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Sedgwick County Zoo

Employment Projects

I've been proudly employed at the Sedgwick County Zoo since April 2022, working as an assistant graphic designer for the graphics department, helping to make, install, and maintain signs and exhibits.

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Getting to work on such a breadth of different projects at the zoo has been invaluable for me, letting me gain experience in so many different facets of applied graphic design, both in real public and administrative environments.

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These are just a few of the larger projects/displays that I either created or was a major part in the making of.

A Dog Called Circus

Working with the group Painted Dog Research Trust, I have been helping to edit and produce a children's book written by the conservationist founder of the organization, Dr. Greg Rasmussen.

This project has taught me so much more about layout design, text editing, media printing requirements, and most importantly, to not allow perceived boundaries of another's first draft to stifle my own creative experimentation. It has been an enjoyably challenging project, and I hope to get to see the published product.

Chemical Labeling System

With how many chemical products are needed in a facility such as Zoo, keeping things organized is important. The chemical labeling system I helped develop was made with both consistency and the needs of the animal departments in mind. Working with the veterinary department, I worked toward the goal of homogenizing the labeling of all relevant chemicals in the zoo's animal areas.

To streamline the process, I designed a PDF form that could be easily distributed to the departments to more efficiently gather the information needed for labeling, which I made sure were in line with proper chemical safety procedures.

zoo pals

Zoo Pals is an animal sponsorship program, which I had the privilege to update the original designs of.

Modernizing the overly-themed classic signs allowed me to contribute in leaving my mark on the evolution and streamlining of the Zoo's branding style that I can be proud of. 

Vehicle Branding

When I joined, many of the vehicles in the Zoo's fleet were still branded with the old logo. It was my job to produce and apply updated vinyl decals to fit the different vehicles, be they trucks, vans, or golf carts.

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The most Interesting was our veterinary department's van. Designing to its particular surface size constraints was a good challenge, and designing the caduceus using SCZ's branded colours was one of my favorite graphics projects I got the chance to do.

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The updating of decals and naming on Zoo's golf carts were another large undertaking of mine, As the branding on many was damaged or outdated. I also created and maintained a detailed list of the nearly one hundred carts in use by all areas and departments.

Other Projects

Some other notable projects I worked on were creating our boat dock signage, designing and implementing a new style of office nameplates for our admin areas, creating wayfinding restroom signs, and paining a new donation box.

I learned so much from working on all of these different kinds of projects. Each one taught me valuable lessons on iteration, design, and execution.

© 2024 by Ian Rhoten.

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