Wellington Zoo Hero HQ

When Wellington Zoo wanted to revitalise its insect and reptile exhibit, it came up with the idea of celebrating the creatures as unsung heroes of the animal kingdom. The result was Hero HQ.  

Dean says he was thrilled to be commissioned to illustrate five sides of the old ice cream kiosk in the zoo grounds. "It's great to have the chance to do something with some permanence, that will still be viewed by people in 10 years time."

The zoo team came up with the comic book concept and left it to Dean to compose and illustrate each panel.  

The project took six weeks to complete from rough composition sketches to applying  the printed panels to the walls of the newly refurbished and specifically designed enclosure.

"Our visitors love Hero HQ and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” says zoo Visitor Experience Manager, Oli du Bern.

“We wanted to give our visitors an unexpected experience that created a sense of celebration for these creepy crawly animals. Our visitors pick up on this because of the vibrancy and style of Dean’s illustrations."

He adds: "Dean and Watermark were so easy to work with, always friendly and helpful. They were professional, responsive and delivered a result that was exactly what we were after, if not better."

Wellington-based Dean found the job satisfying on a personal level, too. “It's a bit of a buzz for my kids now. When they go to the zoo, they point it out to their mates - ‘My dad did that!’ - which I have to say, I get a real kick out of."

Wellington mayor Cecila Wade-Brown opened Hero HQ in late April.