The National Parks and Wildlife Service was seeking to update, refresh and provide a more engaging signage system to improve the organisation’s public image as a provider of experience tourism rather than a rational service provider.

Anne Gordon Design was chosen to design and produce a new Park Signage Manual to act as a state-wide document which would govern the design, manufacture, installation, procurement and maintenance of all signage to be found within any national park, regional park, marine park, nature reserve or conservation area throughout NSW. This successfully gave parks and reserves a new image and ensured that the signage owned by NPWS throughout the state was consistent in its design, placement and graphic principles.

The new sign family consisted of Entry signs, Information signs, Directional signs, Identification signs, Temporary signs and Statutory signs. 

Signs were designed to facilitate the public appreciation, inspiration and sustainable visitor use and enjoyment of the Parks. Statutory signage was designed to protect both visitors and the natural environment without being overwhelming or unnecessarily negative.

The final document was so comprehensive it was divided into 4 separate sections: 

The Manual (including Signage Planning and Strategy, Design Approach and Guidelines, Hierarchy of Sign Types, Symbols Catalogue, Materials Information, Maintenance and Industry Contacts)

Construction Sheets (technical specifications for the construction of all signs within the sign family – approximately 60 sign types in total)

Non-Statutory Graphical Layout Sheets (approximately 50 different layout options for the Entry, Identification, Directional and Temporary sign types)

Statutory Graphical Layout Sheets (over 80 pages presenting different layout options for the production of compliant statutory signage)

The procurement process drew upon a state-wide tender that invited signage manufacturers from all over NSW. We trained manufacturers to use the live file templates and artworks for all the graphic panels, symbols and logos catalogued in the manual. 

The entire document and technical documents are easily accessed online via the NPWS intranet enabling land managers and Park Rangers to easily organise their park signage, order their signs and access components for maintenance.