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W A N YA M A an origin a l ty p efa ce d es i gn ed by H a lli e Ja m es
W A N YA M A
an original typeface designed by Hallie James for use at the Riverbanks Zoo + Garden
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4 The Zoo 6 The Problem 8 Concept 12 Research 14 Development 16 Evolution 18 Key Elements 22 Letter Specimen 24 Numbers + Punctuation 28 Mockups
02 CONCEPT
T H E ZOO Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is located in Columbia, South Carolina. It is home to more than 2,000 animals and contains one of the nations highest ranking botanical gardens. Riverbanks is one of the largest midsized zoos in the United States and South Carolina’s leading destination attraction, drawing over a million visitors annually. The Zoo opened its gates to the public on April 25, 1974, and has continued for more than four decades to be a common place for people of
all ages to connect with and learn about the world’s wildlife. The mission of the Zoo is “to create meaningful connections and inspire actions that will have a lasting impact on conservation. [Riverbanks is] dedicated to providing the highest standards of care for our animals and plants, delivering a diverse educational and high-quality recreational experience for all Riverbanks visitors.”
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THE PROBLEM The leading problem with the current branding of Riverbanks is a lack of consistency and clarity. Many different typefaces are used throughout the park and on the website. Additionally, the primary typeface used in the branding is outdated and safari-esque. The color palette consists of dark blues and greens amongst varying shades of tan. While these colors and the primary typeface may coincide with the feeling of a zoo, they leave
much to be desired in terms of creating a welcoming and inviting environment for all ages. The website in particular lacks consistency in color use and typeface choices. These issues also come to life in the park, where consistency is almost nonexistent. All of these problems combine to create a brand in desperate need of a fresh start.
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CONCEPT The goal in creating a new typeface for the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden was to provide a functional typeface that maintained and corresponded with the atmosphere of the Zoo. Wanyama is intended to be welcoming and fun while still maintaining a level of sophistication in order to bridge the age span of visitors. This is especially important as the typeface will be used for both the Zoo and the Garden, attracting a wide variety of visitors.
The typeface also needed to be easily legible and able to be used throughout the park and on merchandise. Way-finding is an essential aspect of zoo branding, and signs need to be easily read by children to avoid confusion. Based on these goals, three adjectives were selected upon which to base the typeface. Those three adjectives were simple, childlike, and inviting.
simple CHIL D LI K E in v it ing 8
10 PROCESS
RESEARCH The development of Wanyama began with extensive research into the successful branding of childrelated institutes and organizations. This included other zoos, children’s museums, day cares, etc. Particular inspiration was drawn from typefaces like Futura, whose wide circular forms accentuate the childlike atmosphere of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. This research gave way to a study of the basic letter-forms that are used
to teach writing in early education, which yielded a wealth of information on the letter-forms most easily recognized by children. Additional inspiration was drawn from the typeface Avenir Next Bold, used for the World Children’s Festival, during this study. Together, this information paired with several other smaller studies laid the foundation for the development of a typeface fit for one of the nation’s highest ranking zoos.
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DEVELOPMENT The development of the letter-forms themselves progressed quickly following the research process and the making of several key decisions. Letter-forms were created based on the most basic form of each letter. They were then tweaked to create a cohesive style with added sophistication. Several majescule letter-forms were designed using a box approach, as can be seen on the left. This approach
allowed letter-forms to be sketched with an increased level of accuracy. All letter-forms with a circular component (O, G, b, c) were created using perfect circles to support the childlike aspect of the typeface. The development of these key elements then created a basis upon which all of the characters were built.
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EVOLUTION The evolution of many of the characters truly came to fruition during the digitalization process. Small but significant changes were made that brought the letter-forms together and solidified the style of the typeface. The majescule R in particular changed notably from the sketchbook to the final digital version. At each step new problems surfaced, requiring new solutions and forcing increased creativity.
The resulting final version is both soft and structured, sophisticated and childlike. Other characters including majescule S and W created additional problems to be solved, as well as all minuscule letters involving circles (a,b,p, etc.)
RR 16
R P V A BY structured curvilinear form
slightly slanted terminals
G C bqa O circular form
perfect circles
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20 SPECIMEN
A B C D E F G H I J K L M NOPQRST U V W X Y Z
a g n u
b h o v
c d e f i j k l m p q r s t w x y z 22
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
.
,
;
& ! + 24
26 TEST DRIVE
SOURCES
Page 6 https://www.ropescoursesinc.com/case-study/riverbanks-zoo-garden/ https://www.fitsnews.com/2016/08/10/thugocracy-at-riverbanks-zoo/ https://www.jcsarchitects.com/riverbanks-zoo-garden-2 https://twitter.com/riverbankszoo https://www.riverbanks.org All other images courtesy of Unsplash