Large-scale illustrated privacy screens transformed a functional amenities building into an engaging interpretive experience celebrating the threatened wildlife of Guulabaa.
Client: Forestry Corporation of NSW
Year: 2024
Services: Interpretive illustration • Environmental interpretation • Graphic design
Project: 12 illustrated privacy screens (1180 × 1800 mm)
More than a privacy screen
Interpretation opportunities often exist where visitors least expect them.
As part of the broader interpretation project for the Guulabaa Visitor Centre, Forestry Corporation of NSW invited us to develop privacy screens for the new amenities building. Rather than treating the screens as purely functional infrastructure, we saw an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable wildlife that inhabits the surrounding Cowarra State Forest.
The result is a series of large-scale illustrations that transform an everyday building into an engaging visitor experience, creating a memorable arrival point while improving the visual amenity of the site.
Celebrating the wildlife of Cowarra State Forest
The forests surrounding Guulabaa support an extraordinary diversity of native wildlife, including several threatened species. Many visitors will never encounter these animals during a single visit, yet they are an important reason the forest is valued and protected.
Working with Forestry Corporation of NSW, we selected a suite of species that represent the richness of the local environment. The illustrations were developed to encourage curiosity and create an immediate emotional connection with the wildlife that lives beyond the walking tracks.
Illustration with purpose
Kate Alexandra created the artwork, carefully balancing scientific accuracy with a warm, contemporary illustration style. Each species is instantly recognisable while remaining approachable and engaging for visitors of all ages.
Rather than producing a collection of individual artworks, the illustrations were designed as a coordinated series that works across the entire screen structure. Printed at architectural scale, they create a cohesive visual identity that complements the surrounding forest.
Functional infrastructure becomes interpretation
The privacy screen structure was designed specifically for the site, providing privacy for visitors while contributing positively to the character of the visitor centre.
Projects like this demonstrate that interpretation does not always rely on traditional signs. Everyday infrastructure can reveal stories, spark curiosity and strengthen a visitor’s connection with place when it is thoughtfully integrated into the overall design.
At Guulabaa, the illustrated screens form one element of a much broader visitor experience, complementing the site’s interpretation, wayfinding and visitor information to create a richer understanding of Cowarra State Forest.
These illustrations were developed as part of our broader Guulabaa interpretation project, which included interpretive signage, wayfinding, visitor information and environmental storytelling throughout the visitor centre.
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