7-ehcXN3-exAfxr-85FwM6-8amdWA-eZ9h3S-aAF2CT-7XCqK2-aAHL85-aAF36k-aAHLr9-aAHLBE-hDsAWX-hDsZJ9-kNKD6V-8zFmiv-dcPgNe-9RBjjn

Animal Exhibits:

As part of the zoo, they have specific areas and buildings set apart from the rest of the animals which acts as exhibits of the zoo:

Spirit of the Jaguar

The Spirit of the Jaguar is a building which houses Jaguars and Panthers that have access to an indoor  and outdoor habitat that they can venture between. The area itself is reminiscent of a forest with lots of oversized tree branches to hide and run over and the outdoor area even has a waterfall.

The Realm of the Red Ape

My Family at Realm of the Red Ape

The Realm of the Red Ape focuses on the Red Apes as well as gibbons which have indoor as well as . Housed alongside them in the warm building are snakes and other reptiles that would normally habitat within the rainforests and jungles.

Fruit Bat Forest

Fruit Bat Forest is a large blacked-out building which has free flying bats hanging from the ceilings. Visitors can walk through the darkened enclosure on a marked out path while the bats make noises and fly overhead.

Tropical Realm

Tropical Realm is the largest of the attractions and houses tropical animals in a warmed building. This is the main avery with birds being positioned along the sides and top level, where the birds have room to free-fly and are normally have another of the species accompanying them. The birds are alongside a range of reptiles, like frogs, tortoise, lizards, alligator and snakes whilst insects, like cockroaches, have their own places as well.

Mongoose Mania

This interactive element of the Zoo allows visitors to be able to crawl through tunnels beneath the enclosure and has spaces to put your head through the top and look around the enclosure at 360 degrees as the Mongeese run around the enclosure, allowing the visitor to experience what it is like to see things from the same view as them.

Conservation for Endangered Animals:

Stills of "We're a Conservation Charity Animation" (2011) by Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo (2011) "We're a Conservation Charity" [Youtube] 11th October Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDC2vbO-3gs#t=11 (Accessed 31st January 2014)

Alongside the work that they do caring for the animals within the zoo, Chester Zoo does conservation work outside of the zoo in order to improve habitats for animals in the wild. They have main aims through their conservation work which they use as a message to get across when educating others. These are:

1. Independence- All living things, including humans, live in an ecosystem and depend on each other to living things for their survival
2. Human Impact- Human activities are causing serious environmental damage
3. Partnerships- Chester Zoo works in partnership with other to conserve nature and and natural resources
4.  Chester Zoo- A charity whose mission is to be a major force in conserving biodiversity worldwide
5. You- We can all make changes to the environment and zoos can help inspire people to do this

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/chester-zoo-gives-exotic-endangered-3008993

They have 10 main conservation projects currently going on worldwide which work with different species and habitat types:

Amphibian Conservation Programme- With over a third of 6,600 species under threat of extinction due to pollution of habitat and infectious disease on land, Chester Zoo supports field monitoring as well as carrying out research in particular research pods specifically for amphibians called APods. The zoo has 3 of these pods which are dedicated to supporting critically endangered species.

Asian Elephant Conservation- Due to the shrinking of their natural habitat due to the domination of the natural landscape by humans, elephants are losing out on the amount of space that they need to live thereby causing them to end up destroying crops and killing humans causing retaliation deaths of elephants. They intend to help villagers develop strategies to prevent this and help aid the conservation of the habitats.

Black Rhino Conservation- The main area of conservation for the Black Rhino is to educate locals on the Rhino as well as  developing, monitoring and protecting their existence. 

China Conservation- The blue-crowded thrush is stuck in one province in China so the aim is to expand their habitat and aid the birds from extinction. Forests within China have been established and given protection through being raised to reserve status. 

Jaguar Conservation- Currently developing a global survey of Jaguars with human conflicts surrounding this habitat aiming to reduce the amount of conflicts and acting as an independent research source for researchers and conservationists affected by the conflict. 

Mascarenes Conservation- Providing technical support in hand-rearing the endangered birds and aiding the conservation of threatened plants and ecosystems.

Native Species Conservation- The conservation of endangered and threatened species within the UK, such as Sand Lizards, and Hazel Dormouse, providing practical help, advice and funding as well as recording the biodiversity of the local areas. 

Nigeria Conservation- Supporting research into the flora and fauna of the local National Parks to conserve the current biodiveristy as well as currently campaign to get borders for the Parks so as to highlight the edges of the protected areas to stop poachers and illegal harvesting.

Philippines Conservation- Working with other teams, they support sponsorship of wildlife wardens, support of rare species and community-based conservations in order to encourage breeding in these areas. 

