Tag: city dressing

Art of London unveils bold new banner flags: Placemaking and city dressing

Posted on by Mathew Hall

artistic banner flags installed

London’s iconic Piccadilly Circus has been transformed by of a collection of bold geometric, large scale outdoor banner flags.  Created by London-based artist Rana Begum in collaboration with Art of London and the Royal Academy of Arts. The display marks the start of the Art of London’s exciting outdoor event Summer Season, titled “The Art of Entertainment.”

Field and Lawn, supported the team with expert installation.  The flags feature tiled mosaic patterns that bring a sense of movement and energy to the streets of the West End. Rana Begum’s designs aim to capture the theme of “Art of Entertainment”. The flags will hang high above Piccadilly until the end of August.

The flags play a crucial role in placemaking and city dressing. Placemaking involves transforming public spaces into vibrant, engaging, and inclusive areas that reflect the identity and character of the community.  Banners, flags, and bunting can be a colourful and cost-effective way of promoting your brand or event or enhancing the local area.

Artist Rana Begum with the banner flags

Field and lawn banner flag installation

Field and Lawn are experts in city dressing.  We can supply and install a range of different sized banners or custom flags in PVC, fabric, and mesh materials. These can be erected as cross street displays, on lamp columns or attached to building façades. We can assist with your planning, permits and advertising consents, as well as take care of all infrastructure requirements from installation through to removal.

By incorporating public art installations like the flags in Piccadilly, Art of London aims to create a sense of place that delivers community engagement, cultural expression and enhanced footfall and dwell time in the city. 

Artistic Flags

Art of London’s commitment to showcasing art in every form is exemplified by their Gallery Without Walls project. This initiative transforms the West End into a hub of creative expression, seamlessly integrating art into various facets of urban life, including institutions, theatres, retail spaces, and even the streets themselves. The flags in Piccadilly are a testament to the power of art in transforming public spaces into dynamic and visually stimulating environments.

Moreover, the flag installation aligns with London’s Art After Dark program, which promotes evening access to art institutions and independent galleries. This program allows art enthusiasts to explore exhibitions beyond regular opening hours, creating opportunities for a broader audience to engage with art and culture.They give a platform for artists to showcase work and deliver an instant press and publicity opportunity.  The benefits of art installations like this is long term, providing a long-lasting social media opportunity.

Field and Lawn can support with complex outdoor art installation.

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The response to Rana Begum’s flags has been overwhelmingly positive, with Jo Prosser, a director at the Royal Academy of Arts, praising the installation as a fantastic welcome to the West End. By infusing the cityscape with art, these flags not only enhance the visual appeal of Piccadilly Circus but also contribute to a vibrant and culturally rich atmosphere.

About Field and Lawn

Field and Lawn are one of the leading placemaking and city dressing providers in the UK.  With four regional branches across, we provide a nationwide service.  Our experienced team can assist in a wide range of placemaking projects. In addition to the artistic flags, we have recently installed Coronation flags and Pride flags in key locations. Beyond placemaking, we also provide festive lighting services, event marquees and temporary buildings.  

Using building wraps to improve high street aesthetics

Posted on by Mathew Hall

Bespoke building wraps and window vinyls can transform highstreets and revitalise empty shops

Building wraps and window vinyls are a quick solution that can deliver high impact, creative and eye-catching branding opportunities. Building wraps are large format, typically PVC, weatherproof and flame-retardant outdoor banners.  They can cover sections of a building or even the entire building façade. They play an important part in the placemaking and city dressing toolkit.  

Building wraps provide a great outdoor marketing opportunity with a significant amount of advertising space.  Building wraps are not limited to advertising, they can also serve as effective tools to enhance the appearance of building sites, these are often referred to as scaffolding wraps.

Art-led building wraps

A dull brick building before the art installation
A vibrant and colorful building after an art installation

It is becoming increasingly popular to display building wraps that are inspired by art or created by artists themselves. These types of installations are perfect to go on to building façades that are at risk of graffiti or have already been vandalised and need to be covered up. Art-led building wraps bring colour, vibrance and intrigue to an otherwise bland wall space.  

They give a platform for artists to showcase work and deliver an instant press and publicity opportunity.  The benefits of art installations like this is long term, providing a long-lasting social media opportunity.

Window Vinyls

Window graphics can help transform shopfronts into captivating visual displays that engage the public and create a sense of intrigue. These graphics can be customised to suit the specific needs of each shop, whether it’s promoting products, showcasing offers, or simply advertising a vacant retail unit.

A window vinyl sticker entices people to look further

Empty shops and neglected store-fronts are a significant challenge for high streets, Councils and Business Improvement Districts.  Vacant retail units are plaguing towns and cities across the UK. According to The Property Reporter, 2022 alone saw a net loss of 3,627 shops on Highstreets across Britain. 

There are effective placemaking and city dressing (LINK) solutions that can help improve the aesthetics of the high street when it comes to empty shops.  Whist the long-term solution is to re-market and fill retail units, promoting a healthy and prosperous high street. There are shorter-term solutions to that can be delivered to create a more vibrant and appealing town centre environment, while the units are re-let.  

Field and Lawn can support with creating window graphics with a full deign service, right through to printing and installation.

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Benefits of building wraps and vinyal stickers

The benefits of building wraps and window vinyls go beyond aesthetics. They offer a cost-effective way to maximize advertising reach. Effectively turning the entire building or shopfront into a large-scale marketing canvas. By leveraging the expansive space provided, these graphics, can capture the attention of potential customers and create a lasting impression.

