The challenge

The Devonshire Quarter is a newly defined cultural district in Eastbourne, with theatres and art galleries just a few minutes’ walk from the town centre. The quarter plays host to the historic Devonshire Park, home of the annual Eastbourne International Tennis Festival, the Towner Art Gallery, the Congress Theatre, Devonshire Park Theatre, Winter Garden, and the new Welcome Building conference facilities. A number of the buildings are listed and range in architectural styles from ornate Victorian to 20th Century modernist.

However, the routes to it were confusing, with difficult junctions to navigate and no clear directional signage.

What we did

We worked closely with a multi-disciplinary design team at Levitt Bernstein to develop an internal and external wayfinding solution that complemented their architectural and public realm designs. Our strategy unified the site and clearly identified the buildings, their entrances, and internal connections.

Why it works

The combined skills in the design team led to a contemporary design that respected all building styles with illuminated, colour-coded building identification totems and map signs to guide visitors around the site. Many of the spaces inside the buildings feature large open areas and atriums; we developed translucent rolled acrylic suspended signs to complement the light filled interiors, with wall graphics and flag signs marking each building’s internal facilities.