LET'S EXPLORE TOGETHER
We’re WILD about creating amazing visitor experiences.
At Gecko Group, we have a passion and love for Zoos and Aquariums. Our projects with such organizations inspires us to create compelling, fresh, and unique solutions for a range of needs. Whether it is interpretation, wayfinding, exhibit design, interpretive planning, or branding, we love collaborating with you to help your project succeed.
We have been fortunate to use our expertise, alongside our love of wildlife and conservation work to create remarkable new experience for a variety of visitors at a wide array of Zoos and Aquariums.
INTERPRETIVE
EXHIBIT DESIGN
HOUSTON ZOO:
GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS
The Houston Zoo is extraordinary in its work to raise awareness of the positive impacts the Zoo, and its visitors, can have on conservation. Their site-wide single-use plastic ban is embraced by staff. For this immersive, interpretive exhibit, Gecko Group partnered with the Houston Zoo team to bring that passion to tell the story of the species of the Galápagos Islands. The exhibit’s One Ocean theme connected visitors to those species and helped them understand the impacts of their choices on ocean health.
NASHVILLE ZOO:
EXPEDITION PERU: TREK OF
THE ANDEAN BEAR
2019 AZA TOP HONORS EXHIBIT AWARD
Gecko Group collaborated with Nashville Zoo staff to bring this one-of-a-kind exhibit to life. Highlighting the expansive range of Andean Bears, the content presents the varied habitats where these elusive bears can be found. The exhibit design incorporates beautiful iconography and a vibrant color palette to complement the architecture suggesting a Peruvian village at the foothills of a cloud forest. Gecko Group was pleased to work on the evaluation, interpretive development, exhibit and graphic design, and interactives for this exhibit.
MARYLAND ZOO:
PENGUIN COAST
2016 AZA TOP HONORS EXHIBIT AWARD
Gecko Group worked with the Maryland Zoo’s education staff and architect CLR Design, to develop an exciting new, state-of-the-art African Penguin exhibit. The exhibit is home to North America’s largest population of African penguins. Inspired by the old, abandoned mining communities along the Skeleton Coast, the exhibit features an interpretive center with underwater viewing, dump tank, penguin encounter program, and retail area.
Interpretation elements such as the ‘story poles’ shown here, compliment the weathered, industrial character of the architectural design. Wood posts with galvanized steel hardware and embedded graphics tell the story of the African penguin – it’s natural history, conservation and research efforts, and Maryland Zoo’s connection as a leader in the care and breeding of this endangered species.
CLEVELAND METROPARKS ZOO:
AFRICAN ELEPHANT CROSSING
2012 AZA SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT EXHIBIT AWARD
The African Elephant Crossing exhibit opened in the spring of 2011 at the Cleveland and Metroparks zoo. Themed graphics and exhibits feature sustainable management concepts while evoking every day life of the Southern African region through integrated architectural graphics inspired by the art and style of the area.
WAYFINDING
MARYLAND ZOO:
SITEWIDE WAYFINDING
AND IDENTITY SIGNAGE
Gecko Group has enjoyed a long working relationship with the Maryland Zoo. We created their site wide wayfinding, and most recently created new wayfinding for their parking areas. We also recently saw the installation of a Gecko-designed Entry Sign to help visitors know they have arrived.
PHILADELPHIA ZOO:
IDENTITY SIGNAGE & WAYFINDING
Gecko Group worked with Pennoni Associates on the Philadelphia Zoo’s Intermodal Transportation Center and Streetscape Improvements Project.
The project consisted of streetscape improvements, wayfinding, parking garage graphics and creating an iconic symbol for the entrance of the Zoo.
The new iconic Zoo sign is big and impactful. Its scale proudly announces that you have arrived. Installed in the new plaza entrance of the zoo, it is an integral part of the vision for an enhanced visitor entrance experience and clearly pulls the entrance to the Zoo front and center.
Additional sculptures in the streetscape and the bold parking garage graphics create a sense of arrival and excitement for visitors to the Zoo.
ZOO KNOXVILLE:
WAYFINDING SYSTEM
Zoo Knoxville had recently undergone a new branding campaign and came to Gecko Group to create a new site wide wayfinding system that embraced the updated brand look and feel. After a site analysis we determined the layout of the Zoo was divided into two distinct zones after the entry plaza. By naming, color coding, and creating a new map with key zone features, we were better able to direct visitors and communicate all the many exhibits and experiences the Zoo has to offer.
The new signage program is scalable pending the needs of the many different locations. A series of wayfinding towers were designed to accommodate 1, 2, 3, or 4 directional panels. The original design included a wood base for the towers but given concerns over maintenance and longevity we were able to use a powder coated metal product with a wood grain finish. Zoo Knoxville is a family friendly destination catering to younger audiences. This inspired the design approach to illustrating icons and arrow design. Using rounded shapes, playful icon characters, and bold colors we were able to capture the essence of the new brand and create a sense of place.
DONOR RECOGNITION
NATIONAL AQUARIUM:
HISTORY & LEGACY EXHIBIT
The History & Legacy exhibit at the National Aquarium was intrinsically tied with a donor recognition project. Gecko Group was excited to partner with the National Aquarium team to develop the exhibit in tandem with the donor recognition. The result was a seamlessly beautiful tribute to generous donors and a visitor-friendly compelling exhibit.
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NASHVILLE ZOO:
EXPEDITION PERU: TREK OF
THE ANDEAN BEAR
2019 AZA TOP HONORS EXHIBIT AWARD
Gecko Group designed the donor recognition program for this landmark exhibit alongside the exhibit itself. Creating the two signage systems together enabled us to ensure the donor signage fit in seamlessly with the rest of the exhibit.
HOUSTON ZOO:
GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS
Key components for the Galápagos Islands exhibit were:
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Helping visitors understand and appreciate the unique species of the Galápagos Islands
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Illustrating to visitors the many impacts of plastics on our shared ocean
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Highlighting and promoting the wonderful work being done in to preserve species in their homes and at the Zoo. Digital media helped communicate the depth and intricacies of these stories to visitors.
NASHVILLE ZOO:
TIGER CROSSROADS
2020 AZA TOP HONORS EXHIBIT AWARD
Two digital components helped bring this exhibit to life. Upon entry to the main viewing building, visitors come face to face with a larger-than-life tiger. Through projection mapping, visitors come to understand the threats facing tigers, and our roles in those threats. Another main storyline in the Tiger Crossroads exhibit was the impacts of Palm Oil production on tiger habitat. It is a nuanced, complicated story where every person’s choice can make an impact. Through a digital interactive, we helped visitors understand the pervasiveness of palm oil in many foods, as well as the complexities in identifying companies who produced oil sustainable versus those that did not.
ZOO KNOXVILLE:
ASIAN TREK
2020 AZA TOP HONORS EXHIBIT AWARD
Another exhibit focused on majestic tigers, Asian Trek helped illustrate some of the amazing adaptations of tigers through tactile, hands-on interactives. From understanding the force of a tiger’s bite to how their claws retract, visitors can use their senses to grow their understanding of these amazing animals. Outside, visitors can see if they can out-jump a tiger or if their “wingspan” rivals the beautiful white-naped cranes on view. All components help support and reinforce the key interpretive messages set out for the exhibit.
ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNAGE
NASHVILLE ZOO
Gecko Group has been able to collaborate with the Nashville Zoo on a number of new signage designs throughout the Zoo. We created visually impactful signage for a new jungle gym play area, as well distinct signage for restaurants and other amenities on site.