The Melbourne Arboretum
A web design case study — a story-led, image-first homepage for a 56-hectare living collection of Australian trees, built to turn visitors into planters, volunteers and donors.
The trees we need, told like a story.
The Challenge
The arboretum is restoring old farmland into a native forest, but its site read like a brochure — long text, few images and no clear way to help. Visitors left before they ever saw the land.
The Goal
A homepage that makes people feel the place in seconds, explains the restoration plan clearly and gives every visitor one obvious way to get involved — visit, plant or donate.
Our Role
Story structure, art direction, visual design for a 13-section homepage, an interactive site map, reusable components and a one-minute homepage film.
Timeline
4 weeks
Team
Web designer, art director, motion designer
Methods
Story mapping, moodboards, wireframes
Platform
Desktop web · 1440
A homepage that moves like a forest.
13 sections, one walk through the forest.
Ochre on forest green, warm and alive.
Colour
Ochre
#D2692E
Forest
#141B17
Moss
#1E2A22
Sage
#A9BFA8
Cream
#F5F2EB
Type
Display — Manrope Bold
Body — Manrope Regular / SemiBold
Components
Imagery
Blossom
Bark
Canopy
WetlandLeaf-cut buttons · real photography · botanical line art
