Western Michigan University's Instructional Design team are a group of inter interdisciplinary professionals working with faculty, staff and partners across the institution to collaborate on the design and implementation of instruction both online and off.

The goal of this project was the development of fun, approachable characters to act as an introduction to the team and their process. The concept of woodland guides was arrived at by a group brainstorming session conducted by myself and with the participation of the full ID team.

The final info graphic displays the hero characters, mascots of the team, surrounded by badges that represent what the team stands for.

The characters utilized in this info graphic and potential future projects need to strike a balance of woodland metaphors and the diversity of the team. Confidence and friendliness were the goals behind the expression and stances of the heroes.

The icons utilize woodland tropes and metaphors to stand in for the six principle roles of the Instructional Design team. These icons, as well as the heroes themselves are designed to be utilized in multiple formats beyond information graphics. Presentation, video, online achievements and other uses have been discussed.