The challenge

This project required a careful balancing act: we needed to devise a modern scheme that still preserved the town’s distinct historic character.
Our main aim was to improve visitor connectivity, in particular between the Millmount area and the town core. The town presented a challenging, counter-intuitive environment for pedestrians, with existing crossing points at dangerous locations on busy main roads. Our wayfinding scheme needed to break through these barriers and gently nudge users along correct routes.

On top of all this, all signage needed to be dual language, which always presents particular design challenges. With double the text to place on the panels, the key design challenge is to get the balance right between providing enough information, while avoiding a crowded design and information overload.

What we did

We worked in a multi-disciplinary design team and, in particular, an interpretation designer. We designed 22 mapping totems that incorporated a guide to where each place sits within the Ancient East’s 5000 year history. Each also includes QR codes to take the visitor to Drogheda.ie and Louth.ie.

Our strategy also introduced interpretation at ground level through the installation of a wayfinding intervention within the town’s pavements. We drew up designs for 70 paving stones engraved with historic facts (in England and Irish) as well as 43 bronze inlays along key historic routes.

Why it works

Our wayfinding input works alongside the town’s wider regeneration proposals, delivered through Destination Towns funding, for the town, bringing out and reinforcing the sense of place.

This wayfinding strategy is more than helping visitors find their way. By revealing facts about the town along the key historic routes, the scheme brings to life the stories of the town in an engaging way, improving the visitor experience of Drogheda.