Designing Illustrated Interpretation Boards for South Pond, Midhurst

From the start, the initial brief was to move away from photo-heavy interpretation boards and instead embrace a fully illustrated approach to show the species that live in the nature reserve.

The initial brief included the following:

• Two A1 panels and one A0 panel
• A focus on history, geology, and site management
• A panel dedicated to ancient woodland
• A panel exploring pond biodiversity, including a cross-section view

As the project developed, the scope expanded into four panels (with two duplicated entrance boards), each with a stronger emphasis on storytelling and visitor behaviour.

The project was reviewed, and the final brief was a set of boards covered three key themes:

• Welcome & history of the pond (with illustrated map)
• Ancient woodland habitat
• Life in the pond ecosystem

Alongside this, each board needed to communicate clear messages for the public, like not feeding bread to ducks and protecting the habitat, without feeling overly instructional.

This balance between education and engagement became a key driver in my design decisions.

For the Ancient woodland panel, I illustrated a detailed woodland scene that immerses the viewer in the habitat, showing a packed, biodiverse picture. 

I used a slightly lower perspective, allowing wildflowers and ground-level species to sit in the foreground, with trees, birds and insects layered on top to guide the viewer’s eye naturally through the ecosystem.


Out of all the interpretation boards, this woodland scene had the most species to add, and the background was the busiest, so it was tricky to balance these out and make sure the text did not get lost. I based the woodland and tree layout on photographs of the real location to make it personal to the habitat, and I positioned the wildlife throughout. 

Species selection was a key part of the process. I balanced recognisable species to engage casual visitors and indicator species that people can look out for to identify this as a key ancient woodland site. 

The composition on this interpretation board needed to feel full and alive, but not overwhelming, so I grouped elements carefully and used spacing to keep everything readable once labels were added. I took creative liberties with species sizing so they could stand out and be helpful with identifying real species in the wild. 

The pond interpretation board was my favourite in this project. A pond is an environment where most of the activity is hidden, and the goal was to educate the public on what lives here, even if they cannot see it, so showing both perspectives at once allows visitors to understand what’s happening beneath the surface. I worked on a split scene for a pond board before, and I think the above-and-below-water scene is so effective visually. 

I designed the composition so that birds anchor the top half, interacting with the split of the water by diving or seeing their feet underneath. Whilst aquatic life from fish to amphibians creates movement and depth below. The natural visual divide at the waterline also helps organise the information without needing heavy graphic elements.

This layout also made it easier to support the messaging around feeding ducks, visually reinforcing the idea that what happens above the water directly impacts the ecosystem below.

The main entrance interpretation board needed to do a lot: introduce the site, explain its history and geology, and help visitors orient themselves around the nature reserve. This interpretation board would also be printed twice, positioned at either end of the site entrances. 

The South Downs team wanted a map on this board to help direct visitors, so I chose to centre the entire design around an illustrated map. Based off an accurate map, I redrew it in a simple, approachable style, highlighting key routes, landmarks, and access points so visitors can quickly understand where they are.

To tie it visually to the other interpretation boards, I brought in small wildlife illustrations from the other boards, placing them around the map to create consistency across all signage not only in illustrated style but also connecting the habitats to reinforce the idea of the pond and surrounding areas as a connected ecosystem. Placing the drawings around the text also added visual interest without cluttering the core information.

I intentionally left space in the early stages of this board, building it up gradually once the other illustrations were finalised so everything felt cohesive.

You can now visit the finished interpretation boards which are installed at South Pond in Midhurst, forming part of the visitor experience within the South Downs National Park.

Seeing the interpretation boards in place, surrounded by the habitats they represent, is always the most rewarding part of the process. The team had an opening ceremony and sent some photos of the event.