Island in the Sky
Canyonlands National Park in Utah is split into four different districts. Island in the Sky, one of these districts, sits on a mesa above the others and has a visitor center that is open year-round.
This project was done as part of the EDX Exhibits design team. I was the graphic designer on the team responsible for a redesign of the exhibits at the Island in the Sky visitor center. The exhibits touch on all four districts of the park, as well as interpret the geology, ecology, and cultural stories of the land.
An overview of the main exhibit space.
Exhibits include custom murals from a commissioned artist.
Freestanding dioramas provide opportunities for tactiles and interactive elements.
One of the anchoring points of the exhibits is a a large, six-sided tactile map of the park, surrounded on each side by angled reading rails.
We were able to take advantage of a wonderful collection of photography at the park, so the graphics showcased photography wherever possible and used cutout shapes to highlight the gorgeous rock features at Canyonlands.
The exhibits included a herbarium with individual cards for many of the plants commonly seen at Canyonlands. Each card had a large photo on the front and a closeup detail with more information on the back. The park staff plans to rotate these cards seasonally so that visitors will be able to learn more about plants that they have spotted while hiking or camping in the park.
The team designed hanging banners for the ceiling of the building so that we could include more photographs of scenes, plants, and animals from around the park.