Zinc plays important role in biological processes. It is implicated in many diseases including brain diseases. Imaging zinc is becoming crucial to the elucidation of zinc concentration, distribution, kinetics and functions in cells and tissues. This presentation highlights recent advances in the development of picolylamine-based tripodal compounds as zinc sensors, especially our work in the field of sensing the invisible Zn(II) using steady-state fluorescence and chiroptical spectroscopy. Our approach has emphasized creative ligand design and detection schemes. Utilizing tris(2-pyridymethyl)amine -based N4 tripodal ligands has provided a flexible system for engineering zinc sensors with improved sensitivity, selectivity and contrast.