Design Challenge and Design Ideas

The Dún Laoghaire Harbour Trail highlights the key features along the pier of national and international importance. The trail includes a selection of site-specific signage and installations which were inspired by the decorative and functional ironwork in the harbour.
We took the approach to ‘repair and reuse’ where possible, for example damaged timber on a stone bench was replaced with an interpretive panel. Uneven and potentially hazardous paving slabs were replaced with a concrete installation.
Each location is represented by a pictogram which is laser cut from steel, a nod to the ornate Victorian railings while exposing the stonework of the pier. Mindful of the natural beauty of this conservations site, I kept signage sizes to a minimum, they aim to caption the features rather than distract from them. Where possible I used an infographic approach to reduce the amount of copy required.

How the brief was fulfilled

The start of the trail is marked with a mural of the historic Pavilion painted on the side of the Tourist Information kiosk. An area with two benches, between the East Pier and the newly refurbished baths, was named Pioneer Point and highlights the lives of local trailblazers. To avoid blocking the sea views with signage I proposed a typographic treatment embedded in concrete slabs.
To withstand the saline environment, the signs are made from steel, marine-grade powder coat and an anti-graffiti lacquer. The graphics are screen printed with white and metallic silver inks. I was responsible for sourcing and managing the prototyping, fabrication and installation stages of the project. I worked closely with DMW Creative, DLR County Council, Parks Department and the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company to bring the Harbour Trail to life.

Each point along the trail is site-specific, responding to the location and content it communicates. It aims to provide a contemporary solution for a traditional interpretive trail. Lengthy research and prototyping stages were carried out for the materials to overcome the challenging environment caused by the coastal salt air and the public realm considerations.
The trail aims to enhance the visitor experience for locals and tourists by creating meaningful connections between people and place. The use of Irish and English make them accessible to a broad audience and a QR code allows visitors to access all the content and map from their phone. More languages will added to the digital platform in the future.

All aspects of the trail are designed with accessibility in mind, high-contrast graphics allow ease of legibility, taking colour blindness into consideration. The signage follows best practice reading heights and optimum content bands for wheelchair users. On content heavy panels, information graphics make the content more easily digestible.
The steel and aluminium signs can be recycled. The concrete installation uses Ductal concrete, a company that spearhead the transition towards low-carbon construction. Where possible the signs along the pier were fixed into existing holes or mortar joints to avoid damaging the original stonework.