Realm of the Red Ape Conservation- Alongside the display within the Zoo itself, the conservation programme aims to protect wild orang-utans, conserve their habitats and the biodiversity within these areas. 

I went onto looking at Design Inspiration in regards to Chester Zoo, mainly looking at the current brand identity for the Zoo:

"Music Re-Draws Chester Zoo Identity" (2011) by Music

Lucas, G. (2011) "Music Re-Draws Chester Zoo Identity" [Internet] Creative Review 16th August Available from http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/august/music-redraws-chester-zoos-identity (Accessed 30th January 2014)

"Chester Zoo" (2012) by Mike Read at Music

Read, M. (2012) "Chester Zoo" [Weblog] The Behance Network 7th February Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Chester-Zoo/3084701 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

"Chester Zoo" by Adam Hayes

Hayes, A. "Chetser Zoo" [Internet] Available from http://mrahayes.com/project/chester-zoo (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The current brand identity for Chester Zoo is a mixture of photography and typographic illustration which personifies the animals and gives the animals characteristics. The typography itself is hand-drawn in aesthetic to give a more child-like yet friendly tone of voice, looking like the type has been drawn on there and then rather than printed. The fact that the typeface can be placed disjointedly with different thicknesses and colours intermingling shouldn't work but it does due to the fact that the typeface is custom so it can be alternated easily. The photographs are natural and allows the zoo to use its most important aspect as part of its branding- the animals themselves. The colour scheme of using mixture of different bold colours for the typeface adds to the childlike aesthetic but the general aesthetic of green and white looks smart and contrast each other in a legible manner.

"Chester Zoo Environmental Design" (2012) by M Worldwide

M Worldwide (2012) "Chester Zoo Environmental Design" [Internet] Available from http://www.mworldwide.co.uk/chester-zoo/ (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The design of the main Zoo shop revolves around the idea of it being a base camp that is used by visitors to revolves their visit around. The centre of the space is affixed by a 'tree of life' which is the main structural hold of the building highlighting a

I went onto looking at design inspirations to do with Chester Zoo itself so that I could compare the current brand identity by what other people had come up with:

"Chester Zoo Concept" by Meri

Meri "Chester Zoo Concept" [Internet] Available from http://www.mynameisnotmeri.com (Accessed 30th January 2014)

This concept for Chester Zoo is to mark the opening of the Islands attraction showing how it could be advertised, products that could be sold and how it could be packaged. As a concept proposal, it encompasses a wide range of areas and how it can be expanded. The emphasis on islands and survival within the design to coincide with the attraction name works as an overall theme throughout.

"Chester Zoo" (2010) by Nick Carter Freelance

Carter, N. (2010) "Chester Zoo" [Weblog] The Behance Network 21st October Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Chester-Zoo/765749 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

The concept for the posts to be trunks and necks of animals makes for a specific yet fun and creative visual aesthetic of the zoo as it puts emphasis onto the animals themselves whilst being instantly recognisable. The posters themselves, however, are quite bland and unbecoming of the zoo so it would be more fitting if the posters fitted in with the tone of voice that comes across because of their design.

"The Future Is Fragile" (2013) by Joshua Marler
Marler, J. (2013) "The Future Is Fragile" [Weblog] The Behance Network 8th October Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Future-is-Fragile/11358043 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

These pencil drawn illustrations alongside the Photoshop development of the image gives the impression of being broken and shattered, visually highlighting the point of the poster campaign. The fact that they are mounted onto a white background makes for an even more fragile aesthetic. The imposing onto cups allows for the material to highlight the concept but it doesn't look visually appealing yet, saying that, they could be sold in the zoo shop with different designs.

"Park and Writhe" by Mark McKellier

McKellier, M. "Park and Writhe" [Internet] Available from http://andmark.co.uk/?p=514 (Accessed 30th January 2014)

This vehicle wrap is thoughtful as it uses the physical attributes of a snake and uses those as a way of promotion for Chester Zoo. The way that the bus has been designed to look as thought it is being crushed by the snake gives a great visual that appears convincing due to the positioning of the snake whilst highlighting the animals at the zoo and what the visitors could witness while they are there.

Looking at other attempts alongside the current brand identity for the zoo, I feel that the current identity is quite successful as it comes across as family friendly yet not too young or childish. The brand is modern and fresh which can be alternated, updated and changed easily as well as be applied to different scenarios and proposals.

Design Boards:

As part of the brief, we needed to present the information we found on 5 Design Boards showing the research we had undertaken so that we would be able to present it.

Printed A3 Design Boards

My Introduction to Chester Zoo Design Boards highlight the main areas of which I covered within my research. It was quite difficult sticking to just 5 boards as it meant that I had to condense a lots of it down but it means that I will be more concise when it comes to presenting them.