National Park Service
Visual Strategy Guide
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Visual Strategy Guide
Title of section
National Park Service
Visual Strategy Guide
National Park Service
Visual Strategy Guide
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Visual Strategy Guide
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
National Park Service
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02
Brand Overview
Brand Vision
012 About Us
020 Rebranding Objective
Our History
022 Our Mission 023 Keywords
016 Timeline
024 Who We Were 026 Who We Are
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Audience
Competition
030 Personas
040 Current Competitors 042 Adjacent Competitors 044 Aspirational Competitors
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014 Culture & Heritage
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Visual Strategy Guide
National Park Service
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” —John Muir
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Chapter one
National Park Service
01 Brand Overview About Us Our History Culture & Heritage Timeline
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Visual Strategy Guide
Brand Overview
National Park Service
About Us The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. It was created on August 25, 1916, by Congress through the National Park Service Organic Act.
Our History in 1872. Following this; naturalist, author, environmental philosopher John Muir urged the government to form a wilderness preservation act throughout the American West, this help create several more national parks and monuments. It wasn’t until 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson established the National Park Service in order to consolidate management of America’s federal parklands under one agency. Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of America’s national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, they safeguard these special places and enable more than 330 million visitors each year to share the beauty of these environments. They are involved with tribes, local governments, non-profit organizations, businesses, and individual citizens in helping to revitalize their communities, preserve local history, celebrate local heritage, and create close to home opportunities for kids and families to get outside, be active, and have fun.
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The U.S. Congress made Yellowstone America’s first national park
Brand Overview Visual Strategy Guide
Culture & Heritage Most Europeans and Americans prior to the nineteenth century viewed nature solely as a resource for food, clothing and shelter. In Europe, early attempts at nature preservation revolved around the efforts of wealthy landowners to conserve trees for timber and wildlife for hunting. While America’s national parks drew upon earlier examples of European woodland preservation, they were a uniquely American idea rooted in democracy, philosophy and art.
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Early travellers and writers, including John Muir, brought the wonders of the American West to those who had never seen them. Americans began to develop a sense of national pride about these wilderness areas, this lead to citizens advocating for the protection of these areas from commercial interest and development. The National Park Service today oversees 417 parks and monuments covering more than 84 million acres. We estimate that these sites help contribute around $35 million a year to the United States economy.
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Sequoia National Park, California, 1948. William J. Smith
Brand Overview Visual Strategy Guide
Timeline
1916 National Park Service established.
1920 One million annual visits to National Parks.
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1951 The National Park Service arrowhead was authorized as the official emblem. The sequoia tree and bison representing vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water representing scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead itself representing historical and archaeological values.
1956 For its 50th anniversary in 1966, NPS launches MISSION 66, a 10 year, 1 billion dollar program to upgrade national parks.
1964 Wilderness Act. Congress adopted a policy of securing wilderness areas for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
National Park Service
2019 The longest government shut-down in U.S. history left a third of National Parks completely closed.
2016 100 years of the National Park Service.
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2000 286 million annual visits to National Parks.
1972 San Francisco’s Golden Gate and New York’s Gateway national recreation areas established.
1969 Volunteers in the parks program to aid in interpretation functions or other visitor services or activities.
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Visual Strategy Guide
Brand Vision
National Park Service
02 Brand Vision Rebranding Objective Our Mission Keywords Who We Were Who We Are
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Brand Vision
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Rebranding Objective The National Park service is rich in history and proud of its heritage. The current mission focusses on preserving natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system, which is focused on the 417 parks. These parks are mostly situated outside of city environments, meaning they aren’t as easily accessible for inner city inhabitants. Therefore we will create opportunities, spaces and develop resources for urban city environments in order for people to connect with our brand. These connections will educate, preserve positively effect our lives and ecosystem.
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and promote discovery of nature, whilst empowering how it can
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Our Mission
“Connect with the next generation in order to increase longevity, preserve and maintain our natures heritage by facilitating learning and discovery.�
National Park Service
Keywords
Discovery Pushing our brand forward into a new dimension is going to push the notion of discovery to new levels.
Heritage
Preservation We are responsible for the environments we live inand are surrounded by. Therefore making a conscious effort to pass these on to the future generation is important to us.
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Our heritage is important to us; passing our legacy to the next generation will help maintain our brand awareness and profile.
Brand Vision Visual Strategy Guide
Who We Were The current brand is heavily focussed on the raw landscapes and wildernesses that are scattered around the nation. The experiences created are only made in natural environments which means the current brand visualisation promotes
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a generic outdoor aesthetic.
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Brand Vision
National Park Service
Who We Are The future of the National Park Service exists to develop and integrate a connection with natural environments into urban city environments. The new direction will see city spaces thrive with nature, creating connections with future generations in order to inspire, educate and help preserve the heritage our brand.
