Differentia Design Design for the Environment

The project involved the design of 7 interpretation panels and Enamelled Stoneware was chosen as their base for its hard-wearing and quite simply gorgeous look. Most of the panels have been installed on the railings right on the sea front - so they face the hazards of sea, salt, wind, high intensity light, herring gulls and frost. The traditional approach would not last the course and Oban Community Council wanted something special for Oban, so they opted to use a unique but traditional method of signage. The panels are made from a natural and recyclable material - enamelled stoneware tiles - basically big tiles! This is the first time such materials have been used for this purpose in Britain.

Sita commissioned Differentia to produce two interpretation panels for a reclaimed site in Gateshead. The two panels focussed on the birdlife on the site. The solution was in Polycarbonate framed in steel and placed within mild steel lectern.

Isle of Luing Interpretation Project is a series of panels interpreting the Island of Luing (off Oban) in the west coast of Scotland and includes community consultation, illustration, research and artwork.
This project was funded by Scottish Natural Heritage and a number of smaller bodies. The requirement was to produce 12 panels and 2 bronze panoramas. This project was approached in a very flexible and open manner, in that once I visited the island and got a feel for the place, I was able to hold a public meeting and address the issues raised with an informed opinion.
The project brief has been expanded to allow for the provision of around 14 panels placed onto slate plinths - which have been constructed by the local community using local materials. Alongside these panels will be a set of 12 bronze engraved discs so that children visiting the island can collect a set of rubbings of images such as birds, dolphins, mermaids etc.

The original brief for this roject asked for six large panels. But after consultation and research we rescoped the project so it became a series of 3 panels and 12 waymarkers interpreting Newburn/Lemington area and included community consultation, illustration, research and artwork.

Our task was to meet with the community groups and schools in the area of the trails and to provide a mechanism for them to become involved. This involved organizing sessions where people could come along with their tales and help with the research for the text.

On walking the trail and having a specific knowledge of the area through our contacts we advised the client against producing 6 panels, which was the original brief, as we felt that these were at high risk of vandalism. Our solution was instead to produce 3 large panels in “safe” locations, and 12 smaller “waymaker” panels which carried a smaller risk and were relatively inexpensive to replace. We also felt that the trail leaflet wasn’t required as the waymarkers said it all and as the path was a short linear one we felt a map was redundant. Instead we transferred this budget across to the research team in order to make more of the education pack.

This project was completed last year and is now installed in the Gorebridge area of mid Lothian, Edinburgh. The panels were produced by using zonc etched steel and have a raised surface in order for visually impaired people to be able to get an impression of the subject. The images were produced as line illustrations and a simple heritage trail was created linking the various interests of the site.

This project was another “involving” branding exercise for a group of adults with learning disabilities. The Holder House project is a community interest company based in an allotment garden in South Shields.

The group wanted to establish a brand and a suite of marketing and publicity material to take them forward with their new CIC. I worked closely with their training staff in order to embed all of the branding into an ongoing learning and development programme provided by Northern Learning. We followed a similar process to the Blue Card but with more work on colours/feelings/images. The group have developed a strong image with the central logo drawn by one of the group.

The project is ongoing and the next phase is to provide training and expertise so the group can manage their own website using our adapted version of the Content Management System.

This project was basically a branding exercise. The need for the group was to develop a consistent and professional brand for a “Safety Contact Card”. This card was to be carried by vulnerable adults and contained the telephone numbers of carers/parents. This was the first line of contact by police and emergency services should the individual be “in trouble”. We delivered the project in a very broad and imaginative way. At all stages it was the Blue Card group who led. Aspects of branding that was covered included:

The psychology of colour
What is a brand
What is a logo
Looking at typefaces
Exploring art
Exploring music
Making a jingle
Making a presentation
Designing posters
Designing publicity

At the end of the project the Group were able to make their own credit card style Blue Card, Their presentation and publicity is of a very high standard and the material does not shout Learning Disabilities. Indeed our aim was to create a presence that could compete with any mainstream product.

Differentia was appointed to prepare the Interpretation management plan for a new long distance path between Campbelltown and Inverness. After successfully delivering the plan and having its proposals accepted, Differentia has been commissioned to implement many of the proposals contained in it. These include:
Branding the Way – the Path has been branded The Caledonia Way and steel discs have been made for the use on posts, signage,gates etc.
Access Controls and gates have been designed and installed following successful school workshops where we used the themes from the workshops to inform the design of the gates. The gates themselves follow the branding theme of the Highland Galley (or Bhirlinn).
Interpretation signage – the panels display local information with an emphasis on the local distincitiveness of each of the loacalies
Sculptures – we have designed and produced large upright totems using oak and perform a dual function of providing wind breaks and signage
Seating – we have successfully connected a heart disease charity with the project and have designed The Heartbeat Seat which is being made by a local stonemason in Fort William. These seats punctuate the Path and provide a signature design for the ABCD Trust.
Artworks – we have designed and are having made a Sheep Fenke – a traditional Scottish sheep shelter. The shelter has seating to allow people to gather and take shelter. The design follows a traditional construction so it does not look out of place in the environment.

These two large panels have been produced in Zinc Etched Steel giving a tactile experience. They are to be placed in a nature reserve in Darlington run by Durham Wildlife Trust. The vertical panel is housed in a large wooden pillar and the horizontal panel in a large slab of Ladycross Stone.

Differentia were commissioned to develop a series of trails and leaflets around the North East. The work included devising and checking trails, interpreting the landscape. This involved meeting with farmers and landowners and presenting the walks to the public with information about the various Stewardship and land management schemes that were present on the walks.

The Bishop Auckland Town Trail was a project completed in 2005. The project included eight large panels placed in and around Bishop Auckland, Trail leaflet and schools workshops. There was a number of funding bodies involved including the Heritage Lottery Fund. The project was set up to create a series of circular trails that would incorporate sites of historical interest in Bishop's Auckland.
Three main themes have developed: Built Heritage Trail, Auckland Park Nature Walk (flora and fauna), Christian Heritage Trail
The resulting panels display a wealth of information linked into themes and include illustrations, maps, historical photographs, children’s drawings and historical text.

We have a long relationship with Mesmac and this logo was devised with community and stakeholder involvement. The resulting logo won a Europeand Logo Design Award and has been rolled out onto a full range of literature and website for the organisation.

The Darlington Council Green Spaces leaflet was a two year project involving the drawing of a highly detailed map. This was done in watercolour with a digital overlay showing the raod and green highway links. The leaflet is an illustration of how a network of green spaces can be reached by local people using cycling and public transport.

The leaflet is rich in colour illustrations and photography and was printed using 100% recycled paper and soya based inks. There is a new data sheet for this project in the Downloads area.

A simple Direct Mail Booklet produced for the Northumberland Wildlife Trust. Full of lovely photos of wildlife and landscape.