Projects

Bristol City Council’s Legible City initiative is a pioneering design programme for this metropolitan city in the west of England. It is the UK’s first fully integrated environmental identity, signing and information scheme and one of the most significant programmes of its kind in Europe.

The concept aims to deliver integrated communication and identity to support movement and provide information in and around Bristol. The scheme comprises more than 40 distinct projects and has earned Bristol City Council the Royal Town Planning Institute Award 2001. Bristol Legible City also won the Environment category of the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards 2003.

The initial concept was developed by Bristol City Council with a design team led by Tim Fendley and Sam Gullam, bringing together consultants Urban Initiatives, MetaDesign, pArts and PSD Associates.

Whilst at PSD Associates, Sam Gullam headed the product design team that worked on the physical elements of a broad range of co-ordinated street furniture and signs. The Pedestrian Sign System and advertising structures were the first street furniture elements to be implemented.

Since then, Lacock Gullam and Applied Information Group have continued to work with Bristol City Council in developing Legible City signing projects, including welcome points and the marking of the Brunel Mile, a commemorative project launched as part of Bristol’s bicentenary celebrations of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.