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Audience
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Audience Personas
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Audience Visual Strategy Guide
The Explorer Simon Jones 46 years old Male Lawyer • Enjoys reading maps instead of using mobile GPS whilst hiking in order to learn more about his environments
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and landscapes. • Avid photographer in his free time, documenting his outdoor adventures and trips across the country. • His career is very time consuming and tiring so getting out and exploring at the weekends is very important for his mental state. • Enjoys being alone because he is surrounded by people at work all week. • Keeping fit and active is important to him, hiking and running are a great release at the weekends. • Supports local brands because he is passionate about giving back to America. • Loves to find new routes or trails because he enjoys the feeling that they are less explored and untouched.
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The Family Man Akito Nakamura 33 years old Male Teacher • Akito is a geography teacher at a local high school. • Father of a young family, who is currently on paternity leave, he therefore has time to take the children out • His family are very proud of their home and are active members in their local community. • Has two children, a boy aged six and a girl aged two who keep him very busy and active. • He lives in the outskirts of Modesto, CA. Close to Yosemite National Park which he frequently visits with his family. • In order to plan his lessons he teaches he likes to find real world examples, and often visits Yosemite National Park to seek inspiration. • Teaching has been his passion since high school because he loves seeing people succeed and grow.
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to explore.
Audience Visual Strategy Guide
Outdoor Enthusiast Joe Bradley 64 years old Female Retired • Retired from her career as a pharmacist. • Loves spending time in her garden, exploring different
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plant species and ways to make her garden look unique. • She enjoys routine and likes to plan her weeks to stay busy and make the most of her time. • She is married with no kids or pets, meaning she has the freedom to go on weekends away and various vacations throughout the year. • Always prefers to travel by car/bus/train because she is nervous flyer. • Travelling helps inspire her hobby of gardening; often taking photos of the nature she sees on her phone. • Enjoys discovering places that aren’t densely populated by tourists as she enjoys to soak in silence and peace.
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The Student Annie Young 18 years old Female Student • Recently graduated high school and is on summer vacation until college begins in the fall. • Her friendship group are really close and often go away • She enjoys adventure and being amongst nature because it is a release from technology, social media and her busy school life. • Has a passion for making videos, especially documenting her life and trips with her friends. • Plans to go to art school to help quick start her career; therefore creating videos is a great way to build her portfolio before her interview. • Her father is a cinematographer and she has grown up watching him work and has often travelled with him on certain projects. • Very active on social media and sees it as a great way to inspire her work and help plan her future trips with her friends.
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on trips together.
Audience Visual Strategy Guide
The Climber Tom Scott 27 years old Male Professional climber • Left his family home recently to further pursue his climbing career and is currently living in an RV and travelling
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the country. • Finds peace when he is within nature, particularly when climbing in new places. • Documents his climbing and adventures using a GoPro because it is versatile and portable. • He is single and enjoys spending time alone but has a close circle of friends who all share the same passion for the outdoors and climbing. • Healthy eating is part of being a professional athlete, something he takes seriously. • Conscious of his impact on the earth; he therefore tries to recycle and reuse as much as possible. • Although he loves being outdoors he enjoys listening to music on challenging climbs to boost his adrenaline.
National Park Service
Active Weekender Hava Browne 31 years old Female Personal trainer • Recently qualified personal trainer and works at a local gym whilst also being a trained yoga teacher. • Very active individual, loves to run and cycle at the week• She enjoys to practice yoga outside and often goes to her local park to help her relax after a long week of work. • She posts a lot of her fitness and lifestyle activities on her Instagram page which has a large following. • She has a fiancé who is also a personal trainer, they share a love for exercising at the weekends, particularly exploring the mountains on their bikes. • Has aspirations of creating her own fitness studio that incorporates yoga and personal training as she’s always dreamed of being her own boss. • Enjoys weekend retreats to cabins in mountain ranges as they are often quiet and unique from her weekly schedule.
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ends around the mountains near her town.
Audience Visual Strategy Guide
The Tourist Zahid Khan 52 years old Male Web designer • Visiting the west coast with his wife and two children, hiring a car to explore the sights, cities and National Parks.
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• His children are both at university in the U.K. and have the summer off, meaning they have time to explore as a family. • Exploring and photographing the popular and famous sights and landmarks. • Plans and structure are important to him as his job is requires him to hit demanding deadlines. • Working on family holidays is normally a regular occurrence, he therefore requires wifi in all of the places they stay at. • He often buys the latest new technology out on the market as he enjoys to be in the know of new advancements. • No expense spared on his holidays, he enjoys going on one big trip a year and does not hold back on the cost.
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The Photographer Florence Harvey 43 years old Female Photographer • Specialises in landscape and nature photography, often selling work to big newspapers and magazines. • Enjoys investing time in location scouting in order to make ise in the same area. • Her work pushes the notion of stereotypical landscape and nature photography. • Loves to go where others won’t and have not been in order to capture unique shots. • Lives in downtown San Francisco, she therefore travels long distances in order to connect with nature. • Often submits work to various exhibitions in the city in order to get her name out there. • Enjoys regular trips to the SF MoMA to stay informed with current art and culture, as well as broadening her inspiration.
