Placemarque

Bridlington

East Riding of Yorkshire Council | Bridlington, Yorkshire

What is it?

A new wayfinding strategy for an historic seaside town that has plenty of stories to shout about.

The challenge

Like other British seaside resorts, Bridlington’s offer is largely focused along its seafront (in this case, two bays and a harbour) but also has an oft overlooked historic town further inland.

These destinations form what’s known locally as Bridlington’s Golden Triangle.

The trouble is, there’s very limited signage helping visitors walk between these key destinations, and it’s especially hard to form a mental map to the old town, which is a 20-minute walk inland along a residential road.

What we did

We analysed the town’s key gateways, routes and destinations to understand legibility, and completed an audit of its existing signage.

We then made a series of recommendations on how to implement cohesive wayfinding across the town to improve people movement.

We specifically asked: “how can we strengthen key routes in the Golden Triangle?” and proposed a bespoke sign family with a palette of colours that ties in with the town’s historic and seaside connections – including a deep red to reflect its status as the lobster capital of Europe.

Among our recommendations were:

  • Embracing the town’s love of art with new locally created street art on blank building façades to strengthen the route to the old town
  • Highlighting existing town art and encouraging exploration through a new town trail
  • Improving wayfinding at key arrival points, such as car parks
  • Developing a new town map that better highlights key destinations

Introducing a new cycle route to encourage active travel

Why it works

Taking a comprehensive rather than piecemeal approach to signage and wayfinding means that every intervention will support the overarching aim of easing visitor movement, enhancing visitor experience and encouraging people to explore all that Bridlington has to offer within its Golden Triangle.

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