The Challenge
The University of Melbourne is one of Melbourne’s oldest and most unique destinations and is home to some stunning design. Unfortunately, its rich history and eclectic architecture is not known to the wider public and visitors were unsure if they were even allowed on grounds.
The University wanted a way to unlock all this information from its three major campuses and share it with students, while also encouraging tourists and visitors to experience the campus.
The Solution
After many tests and trials, and using photographs and online imagery, each building and point of interest was illustrated in a fun, engaging way without losing the heritage of the landmarks or wayfinding accuracy.
A series of fun and surprising facts were woven into the map, educating visitors on just a few of the amazing things that have happened there. It was important that this was all packaged up in a format that allowed a first time student or visitor to learn about and travel to the campus to visit in person.
While fun and exciting in appearance, each map is street accurate and aligned with Google maps, enabling them to be effective wayfinding tools. This is backed up with an organised key and numbering system to allow staff, students and visitors to quickly navigate campuses, or create their own tour based around campus history, architecture or the arts.
Results
The initial map for Parkville campus was produced and placed around campus, in tourist information centres and in the Melbourne Visitor Shuttle. The response was overwhelming, with all maps being taken within a few weeks. The University has seen increased visitation to the campus and students have them pinned to college walls.
It was so successful that we produced a second map for the Burnley campus, and another for the Southbank campus is also in the works. The original map has been reprinted several times and is still in high demand.