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her work stand out from other photographers who special-
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Visual Strategy Guide
Competition
National Park Service
04 Competition Current Competitors Adjacent Competitors Aspirational Competitors
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Competition Visual Strategy Guide 040
Current Competitors Our current competitors are a mixture of federal agencies and popular outdoor attractions.
National Park Service
Disney Parks
U.S Geological Survey
Walt Disney World and Disney World, is an
The United States Geological Survey is
entertainment complex. They comprise
a scientific agency of the United States
of theme parks, two water parks, twenty
government. The scientists of the USGS
seven themed resort hotels, nine non-Dis-
study the landscape of the United States, its
ney hotels, several golf courses, a camping
natural resources, and the natural hazards
resort, and other entertainment venues.
that threaten it.
U.S Forest Service
Museum of Modern Art
The United States Forest Service is an
Museum of Modern Art is a modern art
agency of the U.S. Department of Agri-
museum. A non-profit organization, MoMA holds a internationally recognized collec-
national forests and 20 national grasslands,
tions of modern and contemporary art.
which encompass 193 million acres.
Bureau of Land Management Six Flags
The Bureau of Land Management is an
Six Flags, is an amusement park corpo-
agency within the United States Depart-
ration based in the United States, with
ment of the Interior that administers more
properties in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
than 247.3 million acres of public lands in
It is the largest amusement park company
the United States which constitutes one-
in the world,
eighth of the landmass of the country
U.S Department of the Interior
Natural Resources Conservation Service
The United States Department of the
Natural Resources Conservation Service,
Interior (DOI) is the United States federal
is an agency of the United States Depart-
executive department of the U.S. govern-
ment of Agriculture that provides technical
ment responsible for the management and
assistance to farmers and other private
conservation of most federal lands and
landowners and managers.
natural resources.
U.S Environmental Protection Agency Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Environmental Protection Agency protects
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is
human health and the environment by
a non-profit organization dedicated to the
writing and enforcing regulations based on
advancement of zoos and aquariums in the
laws passed by Congress.
areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. They represents more than 230 institutions in the United States.
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culture that administers the nation's 154
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Adjacent Competitors These competitors are working with companies and the government to preserve and protect our environment.
National Park Service
American Institute for Conservation
Greenpeace
The American Institute for Conservation
Greenpeace is a non-governmental envi-
(AIC) is a national membership organization
ronmental organization which helps to
of conservation professionals, head-quar-
ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life
tered in Washington D.C.
in all its diversity. It focuses its campaigning on worldwide issues such as climate
Wipro EcoEnergy Wipro EcoEnergy offer intelligent and sustainable solutions for enterprise-wide
change, deforestation and overfishing.
National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation, Ameri-
ment. They partner with companies to help
ca’s largest and most trusted conservation
them reduce their carbon footprints and
organization, works across the country to
energy wastage.
unite Americans from all walks of life in giving wildlife a voice.
National Parks Conservation Association The National Parks Conservation Associ-
Sierra Club
ation mission is “to protect and enhance
The Sierra Club is the most enduring and
America’s National Park System for present
influential grassroots environmental
and future generations.”
organization in the United States. They are
World Wide Fund
tecting the environment for everyone.
dedicated to exploring, enjoying, and pro-
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organ-
The Nature Conservancy
ization founded in 1961, working in the
The Nature Conservancy is a charitable
field of the wilderness preservation, and
environmental organization, headquar-
the reduction of human impact on the
tered in Arlington, Virginia, United States.
environment.
Its mission is to “conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.”
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The Nature Conservancy
The International Union for Conservation
Defenders of Wildlife is a 501 non-profit
of Nature is an international organization
conservation organization based in the
working in the field of nature conservation
United States. Its mission is to protect all
and sustainable use of natural resources.
native animals and plants throughout North America in their natural communities.
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energy operations and efficiency manage-
Competition Visual Strategy Guide 044
Aspirational Competitors My future competitors are driven by educating and promoting people about developing sustainable environments.
National Park Service
American Institute for Conservation
Our Planet
The U.S. Green Building Councils a
Patagonia is a leader in environmental and
non-profit organization that promotes sus-
social responsibility on many fronts. “Build
tainability in building design, construction,
the best product, cause no unnecessary
and operation.
harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis”
Urban Land Institute The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit research and education organization.
Foundation for Environmental Education
Its stated mission is “to provide leadership
The Foundation for Environmental Edu-
in the responsible use of land and in
cation is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation promoting sustainable
ties worldwide.”
development through environmental education.
National Geographic National Geographic is committed to exploring and protecting our planet. They fund research and conservation projects around the world and inspire new generations through education initiatives and resources.
Our Planet Our Planet is a global event that reminds us we’re all on one team. It is an upcoming 2019 nature documentary series made for Netflix in collaboration with Silverback Productions and WWF—featuring nature stories, grounded in the best science, and highlighting the most pressing challenges facing nature today.
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creating and sustaining thriving communi-
Course_Nature of Identity Instructor_Hunter Wimmer Image Source_Unsplash, National Park Service, Washington Post. Article Source_National Park Service, NPS History, Library of Congress, Wikipedia, Time.