Educational Videos

The $10m Trail of the Elephants environment is the latest push by Melbourne Zoo’s to display animals in real-life interactive settings, where humans can learn about animal behaviour, native habitat and key conservation issues.

In this program, we see how Trail of the Elephants involved the skills of specialists from landscape architects Green and Dale Associates, working closely with Melbourne Zoo’s own designers, researchers and animal husbandry experts. Their creative solution involved:

• master landscape and architectural planning;
• design development;
• design documentation;
• overall major building and site works;
• specialist building construction;
• and interpretive exhibition design and fitout.

Using candid interviews and extensive visual overlay of concept drawings through to scenes of the completed environment, this fascinating program gives students unique insights into areas such as:

• the methods used by Green and Dale Associates and Melbourne Zoo for inspiration in solving the Trail of the Elephants’ brief - such as gathering, analysing and organising visual and other information;
• the roles, relationships and work of specialist personnel in the overall visual communication production process;
• the range of decisions made by Green and Dale Associates and Melbourne Zoo about the choice of materials, production systems, media, design elements and principles in the production of visual communications for the Trail of the Elephants’ brief;
• and appraisal methods and processes used by Green and Dale Associates and Melbourne Zoo to refine and evaluate ideas in developing final presentations.

This program is an essential curriculum resource for students of:

• Visual Communication (VCE) Unit 1: Visual Communication; Unit 3: Visual communication practices; and Unit 4: Designing to a brief; and
• Design & Technology (HSC); Outcome H1.2 ‘Processes used by designers’.

The program is also an excellent learning resource for graphic design students at TAFE, VET, university and other tertiary sectors.

Two complementary programs produced by Media Australia are also available in this current Visual Communication & Design series:

• Product Design at Sunbeam Australia’s design headquarters, Sydney; and
• Information Design at Hoyne Design, for Tandou Agribusiness Limited.