Ugly Studios Ltd | Essex County Council

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Brief

As part of their EU-funded collaborative project 'Walls and Gardens', Essex County Council aimed to develop a Napoleonic trail, following the route between Tilbury Fort and Coalhouse Fort. After a competitive tender process, Ugly Studios won the opportunity to design the trail and its interpretive messages.

Idea

Trail boards and an accompanying leaflet were planned to outline the trail, with a modern design to reflect the innovative thinking behind the forts' construction. We aimed for our designs to appeal to as many visitors as possible. In-depth interpretive content was shared via the panels and an app download, with fun 'did you know' facts and a battleship game activity sheet envisioned for visitors to learn through play.

Result

6 interpretation panels and a leaflet help visitors to understand how the Essex forts worked together to protect the Thames from invasion. Detailed maps vividly reconstruct the historic landscape, providing context to a view that now looks very different. Even facing coastal conditions, the boards are robust and have required no maintenance since their installation.

What we did

Research
Illustration
Mapping
Graphic Design
Interpretive Signage
Project Management

Ugly came up with designs that matched the subject matter and period perfectly...
Paul Gilman, European Projects Manager, Essex County Council

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Design and Interpretation for
Heritage and Culture, Education and Leisure

Brief

Idea

Result

What we did

Essex County Council – Two Forts Way Trails

Design and Interpretation for Heritage and Culture, Education and Leisure

Brief

Idea

Result

What we did

Essex County Council – Two Forts Way Trails

Design and Interpretation for
Heritage and Culture, Education and Leisure