Ralph Appelbaum Associates | RAA Media
Moody Gardens Aquarium

Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) and RAA Media led the design of interactive and linear media for Moody Gardens Aquarium, visited by ~2M yearly. We developed digital signage to improve the visitor experience, access to MGA’s extensive programming, and visitor retention.

I was the Experience Design Intern during this project, working for five months under the direction of the Technical Director and Head of Linear Media Production of RAA Media, Andrew Papa.

DIGITAL SIGNAGE

In the Moody Garden Aquarium, the RAA Media team designed digital signage to enhance the visitor experience. In this example, digital signage identifies different animal inhabitants of each exhibit.

DIGITAL SIGNAGE

In the Moody Garden Aquarium, the RAA Media team designed digital signage to enhance the visitor experience. In this example, digital signage identifies different animal inhabitants of each exhibit. I worked with the Technical Director of RAA Media to polish, inventory, and coordinate the different image assets for each of these exhibits.

DIGITAL SIGNAGE | SHOWTIME PROGRAMMING

In the Moody Garden Aquarium, the RAA Media team designed digital signage to enhance the visitor experience. I was responsible for the design of the Showtime Programming signage. During the development stage, I designed different concepts, layouts, and wireframes that would, a) organize all relevant information in a clear and easy-to-read format; b) engage and interest the visitors; c) be easy to update for Moody Gardens Aquarium staff.

Ultimately, the design approach our team settled on was adapting the visual clarity and efficiency of airport arrivals and departures signage.

Showtime Programming | ESSENTIALS

The title, Today’s Events, and a digital clock are essential to orienting visitors, especially parents and school chaperones who need to coordinate various scheduels and ensure children and schools groups can attend the programming they are most interested in.

Showtime Programming | Events completed

After looking at various options, we decided that graying out the text was the most effective use of screen real estate and the clearest way to show which events had finished. Not only did this show visitors which events were completed, but it had the added benefit of advertising all of the different types of programming at Moody Gardens Aquarium.

If a family comes specifically see the Giant Pacific Octopus Feedings on their visit, from the signage they can also learn about the Shark Tank Dives that they had missed. We proposed this graying out design apporach to pique visitor interest and to facilitate visitor retention.

Showtime Programming | CONTENT

Each line of Showtime Programming content includes:
- Programming Title
- Time of showing
- Location
- Gallery icon

Showtime Programming | Gallery Icons

The RAA environmental design team had created unique icons and visual language for each gallery within Moody Gardens Aquarium. We included a space for the vector files of each icon to be included alongside the content. This was an important design decision to help visitors more quickly recognize and locate the gallery for each programmed event. This design decision also reinforced the visual language established by the envrionmental design team.