Flamingo Caricature for Flamingo Gardens

Whimsical flamingo illustration for a rack card

Artist, Illustrator, Designer: John Potter - Escape Key Graphics
Client: Flamingo Gardens
For the latest information on Flamingo Gardens botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary please visit their website at FlamingoGardens.org

About Flamingo Gardens

To many South Florida residents, Flamingo Gardens is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. But it is much more than a botanical attraction. It is also a respected wildlife sanctuary that provides permanent care for injured and non releasable native animals. The combination of beautiful gardens and genuine conservation work makes it a special place.

The Project

This project was a rack card for Flamingo Gardens. If you are not familiar with rack cards, they are those single page brochures you see in racks at hotels and rest stops, especially in Florida. Tourists grab them to figure out what to do that day.

The client came to me wanting to liven up their existing rack card. They left the whole redesign to me, which is always a nice position to be in. I treated it more as an illustration project than a design project. The previous version had relied heavily on photography. It looked like an ad for adults where they had just swapped in photos of kids and replaced seminar listings with birthday party information. It did not feel like a place a child would get excited about.

The Concept

I knew the illustration had to include a flamingo. That was obvious given the name. I also wanted to make something more kid friendly and fun. I made a few sketches and settled on a concept that is kind of a Carmen Miranda tribute. Carmen became a cartoon flamingo, and instead of fruit, the flamingo wears a birthday cake on its head. Complete with candles and a sparkler. Even a parrot in the background wears a party hat and looks like it is enjoying the celebration.

I chose a goofy font for the title text to keep the energy playful. The informational text below is handled in a more measured and sober way. That contrast lets the illustration do the work of attracting attention while the details stay readable.

The whole illustration was created as vector art in Adobe Illustrator. That keeps everything sharp whether it prints small on a rack or enlarges for other uses.

Your Project

If you need an illustration of a flamingo celebrating with a cake on its head, or any other illustration at all, please contact me. I have done this work before and I would be glad to do it for you.