The challenge

This post-war new town in West Sussex is proud of its roots in the 1946 New Towns Act, combining residential, retail, commercial and civic development in a thriving centre. In 2016, Crawley Borough Council launched its town centre regeneration programme, returning to its founding principles and creating engaging public realm. In 2018, it implemented a new town brand, celebrating its mid-century heritage.

What we did

In order to apply that branding appropriately to the human experience of the town centre, we carried out a legibility study, examining how and where people arrived, the routes they took, and the places they visited. We used our findings to build a wayfinding scheme for Crawley town centre that encouraged visitors to explore under-used areas and get from A to B quickly and safely. We designed a family of wayfinding signage for the town, further developing the new brand for use on bespoke monolith signs and mapping.

Why it works

Our work has increased footfall in the town centre and given the local community a place to be proud of.