Winner
Bristol Legible City
Client
Bristol City Council
Consultancy
BLC Design Team: AIG/ MetaDesign/ CityID/ PSD/ Lacock Gullam

The brief
The confusing layout of Bristol city centre was exacerbated by poor signage and low levels of useful public information. The Bristol Legible City programme was introduced to make better sense of the city for both residents and visitors, helping to connect areas and amenities together and enhance the city’s identity.

The project involved collaboration between various stakeholders in the city, from the Council, local businesses, development boards and commercial organisations. The BLC Design Team was briefed to ensure the Legible City initiative – the first such scheme in Britain - succeeded by focusing on a coherent visual language of new pedestrian signage.

The design
BLC created direction signs, street information panels with city and area maps, printed walking maps and heritage plaques. These elements were bound together by a consistent design language, hierarchy of naming and a specially developed mapping system. 150 new signs are located on a ‘blue route’, where 90% of attractions and amenities are within 100m. Extraneous ‘street clutter’ was removed.

The results
• Streets are clearer: around 30 pieces of redundant street furniture will eventually be removed from Queen Square alone, replaced by just three BLC signposts and maps.
• The improved environment has helped promote Bristol as the future retail centre for the South West. Both Selfridges and Harvey Nichols are committed to opening stores in the city centre.
• The project has been so successful that a coordinated set of small fold-out walking and bus route maps, welcome points and other on-street visitor information is planned.