Biscoe Gray Heritage Farm, Calvert County, MD
My Role: Art Direction & Design, Art Production
Duration: 4 weeks
Deliverables: Interpretive Signage Graphics, Park Site Signage Specifications, Park Brochure & Map
Biscoe Gray Heritage Farm, located in Calvert County, MD is a historical settlement rich with natural and historical resources. It showcases settlements through the ages - from Native American transitory to a small colonial farming site to 20th-century tobacco farming. The historical park offers lessons, equestrian trails, nature exploration, and educational programs. As part of their Master Plan for Development, the park wanted to install site signage, display interpretive signs throughout the park grounds, and get a brochure to promote historical preservation and education.
The Park Signage
The site signage design features unfinished wood posts and wrought iron brackets that aim to integrate the signage with the old-timey buildings in the park. For the interpretive signage and trail map, we specified an embedded print that offers resistance from scratches and the weather elements. The final deliverables included handing off detailed specifications for fabrication and installation.
Making it stand out
The Biscoe Gray Heritage Farm had a goal to create a place where children and youth can explore, understand, and experience Native American transitory settlement, small-scale colonial farming, sustainable farming efforts, and a variety of ecosystems. As part of this effort, I created a variety of interpretive signage. which enhanced the visitor experience by providing engagement points throughout the facilities and landscape.
Designing the Brochure
The client provided a folder of digital images and text and left the design process to me. The project constraints were a short time frame and no budget for professional photography. I had already worked on the site signage and interpretive sign layouts, so I embraced the creative freedom and the limitations and built upon the established typography and color schemes. When the client reviewed the initial brochure concept, they were so excited and had only minor changes.
Key Takeaways
The Biscoe Gray park site was really far away, otherwise, I could have requested an on-site visit for an impromptu photoshoot. I learned that I loved working within constraints! It didn’t feel limiting, but on the contrary, it was an opportunity to get it right as quickly as possible.