Nigloland Butterfly

I was contacted by Nigloland to develop a re-theming proposal for the monorail of the future “Niglo's Friends Forest” area, a family-oriented environment where visitors are invited to discover nature at the scale of Niglo, the park's hedgehog mascot. I developed this new identity around the theme of butterflies, turning the station into a true gateway to this universe and playing with a progression in scale to enhance the feeling of becoming smaller as visitors move through the area.

The concept transforms the station into a “butterfly airport”, located in the trees and operated by the butterflies themselves. The narrative is based on the story of an airport destroyed when a tree fell onto it and later rebuilt by Rico the squirrel, a character already present in the area, with his distinctive DIY universe. The building rebuilt by Rico therefore adopts the architectural language of his own universe, creating continuity with the surrounding area and, in particular, with the attraction dedicated to him.

The design of the two façades also relies on a progression in scale and on the transformation of natural elements. On one side, nature is still interpreted through elements at a human scale, such as the size of the trees forming the structure of the building; on the other, the elements take on a more monumental scale, with branches, leaves, mushrooms and woven grass.

The concept was also extended to the storytelling of the queue, with an aviation-inspired vocabulary reinterpreted through puns and references to the world of insects, as well as to the animation of the station through lanterns, sound effects and various details designed to reinforce the experience.

The design process was ultimately guided by a search for balance between a fairly realistic representation of nature and a more graphic, cartoon-like approach, creating a forest that feels immersive, playful and consistent with Nigloland's identity.