The Pulborough WildArt Trail was commissioned by Horsham District Council as a landmark creative wayfinding and interpretation project linking Pulborough Station with the RSPB Pulborough Brooks Visitor Centre. Developed as a 4km nature and art trail, the scheme was designed to encourage visitors to explore the surrounding landscape through a rich combination of storytelling, public art, interpretation and digital interaction. 

We were tasked with leading the creative development, design, manufacture and installation of the trail’s interpretation and wayfinding elements, helping shape an experience that felt immersive, playful and deeply connected to the natural environment.

The brief

The ambition for the WildArt Trail was to create far more than a simple walking route. The project sought to transform the journey between the station, village and nature reserve into an engaging visitor experience that would encourage people to slow down, explore and interact with the landscape in new ways. 

Working collaboratively with fine artist Steve Geliot and Spark Emerging Technologies, who developed the Augmented Reality experience, our team began the project with extensive site surveys and stakeholder consultation. Understanding how visitors moved through the route – and how the landscape changed across different sections of the trail – was central to developing an interpretation scheme that felt cohesive, accessible and responsive to its surroundings. 

Design principles

A major focus of the project was creating a strong and distinctive visual identity inspired by the wildlife, geology and organic forms found along the route. The creative process explored a wide range of artistic concepts, including hand-drawn illustrations, panoramic landscape studies, sculptural signage ideas and imaginative mapping approaches that would make the trail feel visually memorable and full of discovery. 

The interpretation was designed to blend naturally into the environment while still creating moments of surprise and interaction throughout the route. Early concept development explored corten steel sculptures, wildlife-inspired fingerposts, laser-cut interpretation features and organic lectern forms that echoed the textures and shapes of the surrounding landscape. 

The project also embraced a layered approach to interpretation, combining physical signage, artistic presentation and digital interaction to create a visitor experience that appealed to a broad audience and encouraged repeat exploration. 

Our approach

We developed a wide range of bespoke interpretation and wayfinding features across the trail, including branded orientation panels, interpretation displays, panoramic viewpoint illustrations, creative mapping, route markers, etched plaques, bespoke fingerposts and sculptural wayfinding installations. 

Every element of the scheme was carefully considered to balance practicality with creativity, ensuring visitors could navigate the route easily while remaining immersed in the artistic and environmental storytelling woven throughout the trail. 

By combining different illustration styles, materials and digital content, the project created a highly varied and engaging visitor experience that moved beyond traditional interpretation and encouraged people to connect more deeply with the landscape around them. 

 

The result

The completed WildArt Trail successfully transformed the route between Pulborough Station and RSPB Pulborough Brooks into a unique visitor experience that blends nature, creativity and exploration in a highly memorable way. 

Through a combination of artistic interpretation, sculptural wayfinding and interactive storytelling, the project created a trail that feels both educational and inspiring, inviting visitors of all ages to engage with the landscape through curiosity, imagination and discovery.