Shorne Woods Country Park
Shorne Woods Country Park is one of Kent County Council’s flagship sites. Its position on the North Kent Downs, surrounded by a dense network of roads and situated close to urban centres makes it a very busy and popular destination for local people.
At its heart is an award-winning, eco-friendly visitor centre – a hub for visitor activity and the starting point for numerous themed, waymarked routes. The site has been subject to several archaeological digs that have revealed much about the use of Shorne Woods through the ages.
Graphically we decided to be bold and go for a really vibrant, fun and colourful letterpress style. The lead for the design approach came from a desire to work in harmony with the striking open space of the visitor centre; its bold curves and forms and clever combination of traditional and modern materials. This set the tone both inside and out.
Here’s what Amanda Dunk (Country Parks Area Manager) had to say:
“Since the new exhibition went in people have been generally spending longer in the centre and are actually bothering to read the information and play with the interactives. We have even had two other professional organisations contact us to ask us who did the interpretation for us, as they’ve come to the park with their families and loved it!”
Due to limited wall space, freestanding oak frames were constructed to display themed graphics, each with its own colour scheme and interactive element reflecting one of the major habitats within the Park. Awkwardly-shaped, curved walls were covered with high impact graphic wallpaper, turning the central stairwell into an eye-catching centrepiece within the space. An existing coppiced sweet chestnut stool was re-purposed as a bold welcome feature, being adorned with hanging banners depicting the changing seasons of Shorne.
Outside on the themed walking trails we produced a number of panels and worked with a local sculptor to design a striking wooden piece depicting a hand grasping a flint tool. The scheme also included an audio MP3 trail linked to the various stopping points on the themed trails.
