Make new friends but keep the old

Riley Weiss’ relationship with the Oregon Zoo began more than a decade ago when we were tasked with designing and producing a narrative vines-and-leaves signage system for the Amazon Flooded Forest Exhibit. Following that project, the zoo engaged Riley Weiss to revamp its quarterly members magazine, ZooTracks. We helped the Oregon Zoo Foundation find a more consistent tone for the magazine’s writing, and our design team developed a content template, style guide and content delivery system to make publication sustainable, efficient and cost-effective. The result is a clean, modern publication with beautiful photography and well-organized content.

Zoolala is the Oregon Zoo’s biggest annual fundraising event. For six years Riley Weiss developed themes, names, logos and marketing collateral to drive attendance to Zoolala. For the 2010 event, the goal was to attract a younger audience while not alienating the current aging donors. Riley Weiss conceptualized Animalia—a fantastical theme based on the carnival style of Cirque du Soleil. We recruited local tattoo artist Lewis Hess to create custom illustration for posters, save-the-dates, tickets and event signage.

Over the span of our partnership, eye-catching creative has captivated and delighted the Zoo Foundation’s donor audience. The result: An increase in annual membership and broadening of the zoo’s donor demographic.