As one of the few biosphere reserves in Lebanon, Jabal Moussa is a rare site where the wild ways of the county’s evergreen forests can still be seen in full action. Our design commission was to make the visiting experience as easy and informative, and as safe as possible for both the ecotourist and the ecosystem. With a natural territory to represent, trails to delineate, animals and plants to point out, sites to landmark and a mosaic of ecological spheres to explain, an entire information design language was conceived and used for the site’s signage and printable items. The visual vocabulary enables efficient way-finding solutions and infuses the journey with exploratory and educational dimensions.
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Jabal Moussa-Logo before and after
The association’s previous logo – a circular device with an abstraction of the mountain, its top predator and most characteristic plant – was retained, but lifted to include a custom-drawn Arabic name and introduce the type and graphic treatments of the new identity scheme.
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Jabal Moussa-Fold-out map closed
The pocket-size fold-out map has two languages, English and Arabic, with each occupying a side of the folded document.
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Jabal Moussa-Fold-out map open
Unfolding the map reveals general information along with a detailed site map with topography, vegetal cover types, flora, fauna, heritage sites and walking trails.
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Jabal Moussa-Fold-out map details
The map’s micro-level exposes the intricacy of the hatching treatment, and the key allows for the different codes to come together and paint a detailed and rich picture of the natural experience.
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Jabal Moussa-Signage 01
As this entrance panel shows, the Jabal Moussa signage system incorporates pre-painted and printed aluminum sheets as well as engraved and color-filled brass plates, stud-screwed on engraved wood structures resulting in a hierarchy of information, a distinctive object design and a composite material scheme.
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Jabal Moussa-Signage 02
In context, the signs are not meant to blend into the environment, but to rather stand out as an honest, non-invasive, addition to the site.
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Jabal Moussa-Signage 03
The material scheme is consistent across sign types; these identification signs use it to tell you where you are, what you need to know and what else to keep an eye out for.
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Jabal Moussa-Signage 04
The directional signs are classically configured, with the inclusion of the trail color codes found in the fold-out map.
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Jabal Moussa-Booklet
A little more information
For the more curious, a booklet which includes shared experiences by other visitors along with the fold-out map is available.
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Jabal Moussa-Biodiversity booklet
No natural reserve experience is complete without a detailed inventory of the growing, moving, jumping, crawling and flying things that put the diverse in biodiversity.
