Montalto Estate is a privately owned visitor destination set within the rolling countryside of Northern Ireland, offering woodland trails, gardens, hospitality and leisure experiences within a beautifully restored historic landscape. As the estate continued to grow as a major visitor attraction, there was a clear need for a cohesive wayfinding and interpretation scheme that could enhance the visitor experience while strengthening the connection between the estate’s physical environment and its evolving brand identity.
We were asked to develop a complete site-wide signage and interpretation strategy that combined practical navigation with engaging storytelling, helping visitors feel more connected to the landscape, heritage and atmosphere of the estate from the moment they arrived.
The brief
The project aimed to create a seamless visitor journey across the estate, improving orientation and accessibility while encouraging exploration and discovery throughout the gardens, woodland trails and visitor facilities. Alongside clear wayfinding, the interpretation needed to reflect the character of the estate and communicate its history in a way that felt welcoming, immersive and family-friendly.
We began the project with extensive site surveys and visitor audits, travelling to Ireland to assess how people moved through the estate and interacted with the landscape. This early research informed the development of a bespoke signage identity that aligned closely with Montalto Estate’s existing brand, creating a consistent visual language across every touchpoint of the visitor experience.
Design principle
At the heart of the scheme was a desire to create signage that felt naturally embedded within the landscape rather than imposed upon it. Materials such as Green Oak, powder-coated steel and Corten detailing were selected to reflect the textures and tones of the surrounding environment while ensuring the signage remained durable and timeless.
The interpretation was designed to encourage curiosity and emotional connection through layered storytelling and highly visual presentation. Alongside photography, maps and heritage content, our team created watercolour-style reconstruction illustrations that brought lost gardens, outbuildings and historic structures back to life. These artistic impressions allowed visitors to imagine how the estate may once have looked, helping deepen their connection with the landscape and its history.
Accessibility, sustainability and family engagement remained central throughout the design process, ensuring the visitor experience felt inclusive, welcoming and easy to navigate for audiences of all ages.
Our approach
We developed a wide range of bespoke wayfinding and interpretive solutions across the estate, including fingerposts, ladder signs, welcome signage, trail markers, interpretation panels and lecterns.
Every element of the scheme was carefully designed to work cohesively across the site while responding sensitively to the character of individual locations. Typography, colour palettes and graphic styling were developed in line with the estate’s established branding, creating a refined and unified visitor experience throughout the gardens and woodland trails.
The project combined creative storytelling with practical visitor navigation, balancing aesthetic detail with functionality to ensure visitors could explore the estate with confidence while discovering the stories woven throughout the landscape.
The result
The completed scheme delivered more than 140 manufactured signs across the estate, creating a highly cohesive and visually distinctive visitor experience that enhances both navigation and interpretation throughout the site.
By blending heritage storytelling, craftsmanship and thoughtful design, our team helped create a visitor experience that feels both elegant and deeply connected to the landscape. The result is a signage and interpretation scheme that not only supports the practical needs of a growing visitor destination, but also enriches the sense of discovery, atmosphere and identity that makes Montalto Estate so special.
