24 Plant Identification Signs
Pacific Beach Coalition
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The beachside trails on the coast of Pacifica, California contain native plant life that require hours of labor to maintain. Visitors of the beach are encouraged to hike along the trails to enjoy the sights that the coast has to offer.
Design plant identification signs that are visually appealing and just as unique as the plants they are representing. Refine aspects of the design’s layout, type, and phrasing to capture the feeling that the organization is aiming for. Signs should clearly display the common name, the scientific name, and an image of the plant so that crucial information may be visible to those who chose to stop and educate themselves.
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June 2020 - September 2020
Adobe CC Illustrator & Photoshop
6” x 4” Print on metal sheets and mounted
Typography
Final typographic choices were made based on the organization’s established branding and expectations for the project. A sans serif typeface with bold letterforms best addressed the need for legibility.
Color Palette
Color palette created based on coloration of the plants being represented. Light, bright tones were chosen to increase contrast between text, image, and environment.
Initial Mockups
Provided with a preliminary list of plants (common name only) that can be found along the coastal trail of Pacifica beaches from Linda Mar to Rockaway, I focused on just one plant to bring more emphasis to my design decisions.
I presented the Pacific Beach Coalition (PBC) communications team and conservation team with four different potential templates for these signs.
The first two were created to have a more classical look to them, typical of plant identification signs that you would see in other public gardens. The other two are more modernized in the usage of color blocking and sans-serif typefaces, which is more on-brand with PBC’s established design system.
Printed Signs
Once the signs were finalized and put into production, they were printed on sheets of metal and mounted on various posts. They are currently on display at Pacifica’s Linda Mar State Beach.
