National Park Service Giving Space

Academy of Art University 2020 Spring Show Best in Show Award

A conceptual redesign focused on modernizing the National Park Service visitor experience through a scalable brand and communication system.

Print ads

Refreshed identity direction

Outdoor signage

Web mockups

Digital campaigns

Why are we doing this campaign

The National Park Service protects and looks after all national parks, conservation, and historical monuments across the United States. How can we help them raise awareness and educate visitors to behave accordingly and appreciate these lands?

“Most visitors just don’t know how to behave in a wild place” - The Guardian. There are visitors who still jeopardize themselves and/or wildlife, illegal drone flyers, 90% increase in vehicle accidents, and 30% increase in searches and rescues; all while budgets remain the same, or worse, being cut.

Challenge

Create a campaign to educate and raise awareness towards appreciating and protecting our public land by giving them time to heal and recover.

Balance heritage and trust while introducing a cleaner, more usable visual identity across physical and digital touchpoints.

Big Idea

Reduce the number of visitors on the highest month of the year by annually closing all parks across the U.S. on every third week of July, starting in 2020.