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Industry Spotlight: Public Garden Exhibit Design, Interpretive Design, and Wayfinding.

  • Writer: Gecko Group
    Gecko Group
  • May 22, 2024
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jun 12


Close-up of an interpretive panel explaining the origin and pollination of vanilla orchids. This exhibit design uses layered storytelling and visuals to connect visitors with botany through interpretive design elements.

MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDENS • DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS • PITTSBURGH BOTANIC GARDENS • LONGWOOD GARDENS





What has five toes and green thumbs?


Most people know that geckos have 5 toes on each foot, but did you know some of them also have green thumbs? At Gecko Group our passion for gardens, conservation, and storytelling inspires us to create fresh and unique interpretation experiences. Green is also our favorite color!

 

We have been fortunate to use our love of gardening and gardens for helping some of the best public gardens in the country spread their message of conservation.



MYRIAD BOTANICAL GARDEN


A greenhouse path lined with plants and vibrant interpretive signage invites visitors to explore. Exhibit design integrates plant ID and wayfinding signage to enhance orientation and educational engagement.
Interactive interpretive signage illustrating seed dispersal by wind, with real plant material and graphics. A great example of hands-on interpretive design within a living exhibit.
A colorful indoor pollination-themed exhibit featuring wall murals, circular windows, and educational graphics. The exhibit design combines storytelling and interpretive design in a playful, immersive space.

The Crystal Bridge Conservatory at Myriad Botanical Garden is unlike any other conservatory. The cylindrical structure spans early 225 feet in length over a lake and is covered in hundreds of acrylic panels. The visual effect is remarkable. Inside, the Crystal Bridge Conservatory offers 3 levels of beautiful neo-tropical plantings. For their recent renovation, we developed new interpretive content and interactive elements. A feature of the 2nd floor was creating a new vibrant, lively discovery room space focused on exploring mutualistic relationships between plants ad insects. The Perfect Partners exhibit features custom murals, larger-than-life models, and engaging content.






DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS


A sculptural, weathered steel sign marking the Rhyne Garden. This large-scale environmental wayfinding element blends interpretive design with donor recognition.
Close-up of a rusted metal sign honoring Piet Oudolf, integrated into a naturalistic garden. Exhibit and environmental design intersect here with a sculptural wayfinding identity.
Cut-metal Welcome Center sign set in lush plantings. This signage acts as both a donor recognition element and a key wayfinding landmark in the site’s exhibit design.

This relatively young garden, formed in 2012, is a gem in southern Delaware. The largely volunteer-run organization spans 37 beautiful acres. Their gardens include woodlands, wetlands, and a meadow designed by renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf. Gecko Group was fortunate to partner with Delaware Botanic Gardens on their garden identity and donor signage. We also developed and designed welcome signage for their gift shop area. The garden identity signs were designed to enhance the viewscapes, tucking unobtrusively into the plantings.






PITTSBURGH BOTANIC GARDENS


Layered circular signs in a sensory garden ask visitors to explore using multiple senses. This exhibit design blends interpretive messaging with colorful wayfinding cues.
Bright orange interpretive sign prompts visitor interaction by encouraging wildlife observation. A playful use of interpretive design in an exhibit trail.
Dual-scent station sign invites visitors to guess herbs by scent and identify plant parts. A sensory-based interpretive design that supports interactive exhibit engagement and wayfinding flow.

At the start of our working relationship, we collaborated with the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, a somewhat hidden treasure, on a new site-wide Interpretive Master Plan. We continued our work together, putting elements of that plan into action. First up was new interpretive content for the Garden of the Five Senses. This multi-sensory family garden encourages exploration and play. The new elements gave context for caregivers with open-ended questions. We are happy to continue our collaboration as we work on new wayfinding signage for the East Parking lot and the Welcome Center interior.






LONGWOOD GARDENS: The Meadow Garden


This outdoor interpretive design seamlessly blends storytelling and navigation. The custom pedestal features a wayfinding map and ecological information, guiding visitors through the exhibit design of the meadow while deepening their understanding of stewardship.
A vibrant interpretive design element that invites guests to engage with the seasonal beauty of native wildflowers. Part of the larger exhibit design, it transforms railings into storytelling opportunities that support the garden’s sensory experience.
This sculptural exhibit design installation enhances the visitor pavilion using silhouetted birds with labeled wingspans, integrating interpretive design into the built structure. It educates while drawing attention upward—encouraging guests to compare, observe, and imagine.



LONGWOOD GARDENS: New Heights


A temporary but impactful example of exhibit design in action. This expansive display announces a major landscape renovation, using bold interpretive design to generate excitement while doubling as an effective wayfinding boundary during construction.
This outdoor gallery uses immersive exhibit design to explain an ambitious garden redesign. Through layered interpretive design, it highlights historical evolution, new planning strategies, and visitor experiences in a walk-through format.v
Part of an engaging exhibit design experience, this panel draws families into the revitalization process with visuals, tactile materials, and statistics. It merges interpretive design and hands-on learning within the broader story of transformation.



LONGWOOD GARDENS: Longwood Reimagined


Here, temporary walls become a canvas for exhibit design, displaying renderings and planning insights into a large-scale botanical infrastructure project. The interpretive design communicates vision, progress, and the legacy of horticultural innovation.
A vertical interpretive design panel contextualizes a reimagined orchid collection. Part of a larger exhibit design strategy, it invites guests to explore the botanical, architectural, and cultural heritage of this historic space.
This nighttime view of a glowing exhibit design display transforms informational panels into an atmospheric visitor experience. It combines wayfinding and interpretive design, extending access and engagement well after dark.

From the sprawling Meadow Garden to the New Heights exhibit and more, we have enjoyed a long collaborative relationship with Longwood Gardens. Its location in our back yard gives it a special place in our hearts. For the Meadow Garden, we worked to create seamlessly integrated interpretation. The New Heights exhibit showcased the garden’s history and the beauty of its design. Most recently, we created a series of panels and additional closure signage for Longwood Reimagined. This exciting new project is the most ambitious one that Longwood has undertaken. The end result will be, among others, a stunning new glasshouse conservatory. We can’t wait to see it!






We work with a wide range of institutions, from higher education, corporate clients, museums, nature centers, public gardens, and more. Public gardens, and other organizations with conservation messaging at their core inspire us. And the site visits are hard to beat! We are proud of the work we have done, and the work we are continuing to do with public gardens around the country.


 
 
 

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