(New) Signs of the Times

We’re pleased to announce that our new signs have arrived and been installed in the BioWorks Butterfly Garden and Flight Encounter Exhibit! These signs are the result of nearly two years’ worth of work and collaboration, and were made possible by a generous grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District (known affectionately around these parts as “Swiftmud”). Our 16 new signs replace those that have been in place for five to ten years and were showing plenty of wear and tear, as you can see in this “Before and After” shot…

 
The new signs were designed here at MOSI, with research compiled by the BioWorks staff and graphic design by our talented Creative Director Teresa Silva. The photos and artwork were almost entirely supplied by BioWorks staff, with many of the photos taken right here on site and botanical illustrations by BioWorks curator Kristen Gilpin. The fresh new style of the signs was created to draw to mind a field researcher’s notebook, and the crisp colors and images really catch the eye and draw in our guests.

The signs are aluminum, and were printed by Systeme Huntington, Inc. using the ALTO process, which embeds the graphics in powder coat through heat and vacuum. This environmentally-friendly process creates amazing color accuracy and crisp images, and the signs are warranted against fading and other damage for 10 years, even in bright sunlight and outdoor conditions.

Although our new signs provide a great deal of information, we know our visitors may still want to know more, so many of our signs include a QR code like the one at the right. Guests can use their smartphones to scan the codes, which link to pages on the MOSI website with more details on that sign’s topic. We’re proud to be giving our guests new ways to interact with the exhibit and MOSI in general.

We hope you’ll stop by and check out the new signs, located throughout the BioWorks exhibit. We extend our sincere appreciation to SWFWMD, Teresa Silva, MOSI Facilities staff Kevin and Dan who installed the signs, and BioWorks staff and volunteers who provided the research and images!