Across the 1980s Ian Charles worked first as a tour guide and later as an interpretation officer with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The arrival of desktop publishing in the late 1980s allowed him to take on the day to day graphic design needs of his work flow. This included developing specialised mapping skills to ensure key orientation information could be relayed to people in its geographic setting.

By the time he set up Nature Tourism Services with his partner Marianne Walsh in 1998, graphic design and mapping were key professional skill sets. These however were always underpinned by his extensive experience in planning, community engagement / media, project management, historical research and creative writing.

Ever since its establishment in 1998, Nature Tourism Services has been at the forefront of technological innovation to ensure that it delivers cutting edge product for its clients. In this we have been helped by a similar commitment on the part of our signage sub-contractor – Screenmakers.

While innovation from 2000–2010 is remembered for technological breakthroughs in data handling capability, computer nominated controls for manufacture and new vandal resistant outdoor full colour printing technology like UV flat bed printing, the time since 2010 has been the decade defined by the uptake and widespread use of smartphones.

We recognised at the time of the release of the first iPad in mid 2010 that we would need to develop product solutions that responded to the opportunities of mobile technology. Accordingly since that time, Ian Charles has added hand coding of customised digital webapps and websites to his core design skill sets. This has seen him undertake a major program of research and development with the assistance of our clients.

The work presented on this website represents a detailed account of Ian Charles' experience and skill sets.