Interpretive Program Development: Watson Woods Riparian Preserve
Arizona non-profit group Prescott Creeks completed a $2 million stream and wetland restoration at Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, and “wanted to showcase what we had accomplished to guests,” said Gregg Fell, Field Projects Coordinator for Prescott Creeks, as well as meet grant requirements for interpretation. Interpretive signs along the trails help the 200-300 weekly guests at the Preserve understand the group’s goal of preservation and enhancement of habitat and wildlife.
Prescott Creeks hired Facet to create five interpretive signs, an orientation kiosk and map, and a tri-fold brochure for the Preserve. Fell said, “We feel lucky to have found Facet to do this work for us because they so thoroughly understood watershed ecology and could bring that to the interpretive design process.”
One of five interpretive signs designed for the Watson Woods Riparian Preserve as part of its interpretive plan.
Theme Development, Research, and Schematic Mockups (4 Weeks)
30% mockup for The Gallery Forest interpretive sign.
The process of creating five interpretive signs began with interpretive theme development in coordination with Prescott Creeks, and five signs were decided upon: Southwest Rivers, The Gallery Forest, From Pit to Pond, Stream Restoration, and Granite Creek Groundwater.
Designers created graphic mockups that illustrated the rough layout of each of the interpretive signs. These 30% mock-ups show the planned graphics and areas for text to make sure the content is headed in the right direction for the client’s goals.
To get a feel for the Prescott area and the Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, our team began by immersing ourselves in the local environment. We reviewed reference photos from our client, Prescott Creeks, and browsed images online to get a feel for the area's visual identity. With a sense of the Prescott landscape - its high desert terrain, historic wagon trails, and its deep-rooted traditions like the World’s Oldest Rodeo, we landed on designs that give a nod to the area’s Western character.
Style Development (2 Weeks)
Cottonwoods at Watson Woods Riparian Preserve. Photo by Prescott Creeks.
Granite Dells
We developed a color palette that drew from the warm yellow of the cottonwoods’ canopy, the blue of the restored creek at its core, the deep greens of the riparian forest, the rust-orange of the Granite Dells, and the muted tans and browns of the surrounding terrain. Fell reported back, “The warm golden color theme with blue and green accents captures and reflects the colors of the surrounding land and ecology. So it blends in with the environment around it but doesn’t get lost.”
Since the cottonwood forest was Watson Woods’ key feature, we decided to use an illustration of a yellow fall cottonwood leaf as a common visual element that would tie the signs, kiosk map, and brochure together. Each sign’s background features the distinctive silhouette of the Granite Dells with a screened-back print of a cottonwood canopy to add subtle texture to the background.
Design (3 months)
With the style guide in place, we designed the interpretive signs and orientation map in tandem, then wrapped up the tri-fold brochure, which had a shorter production timeline.
Interpretive Signs and Brochure
From the initial sign mockups, we developed 65% designs that reflected the style we’d created. We used a combination of hand-drawn, colored pencil illustrations for their handmade appeal as well as digital interpretive graphics for a bright, modern feel. Incorporating feedback from Prescott Creeks, we finalized the signs. The coordinating brochure “creates a total package and gives visitors something that they can bring home along with contact information for our organization,” Fell said.
Detail of orientation map
Entry Kiosk
While graphic designers were developing the sign content, landscape architects created conceptual renderings of the entry kiosk, which helped Prescott Creeks envision how it would look on site. They created schematic plans for the selected option, which a local contractor used to build the kiosk.
Design process for interpretive signs for Watson Woods
Trail Map
Our GIS folks took data from Prescott Creeks, overlaid it on an aerial photograph, and beautified it into an accurate and visually appealing map that would show users the trails available in the Preserve, as well as Granite Creek’s channel and associated wetlands.
Installed orientation kiosk with conceptual rendering of early design
Finished Materials
“Visitors come upon an interpretive sign along the trail every 30 yards or so. It really keeps them interested in what what’s going on at the site,” Fell said. “Developing interpretive materials was a new process for us at Prescott Creeks. The trail signs and brochures developed by The Watershed Company for the Watson Woods project are exactly what we need.”
Gallery Forest interpretive sign installed at Watson Woods Riparian Preserve.
Photo by Prescott Creeks
A large interpretive project truly takes a team – our client and their stakeholders, landscape architects for sign placement and specifications, graphic designers for content design, and GIS analysts for design cartography. We are so excited to see the photos of these installed signs and kiosks in Arizona — the hardest part for us about designing interpretive signs across the nation, being based in Washington State, is not getting to see them in person!
A large interpretive project truly takes a team - our client and local partners, graphic designers to shape the content, GIS analysts for cartographic design, and landscape architects for placement and specifications. We’re always excited to see photos of the finished signs and kiosks out in the world. The hardest part about designing interpetive signage nationwide from our home base in Washington - not getting to see them in person!