Red Oak Rain Garden
During my internship with Illinois Sea Grant and Illinois Extension, I designed a visitor-facing brochure for the Red Oak Rain Garden at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. The project focused on translating environmental and scientific information into a clear, engaging educational resource that helps visitors understand the garden’s purpose, layout, and native plant species while aligning with university branding standards.
Year
2025
Industry
Environmental Design / Education
Role
Design Intern
Challenge
Existing visitor materials were text-heavy and lacked a cohesive visual system, making them difficult to scan and engage with on-site.
Information about plant species, garden zones, and ecological purpose was not easily accessible to visitors unfamiliar with native plants.
The brochure needed to be designed within strict University of Illinois branding guidelines, limiting flexibility while requiring clarity and appeal.
The project required balancing education, navigation, and storytelling for a diverse audience with varying levels of environmental knowledge.
Solution
Visual Hierarchy: Used photography, icons, and color coding to organize plant species by garden zone (bank, slope, basin), allowing visitors to quickly identify and compare information.
University Branding: Applied official University of Illinois typography, color standards, and layout systems to ensure consistency across outreach and educational materials.
Print Accessibility: Designed with legibility and print optimization in mind, using high contrast, clear typography, and balanced spacing to support easy on-site reading.
Impact
The brochure is now distributed to visitors and actively used in educational programming at the Red Oak Rain Garden.
Improved clarity and organisation made the garden more approachable and informative for a broad audience.
Received positive feedback from staff and visitors for its readability, visual clarity, and professional presentation.
Strengthened the visual connection between the garden and the University’s sustainability and environmental education initiatives.
Deliverables
Printed brochure design and digital version for online access
Custom plant and garden layout illustrations
Photography selection and image retouching
Print production files prepared according to university branding standards
