BC Parks Foundation

Tsútswecw Provincial Park

The BC Parks Foundation worked with Dan Trobak to create interpretive and interactive signage for our Story Trail in Tsútswecw Park in the Shuswap area. Dan was incredibly professional, prompt and helpful over the course of the creative process, and the final product was above and beyond our expectations. Dan took our vision for the signage and made the artwork beautiful, easy for visitors to understand and exactly on brand. We were thrilled with the quality of materials, design and finishing of all the signs Interpret Design produced for us and would recommend them for anyone looking for interpretive signage or creative work.

– Colleen Dunbar, Communications & Marketing Manager

I worked with the BC Parks Foundation to help them develop innovative signage for this new project. They were looking for a way to incorporate interactive audio into a self-guided interpretive trail. This trail allows visitors to hear students from Chase Secondary School’s Secwépemctsin language class tell stories about the native plants and the rich history of the land.

The project was to design 2 larger informational signs at the trailhead and the end of the trail. As well as a series of small sign panels that would contain a QR code to launch the interactive audio features.

After consulting the BC Parks Foundations Brand Guidlines I came up with the idea of cutting the larger aluminum signs to a custom 5 sided shape. This aligns with their brand identity and ads visual interest to the signs. I also designed a custom map of the trail, again using the brand colours to add interest and consistency. The result is a modern looking sign, something a bit different than the usual rectangle with small photos and too much text.

The QR panels were laser engraved onto a black aluminum material to provide a durable outdoor solution. The signs include a QR code as well as the name of the plant in both languages. The panels were custom cut to shape and mounted at an angle on top of wooden posts. The mounting system and the black colour of the panels makes them very unobtrusive to the natural environment.

The larger aluminum signs and the QR panels were cut to cutom shape using CNC waterjet digital fabrication techniques.  

This project was part of the BC Parks Foundation’s Discover Parks project. The goal of Discover Parks is to bring together art, technology and culture to help connect people to nature. This Includes self guided trails that will help spread the word about stewardship and provide engaging experiences for park visitors. These signs help to create unique and authentic visitor experiences that can help transfer knowledge between generations while building pride and stewardship in our parks.

I am proud to have had a part in the launch of BC’s first Story Trail earlier this year.