Exploring Visual Formats for Nature Conservation
After completing my master's in 2023, where I focused on optimizing signage in national parks, I was left with the desire to further explore visual and interactive formats that are both effective and engaging for communicating various aspects of conservation. My goal was to understand how visual design can contribute to protecting nature and to explore new ways to achieve this.
To bring this idea to life, I had the opportunity to join the mentorship program at Creature Conserve , where I’ve received support to address these questions. At the same time, I began a collaboration with the Urban Productive Ecosystems (UPE) Group at the Technical University of Munich , who showed great enthusiasm for the topic and offered their support to work on joint projects. This led me to focus my efforts on communicating about wild bees in urban areas.
How to define and test different formats?
First, I’d like to share the process I followed to select and develop the current projects. This journey includes key steps that I believe are important when designing communication strategies for natural conservation.
Immersing myself in the topic: The first step was to gain an understanding of the research that the UPE team was conducting on wild bees. I attended presentations they gave and read various scientific articles that helped me build a foundation of knowledge on the subject.
Generating innovative ideas: Next, I conducted a workshop with the UPE team to evaluate previously used communication formats, generate new ideas, and prioritize them. I applied a rapid ideation methodology that resulted in over 80 proposals. These ideas were filtered based on their connection to illustration, their feasibility for prototyping, and their potential to engage with the public. Finally, we selected three formats to explore: a comic, a board game, and interactive panels in a garden.
Developing prototypes: Each of the three formats was developed within specific groups through meetings where we defined objectives, target audiences, and content. From these discussions, I created initial prototypes to visualize the ideas simply and understand their purpose and content.
Testing with diverse participants: As part of the process, I conducted a workshop in the Ecological Education Center (?BZ) in Munich to test the prototypes with 20 participants from various backgrounds: residents near gardens, artists, environmental educators, students, and academics. During the workshop, I presented each prototype, explained its purpose, and asked questions to assess its clarity, appeal, and effectiveness. The feedback I received was invaluable, and I’m now in the phase of integrating it into the projects.
Reflections on the explored visual and interactive formats
Although the three projects are still in development, I’ve been able to reflect on the potential of each format beyond the content they communicate. These observations, complemented by feedback from the workshop, highlight the roles these formats can play in different conservation contexts.
Comic: Communicating through visual narrative
The comic format holds significant potential for condensing complex information into an accessible and engaging form. Its main strength lies in the use of narrative, which makes the content more memorable and relatable. During the workshop, participants highlighted specific scenes they remembered because they felt an emotional connection or related them to personal experiences. This reinforces the comic’s ability to generate empathy and facilitate understanding of scientific topics for diverse audiences.
However, this format also presents challenges. One is finding the balance between humanizing species to foster connection while maintaining scientific accuracy. Additionally, the narrative must be clear and resolve all key ideas addressed in the story to ensure readers fully understand the message and take actionable steps.
So far, I believe the comic has the potential to be an effective tool for science communication, offering a visually appealing and approachable format for a wide range of readers.
Board Game: Learning through action
A board game provides a participatory experience that promotes learning through interaction and action. It has the potential to introduce complex concepts in a playful way, allowing players to explore dynamics and relationships, such as the interactions between plants and pollinators, without the need for direct explanations.
Nevertheless, its design presents some challenges: on one hand, finding the balance between entertainment and education. A game that is too educational might feel tedious, while one that focuses solely on entertainment could dilute the educational message. Adjusting the game’s difficulty is also essential; a game that’s too complex could discourage players, while one that’s too simple might fail to engage. Testing the prototype has been key for refining mechanics and ensuring the game conveys its message effectively while keeping players interested.
What makes this format unique is its ability to reach audiences beyond the conservation niche. Board games are often shared in family or social settings, expanding their potential reach. Additionally, the repetition inherent to gameplay helps reinforce concepts unconsciously, making it a powerful educational tool.
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Interactive Panels: Communication in a natural setting
Interactive panels aim to communicate information directly within a given context, such as a garden or natural area. To be effective, their design must quickly capture attention, especially since visitors in outdoor spaces are often on the move and not planning to stop for long. To achieve this, the design should combine eye-catching visuals with clear and concise text to facilitate understanding. The visuals should be informative on their own, while the text serves to complement. When there are multiple panels forming a series, it’s also important to ensure coherence and connection between the information presented. This unified presentation helps people connect ideas and understand the content more easily.
Encouraging people to move from being drawn to the panel, to understanding, accepting, and retaining the information, and eventually taking specific actions, requires making the content relevant to them. This means explaining why the content matters, its impact on their daily lives, and what concrete actions they can take to support the goal of the message.
The inclusion of interactive elements adds a unique dimension I’m currently evaluating. Allowing people to do something instead of merely receiving information provides an opportunity to explore concepts actively, enriching the experience and potentially improving information retention. For instance, activities involving moving pieces, pressing buttons, or participating in small games can transform a panel into an engaging and educational tool.
Conclusion: Final reflections
Each format has unique strengths depending on the purpose and audience. The comic stands out for its ability to create emotional connections and make complex topics accessible. The board game allows for dynamic, social learning, while the interactive panels offer direct communication in natural settings.
A key lesson from this process has been the importance of testing prototypes with end users before implementing them. These tests not only provide valuable feedback but also confirm whether the chosen format is the most effective for achieving the intended goals. Success lies in designing with purpose, testing with empathy, and being willing to adapt to the needs of the audience.
The three projects are progressing: the comic is expected to be ready in March of this year, the board game is still being tested as we seek interested publishers, and for the interactive panels, we are exploring potential funding opportunities.
I want to finish saying I am absolutely grateful of everyone who has been supporting these projects, and I’m excited to see how these initiatives evolve and will continue sharing my learnings along the way.
You can also read this article directly on my Blog and see more photos of this project: Valentina Arros - Natural Science Illustration
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Collaborators of this project: