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IN 2024…WE GOT AROUND! Check out our year of exhibit design, wayfinding, identity signage, and more.

  • Writer: Gecko Group
    Gecko Group
  • Jan 24
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jun 12


Year In Review


From New York to New Mexico we traveled and worked on amazing projects, collaborated with talented people, created fruitful new partnerships while continuing to work with our treasured past colleagues. Take a look back at some of our projects and catch a glimpse of what we are working on in the year to come.



Ellie and Jill smiling in front of Niagara Falls on a sunny day, with mist and a scenic bridge in the background.



Exhibit Design


Mercer Museum

The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution

DOYLESTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA


Guests explore a Revolutionary War-themed immersive exhibit featuring environmental design, theatrical lighting, and interpretive signage that brings history to life through multi-sensory storytelling.


Working with fabricator ArtGuild, Inc. and the Museum team, Gecko Group helped bring to life a story of mystery, intrigue, allies, and traitors. Operating during the American Revolution, the Doan Gang gained notoriety, and (from some) admiration. Gecko Group created a series of immersive scenic vignettes, captivating graphics and interactives, to transport visitors to this amazing time in history.



A detailed museum installation blends historic artifacts with interpretive graphics and silhouette cutouts, demonstrating layered exhibit design that encourages public engagement and educational interaction.


Nashville Zoo

Komodo Dragon

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE


A Komodo dragon in a zoo exhibit offers a close look at animal behavior, supported by engaging interpretive signage and habitat design that supports conservation messaging.


This year, we were pleased to see the opening of a new exhibition highlighting the Zoo’s fierce Komodo Dragons. Featuring an indoor and an outdoor enclosure and a rotating list of species, this exhibit required flexible signage and wayfinding to help visitors know where to go and who they will see when they arrive.



This conservation-focused interpretive panel uses visual storytelling and educational signage to inform visitors about Komodo dragons and the environmental threats they face in the wild.


Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

Garden of the Five Senses

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA


Interpretive signage at the Garden of the Five Senses invites visitors to engage with nature through environmental graphics designed to spark curiosity, learning, and sensory exploration.


Last year saw the completion of a site-wide Interpretive Master Plan for the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. We were excited to roll right into some implementation of that plan through additional signage for the Garden’s sensory experience aimed at young learners. This supplemental signage drew on existing design features of the Garden to add direction for caregivers and deepen the sensory experience for visitors.



Bright orange interpretive sign in a natural setting prompts young visitors to observe wildlife, encouraging public engagement through playful environmental graphics.


Wayfinding and Identity Signage


Pennsylvania Railroad Museum

STRASBURG, PENNSYLVANIA


The museum’s main entrance features bold architectural signage and visitor-focused wayfinding design, drawing attention to educational programming and public history interpretation.


In Strasburg, PA, home of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, we created an eye-catching and engaging interpretive visitor experience and wayfinding system. To build excitement for visitors approaching the Museum, a mural and colorful silhouettes of key characters in Railroads, introduce the interpretive themes and experiences visitors will encounter inside the museum.



Cut-metal silhouette sculpture with surveying equipment used as part of an outdoor interpretive exhibit, connecting landscape history to visitor engagement through sculptural signage.


Maryland Zoo

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND


Large 3D entrance sign for the Maryland Zoo acts as both a wayfinding element and brand landmark, using environmental design to establish a welcoming visitor experience.


Bringing the inside out enhanced the visibility and identity at Maryland Zoo, as well, where we created a large-scale identity sign based on their logo. At the same time, we designed a comprehensive signage system for their newly revamped parking area, including interpretation on some of the sustainable features incorporated. 



Zoo parking lot pylon integrates interpretive signage and donor messaging with bold environmental graphics to reinforce the conservation mission while guiding visitors.


Nashville Zoo

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE


Vibrant cheetah mural and directional wayfinding signage in a zoo parking structure blend exhibit branding with functional design to elevate the arrival experience.


In Tennessee, the Nashville Zoo opened a large, two-story parking garage. Here, we designed signage to help visitors easily remember where they parked. Bright colors, playful patterns, and key species work together to create memorable wall murals and column wraps that deliver conservation information related to the species.



Color-coded pillar graphics featuring a bongo antelope help visitors remember their parking location, using creative wayfinding design linked to animal themes.


In other news

A dramatic rainbow stretches over a mountainous forest


Some of the Gecko team were able to travel to Calgary, Ontario, Canada for the annual Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference. We met many new folks at our booth in the exhibit hall, where we were able to talk through some of our favorite projects. We were delighted to attend the awards luncheon, where last year’s Galápagos Islands at the Houston Zoo was awarded the Top Honors for exhibits.



In progress


Gecko Group hit the ground running for 2025, with a wide range of projects in progress. We are continuing our work in Tennessee with the Nashville Zoo, on the exhibit Africa: Living in Balance. This exhibit features some new interpretive elements for existing habitats as well as brand new exhibits featuring leopards, black and white colobus, and other species. To add to the beauty of the exhibit spaces, we worked with two artists to commission custom animal sculptures and a mosaic tile art installation. We are so excited to see it open later this year.

 

Other projects we will be sharing more about as the year continues include work with Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Mystic Seaport Museum, and Teatown Lake Reservation, to name just a few.

 

Check back in to see how things progress, and if you have a project you’d like to discuss, reach out! We’d love to hear from you.


 
 
 

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