The challenge

While historic Whitby welcomes plenty of visitors to its streets each year, it still struggles, like its seaside neighbour Scarborough, to encourage tourists off the beaten track and explore further inland.

What we did

We were tasked with pinpointing where improvements were needed to the town’s existing wayfinding signage and make recommendations about how to improve visitor engagement with its lesser-known attractions.

We carried out site visits with key stakeholders and the Borough Council, to get under the skin of the town, and supplemented this with our own research.

Our early strategy work helped to identify the key decision-making points, and therefore where new signage would help to move people along to explore further. 

As had been the case in Scarborough, we collaborated with a local artist. Karen Ruffles, known for her atmospheric and moody charcoal drawings, depicted iconic views that oozed with Whitby’s distinct, eerie personality. She also drew an ammonite to represent the Jurassic coast of Whitby, which was used on the monolith spine and fingerpost finial.

Why it works

The end product is truly unique and celebrates Whitby’s quirky personality and special history. The scheme bridging the gaps between key attractions, helping boost visitor confidence to explore further, and connect with the town beyond its harbour and gift shops.

Signs were installed in 2022 and the scheme won silver at the 2023 Sign Awards.