Great placemaking relies on really getting under the skin of somewhere. Acknowledging all that makes a place, well, a place. Whether that’s its past, its purpose, its buildings and spaces, its people; it all matters. Every single place has a story, no matter how new, modern or simple it might appear on the surface. Wayfinding is about finding new and exciting ways to share a narrative with everyone who
Carlow, Ireland Athenry, Ireland We are pleased to have won two major projects in Ireland to improve visitor orientation to maximise tourism opportunities in Athenry and Carlow. Placemarque has been commissioned by Galway County Council to produce a wayfinding and interpretation strategy for Athenry, which will build on the town’s growing heritage and culture tourism market. It will celebrate Athenry’s existing sporting success and cultural diversity by boosting the developing
What a year it has been. 2020 began with such promise; with grand ideas on how we would celebrate what has been an incredible twenty years for Placemarque. But the world had other plans. And alongside businesses all over the globe, this year has instead been about adapting to new ways of operating and reimagining what the future might look like for us as individuals, a business, and as a
The user experience is integral when building new technology products and websites. It serves as a way to simplify and streamline a user’s digital journey from point A to point B. User experience – or UX, as you may know it – is all about a user’s emotions and attitudes towards a product. It takes into account the accessibility, desirability, and value of a product, system, or service. At Placemarque,
A few weeks ago, we discussed how – for the foreseeable future – we’ll all be enjoying the areas closer to home. While travel is restricted, or perhaps just not as appealing as it once was, we’re looking locally for the enjoyment, experiences, and commodities we’re used to. Enter the concept of the 15-minute neighbourhood. These are urban experiments that set out to “offer services and quality of life within
Recently, Placemarque’s strategy director, Sue Manley, appeared on Sam Stafford’s The 50 Shades of Planning Podcast. Alongside Ruairidh Jackson – founding director at Start Advisory – and Katie Wray – assistant director at Deloitte – they looked to the future of urban spaces in a post-lockdown world. How will planning and development look different in the future? What will a higher premium on safety, hygiene, and locality – as well
Falling in love with places: Learning to love your neighbourhood When we think of the places we love, it’s easy to think of the underrated city that caught you off guard on a business trip or that serene, nostalgic town your family escaped to during your childhood. But what about where you are right now? As the world is set to remain a lot smaller for the foreseeable future, perhaps
Wayfinding is about so much more than signs and directions. While these are a large part of what we do, wayfinding is about the overall experience of a space as much as it’s about the specific navigation and orientation of it. It’s how people view, perceive, and enjoy the area they’re in. How people move around a city will directly inform their understanding of it. In this sense, wayfinding becomes
The International Institute for Information Design (IIID) has named two of our projects to be exemplars of “wayshowing”. Our wayfinding scheme for Lancaster city centre was shortlisted and our work with architects Levitt Bernstein for Eastbourne town centre’s Devonshire Quarter received a bronze award for work that helps people to navigate through unfamiliar environments. The IIID is an international body working to promote a better understanding of cultural and economic
We’ve all had our lives turned upside down by COVID-19. And while we still have a ways to go until we’re completely out of the woods, we’re all trying our best to move forward. Plenty of us have already – or soon will be – returning to work. As a result, we’re having to find our footing gradually and adapt to the new normal. For many of us, this next
