THE SOUNDS OF WHITE BAY 

Encouraging conservation by facilitating play

   

YEAR

2025

CLIENTS

(UTS Industry Partners)
Placemaking NSW
Indigenous Institute For Designing with Country

SCOPE

Wayfinding Design
Placemaking
Illustration
Typography
Storytelling

BRIEF

Guided by the Bays West Connecting with Country Project, this student brief asked us to design environmental graphics and wayfinding concepts for Bays West that encourage residents and visitors to care for and contribute to the regeneration of Wangal Country.

RESPONSE

I designed a series of ground and bollard graphics situated throughout Bays West that encourage children’s desire for play and to interact with their natural surroundings. The graphics are inspired by the patterns of Barangaroo's Living Seawall and the onomatopoeic sounds and movements of the surrounding environment. By fostering their connection with Country, this project aims to encourage children to contribute to natural and marine conservation and pass this knowledge to future generations.

Disclaimer: This project was developed in consultation with First Nations advisors and academics, and prioritised Country-centred storytelling and design thinking.
A graphic narrative showcasing the journey map of the wayfinding experience. As children tend to move in chaotic, unpredictable, non-linear ways, I wanted to design a non-linear wayfinding experience that evokes their curiosity with bright, bold imagery to encourage them to interact with their surroundings.
Black-and-white diagrams showing scale and type specifications. The environmental graphics are at either ground level or at a lower level, which encourages children to jump, skip and climb.
In-situ mockups of the environmental graphics imposed on ground and concrete bollards in White Bay Power Station and in Barangaroo.