Regents Canal - The Way Forward
Kate Groves MA DVC | 2023/24 |
| Website: katesgroves.com Instagram: @kate__groves Linkedin: Katherine Groves |
| Cover of Pocket Map |
| A series of simplified maps of Regent’s Canal; a pocket map of the whole canal, a series of posters of key locations along the route, and an imagining of a GPS navigation app. Over 200 years old and spanning 9 miles, the canal has shaped large areas of London, and was vital for transporting coal during the industrial revolution. It has been opened to the public since the 60’s, reestablishing it as a home and a beautiful walking, running and even cycling route; as the Canal & River Trust describes it, ‘This is a city walk through the backdoor, catching London in private, with its slippers on’. The imagery, typeface, and colour palette are inspired by both the industrial history of the canal, and the vibrant narrowboats and green spaces that now adorn it, creating a flexible visual system that enables a cohesive and consistent identity for the canal across multiple formats. All extraneous information is removed and while each area and building are not to scale, it allows the reader to determine their location and destination through the relative position of easily recognisable buildings, green spaces and amenities. The maps are designed to be easily read and understood by everyone using the public towpaths or visiting locations along the way, but especially those who were not blessed with any sense of direction. |
| Close-up of Regent’s Canal Pocket Map |
| Map of Regent’s Canal at King’s Cross |
Animation of a wayfinding app of Regent’s Canal from Camden to King’s Cross