For this assignment I will be creating a billboard for The Toledo Zoo. I did an internship with them a couple years ago and I’ve been employed there for 5 straight years, so it’s a real point of interest for me. Normally I wouldn’t choose this type of subject (one that I’ve already experienced in an internship) but I was never able to work on a billboard design (as they usually don’t do that type of work in-house) an I think I have a perspective on the zoo that could be well expressed in a billboard.

The Toledo Zoo has been focusing massively on younger audiences, capitalizing on the fact that they were once rated one of the nation’s best children’s zoos (though they omit the word “children’s” the vast majority of the time, as to strengthen the grandeur of the award). This audience allows them to appeal to two different audiences in order to reach the same outcome: children and their parents. While it’s true, The Toledo Zoo is a popular area attraction and brings in a good number of young couples, company outings, school groups, tourists, etc., their main focus on an annual basis is the kids. They hold special events to bring in the adults (Summer Concert Series, Rock ‘n Roar, Vineyard Adventures, Zoo Brew, Halloween Adventure, ZOOtoDO), but these only account for a few days out of ever year.

In any case, there is one time of the year that attracts all ages. The theme is evenly balanced, not too focused around children, and not too focused around adults. I’m referring to, of course, Lights Before Christmas. However, this season is not without its limitations. There is quite a bit less to see, and the majority of animals are no longer on display (with exception to indoor viewing areas, which is exclusive to the Aviary, Aquarium, Reptile House, Elephant Enclosure, Giraffe Enclosure, etc.). It is important to note that Lights Before Christmas is separate from normal hours of operation – the zoo is open during the day 10am – 5pm, and LBC is from 5pm – 9pm (1opm on Friday thru Sunday). Another hindrance of attendance is bad/cold weather, but when the weather is nice attendance skyrockets and crowds become an issue. Finally, the last important limitation of Lights Before Christmas is the decreased rate of re-attendance. While during the Summer you can visit the zoo numerous times and always see something different, during LBC it is usually dark outside and, paired with the decreased number of animals on exhibit, there is less to see.

Getting to the point: I will be advertising the Lights Before Christmas event for The Toledo Zoo. It is a fairly unique event to the area, and while many other zoos feature similar events (a simple Google search will yield many results), LBC at The Toledo Zoo is a keystone holiday event in Northwest Ohio, Lower Michigan, and Northeast Indiana. The inclusion of tourists as part of this audience is not as important during LBC so, in order to focus my efforts, I’ll be ignoring appeal to markets outside the local area, and this billboard will only be displayed locally.

To be more specific, I will be targeting both demographically and geographically. Geographically, because the local area is my target, as they are the most likely to actually attend LBC at the zoo. Demographically, because I am mainly targeting families (however, I will not do this in a way that excludes other important demographic).

Below are a few examples I was able to find, though holiday-specific billboards were difficult to find (and not yet being put up around the area).

(This last one is just for kicks – it’s a dynamic billboard, but the message
[Fun for all ages!] does absolutely nothing to tie in with the design)

Consistent theme? Animals. There seems to be an even mixture of photographic images and vector/paintings of animals. Considering that the zoo is home to numerous different animals, there are numerous different clever references to be made. In the last image, the snake is coiling around the sign, and the text is stylized in a way that gives dimension. Vivid, detailed, stunning photographs of animals allow the opportunity for great impact with few words – they speak for themselves; beautiful, ferocious, intense, wild, graceful, etc.