SEGD 2010 No. 27 - 67

I n the mid-1800s, as more and more Americans made their way West, a few intrepid souls found themselves in a place called Yellowstone. Long known to American Indians (“Yellowstone” is thought to be a translation of the Minnetaree words for “rock yellow river”), this mysterious place of bubbling cauldrons and steaming geysers quickly caught the attention of others back East. In 1871, Yellowstone became a national park. In 1916, the National Park Service was created. Today, as it nears its 100th anniversary, the National Park Service cares for 392 parks that include many of America’s most important natural and cultural treasures. For most of its history, the NPS gave little attention to its visual image, content to convey its identity with a logo unchanged since 1952 and the ranger’s ﬂat hat. There was little reason to worry about public perception of the agency (it has always ranked high in opinion polls) and certainly no need to change its look or to distinguish it from other agencies. Occasional confusion by the public (“Smokey Bear” works ﬁrst time) to set forth a clearer, stronger, and more distinctive graphic identity for the agency. In Spring 2000, the NPS received bids from ﬁrms interested in helping it develop identity standards. It considered bids from several large and well known studios, but in the end the assignment went to Dennis|Konetzka|Design Group (DKDG), a small ﬁrm in Washington, D.C. DKDG was selected on the strength of the standards it had recently created for the U.S. Geological Survey, and for its willingness to deal with the frustrations that often come with working with a public client—including in this case a very short deadline. (NPS leaders wanted to begin rollout at a September conference.) The ﬁrm had never worked with the National Park Service, but principals Michael Dennis and Mike Konetzka instinctively understood that what the project needed most was a measure of restraint. They realized that NPS was a conservative organization (both by charter and by tradition) whose staff had little tolerance for National Treasure With the help of a graphic identity that reflects the National Park Service mission, “America’s best idea” keeps getting better. BY PHIL MUSSELWHITE for the Forest Service) was regarded with polite amusement. But in recent years, as budgets declined and competition for congressional attention increased, NPS leaders began to understand the need to distinguish the agency from others with sometimes similar missions and often overlapping constituencies. Realizing the need the “slick corporate look” they feared might be proposed. This, and the high public regard for the agency, suggested that a new look was not needed. Instead, the task would be to build on the various design traditions that had emerged within the NPS over its 100-year history. There was a lot to build on. Looking to the past In 1999, the National Park Foundation (the ofﬁcial charity of America’s national parks), with the help of Ogilvy Public Relations, conducted focus groups as part of an effort to market a national park pass. Not surprisingly, the data showed continued public approval of the National Park Service. But it also revealed that, while public approval remained high, public understanding was low. Americans did not understand the breadth of the NPS mission, and perhaps more importantly, did not know why the mission should matter to them. Ogilvy suggested a number of ways to address this issue. A primary recommendation was to create design standards (for the Although never codiﬁed or consciously managed, the distinctive NPS public image emanated primarily from three visual components: its park rangers’ attire, its architecture, and its distinctive arrowhead logo. National Park rangers are well known for their ﬂat-brimmed hats. But the hat is not what sets them apart visually. (The same style is worn by Royal Canadian Mounted Police and many state troopers, and even Smokey Bear.) The most distinctive aspect of the NPS uniform is its gray and green color, introduced with the Uniform Regulations of 1920. Little has changed since then. Rangers now wear shoes, trousers, and skirts instead of boots and segdDESIGN 67
SEGD 2010 No. 27

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEGD 2010 No. 27
