I had the great experience of melding a project I started as a river conservationist many years ago with my more recent career as a graphic artist. Working with the Western Slope Conservation Center (WSCC) on interpretive sign design for the Paonia River Park was a true homecoming. We chose fascinating aspects of the park and turned them into educational concepts dappled with hand-painted water color illustrations.

Another request from the client was to use timeless photography that wouldn’t look dated or out of style down the road. To this end, I researched and worked with the local historical societies to find images of the area that compliment the theme of each sign.

In addition, I developed the style guide for this project that will be used for designing signage for public access points within the rest of the river system.