Peregrine Falcon Kiosk

INFORMATION

Sept. 2023, 3 weeks

Foam Core, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop

Advisor: Penina Acayo Laker

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Widespread use of DDT, an insecticide for agriculture, rapidly diminished the Peregrine Falcon population in the 1960s, placing it on the Endangered Species list. After DDT was banned in 1972, parks and other natural resource agencies across the nation released captive-reared Peregrines and worked to reintroduce them back to native regions. The Peregrine Falcon Restoration at Shenandoah National Park is a 30-year-old ongoing environmental program that works to repopulate the Peregrine Falcon species across the eastern US.

The multidisciplinary nature of environmental graphic design creates opportunities to merge visual design, 3D volumes, and wayfinding elements together to communicate important information. This kiosk prototype provides information on the Peregrine Falcon species, history of its endangerment, and Shenandoah’s restoration process; it also invites audiences to engage with the signage space.

Process Work

01 | RESEARCH

After researching on the National Park Service website, I experimented with specific elements to include on my final kiosk. Eventually, I broke the information down into two main content categories:

The Peregrine Falcon Restoration:
1. General Info
2. DDT Introduction & Endangerment
3. Shenandoah's Restoration Efforts
4. Explanation on "Hacking" Method

5. Restoration Timeline

Peregrine Characteristics:

1. Physical Description

2. Visuals - Juvenile vs Adult Peregrine, Size Comparison

3. How Peregrines Catch Prey with the "Stooping" Method

4. The Fastest Member of the Animal Kingdom

02 | VOLUMES & VISUALS

I decided restoration information would go on the front of the kiosk, highlighting its main purpose. The characteristics will go on the back, providing additional information that will enforce acknowledgement of the species at the park. I wanted the explanation of the restoration, including DDT, efforts, hacking, and timeline to be grouped together or in close proximity, as it was the most important and dense information. This led to me experiment more with wedging a slanted subdominant structure onto a large, dominant form. This way, people could stand in front of the dominant form, read about the general background information, and then glance downward to read about restoration specifics. For the back of the kiosk, I thought about creating a more up-close and intimate space, where people could perhaps view panel-like segments. This invites experimentation for a perpendicular form that wedges into the dominant form.

FRONT:

SIDE (R):

BACK:

SIDE (L):

DRAFT 1:

03 | CONTENT ITERATION

I explored deeper iterations of content organization for each of the kiosk's 2D sides. When experimenting, I looked into describing the Perergrine's characteristics through words VS imagery. For instance, in earlier versions, I have written sections on color, size, and behaviors. To revise the information to be more digestible, I altered the representation by decreasing word count and increasing inclusion of real peregrine photos, which communicate the birds' features just as well, if not more accurately for visual learners. As I iterated, I also experimented with visual hierarchy, typographic placement, and color palette.