Makara Peak Planting Guide

A third year visual communication design university project. This was a live brief where we worked in groups of 5 with a real client. I was put with a wonderful group, and together we developed an interactive Makara Peak planting guide.

Introduction: Makara Peak has a vision of protecting and restoring New Zealand’s native flora and fauna. Although Makara Peak users express interest in conservation work they are often drawn to the more enticing volunteer work of track building. Our challenge was to find a system to attract and commit volunteers to conservation work.

Objective: To educate, encourage, and help initiate the Wellington community to become involved in voluntary conservation work at Makara Peak. To help those involved develop a sense of achievement and confidence, and therefore continue to volunteer while also encouraging others to do so.

The document we designed holds all the information volunteers need to plant native trees correctly. It is designed to be used in the field, made of a paper stock called Never Tear which cannot be ripped or damaged by water (a very important feature in a wet and windy Wellington). It can be read as a booklet, held together with strong small magnets, or opened up to full length and pegged into the ground to show how far apart the trees need to be planted. This was our most important aspect to define, as planters often find it difficult to estimate an accurate metre, or get slack as the day goes on. The document can also be pivoted to show the two metre distance from the track that trees must be planted. The tactile element of the document is perfect for the adventurous and physical people in Makara’s target audience.

My main contribution beyond idea generation and experimentation was the botanical illustrations. The illustrations help users distinguish one plant species from another, as well as other helpful diagrams.

The Makara Pack team: Jemma Titheridge, Mark Cameron, Felicity Meade, Jak Charles, and Jadon McConnell.