A bit of history: Francisco Park is built on the site of San Francisco’s first water reservoir, which dates to the Gold Rush era. The reservoir served the city until it was decommissioned in 1940. For decades after, the 4.5-acre site remained vacant.

In 2014, the Francisco Park Conservancy was formed to develop the site into a city park. In 2021, I was commissioned to create the interpretive signage throughout the park.

For the project, I developed a visual language with a nod to history: the typography has 19th-century roots, and was paired with historical photos, illustrations, and maps. The color palette references the Golden Gate Bridge, which is visible from the park.

Francisco Park opened to the public on April 27, 2022.

The centerpiece of the signage program is an 8-by-5-foot panel that tells the history of the reservoir and its ingenious design.

Creating this sign involved organizing large amounts of information, crafting and editing text, and telling multiple stories in a cohesive way.

Each of the five “View” signs throughout the park features a historical photo from the site. One of my contributions was an interactive feature: the “Still in View” detail points out landmarks visible in the landscape today.