Advantages of building wraps

One of the key advantages of building wraps and window vinyls is their versatility. They can be used in various settings, from construction sites and scaffolding to commercial buildings and high streets. Scaffold wraps and banners.  Not only enhance safety by providing protective barriers but also allowing for branding opportunities.  Turning construction work into an advertising platform.  Building work can often be unsightly and a building wrap shields the construction site from public view. 

When it comes to materials, PVC mesh banners are commonly used due to their durability, weather resistance, and ability to withstand outdoor conditions. These banners can withstand strong winds and harsh weather, ensuring that your message remains visible. We can also offer short term fabric banners.  This product is more suited to a shorter-term installation to promote a particular event, theme or message. 

To make the most of a commercial building wrap, it is important to work with a company that provides a seamless solution, from concept, planning and project management, through to design and high-quality printing.  Compelling artwork can really maximise the impact of your marketing campaigns and ensures that your brand message stands out.

Window Vinyl installation

Before installation, a site survey is typically conducted to assess the building’s dimensions and requirements, allowing for precise installation and a seamless fit. Large format banners and floor graphics and wall graphics are other options to consider, expanding the range of advertising opportunities available.

Depending on the size and location of the installation, there may be certain restrictions and advertising consent and/or planning permission may be required.  Field and Lawn can support you though this process.  It can often be time consuming and lengthy so it’s best to start early.  Once all the permissions are in place, installation is quick and can be completed during the day or night depending on the area. 

Beyond wraps - large format banners

Large format outdoor banners can be printed with custom artwork and installed across streets to deliver a real wow factor.  they provide a large, double sided advertising space when used across the high street.  

That’s a wrap!

Field and Lawn can provide a wide range of building wraps, banners and window vinyls.   You can transform vacant spaces into visually appealing displays that captivate visitors and potential customers. Whether it’s through large-scale building wraps, window graphics, or other forms of signage, these solutions provide an opportunity to revitalise our high streets, increase brand awareness, and contribute to the overall aesthetic appeal of our communities.

Discuss a project with us

About Field and Lawn

Field and Lawn are one of the leading placemaking and city dressing providers in the UK.  With four regional branches across, we provide a nationwide service.  Our experienced team can assist in a wide range of placemaking projects.  Beyond placemaking, we also provide festive lighting services, event marquees and temporary buildings.  

Placemaking: Transforming cities together

Posted on by Mathew Hall

But what is placemaking and why is it important?

Placemaking is a collaborative transformation of open spaces to create vibrant, engaging, and sustainable places that people want to visit, live, work and play in.

City dressing forms part of the placemaking mix.  It can use art installations, landscaping, projections, urban greening, large scale signage and other design elements to enhance the aesthetic appeal of spaces.

Field and Lawn and Ollywood are two businesses bursting with creative flair, working together to create unique and engaging urban experiences. Combining a passion for innovation and true creative flair with practical skills to bring placemaking and city dressing projects to life. 

Our latest blog looks at how Business Improvement Districts, local Councils and businesses can harness the power of placemaking and city dressing to boost tourism and the visitor economy.  

1. Stunning signage

Large scale outdoor lettering and signage can spell out your mission, vision and values.  Eye-catching and attention-grabbing, big lettering will give your town, city or high street instant visibility and brand recognition. 

Keep it on brand and create custom letting, in line with your online place marketing strategy. This will help you create a cohesive vibe on and offline.  Tap onto the online chatter and link the lettering with a hashtag to take the conversation online.  

large scale outdoor letteing and signage

2. Dare to be different

Differentiation from other local highstreets and shopping centers is key in a crowded market.  It’s important for businesses, places and cities to stand out from their neighbours to encourage footfall. By using placemaking and city dressing, businesses can create a unique and memorable experience that sets them apart from other areas. This can generate positive social media sentiment along the way.

Find out how we worked with the Photographers’ Gallery in London to create a world class outdoor art gallery installation that proved to be a real talking point, on and offline.  Read the full case study here. 

outdoor art installation to create visual impact in relation to placemaking

3. Positive Placemaking perceptions

Placemaking and city dressing can help improve perceptions. By investing in the physical environment, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to the local community and help create a more vibrant and welcoming streetscape design.

Placemaking and city dressing can provide businesses with visually appealing backdrops and outdoor advertising displays. This means that customers will be eager to share images on social media. By creating an “Instagrammable” art installation, businesses can tap into the power of social media.  By doing this, towns and cities can generate awareness that will increase visitor footfall.  A great example of this in action is high level flags and banners combining artistic flair with clear visual cues. 

outdoor advertising display on flags and banners, installed at high level

4. LIFT LOYALTY

Creating an engaging and enjoyable physical environment, with subtle but effective wayfinding can help improve town centre footfall and visitor dwell time.  Effective outdoor wayfinding and signage can direct people to visit places they might not even know about!  You can combine outdoor banners and flags with clever place branding to create a cohesive identity and a strong sense of place.  

By providing a memorable, on brand experience, both inside and outdoors, businesses will increase the likelihood of repeat custom and word of mouth recommendations. 

outdoor signage to help wayfinding and brand recognition

5. Project it!

To support local shops, businesses and restaurants, local authorities and business improvement districts are always looking for ways to draw people back to the high streets. Field and Lawn have worked with many Councils and BIDs on lots of different placemaking projects to make High Streets more attractive and colourful.  

Find out how we supported Cambridge City Council with their projection mapping project. Read the full case study here.

Projection mapping is a unique and wonderful way to add to a town or city’s calendar of outdoor events. The bespoke video content could be educational, commemorative or artistic. The actual event is all remotely controlled so everything is looked after. You can just sit back and enjoy the show.

Placemaking will play a huge part in the ongoing recovery of our highstreets as we navigate through challenging economic times.  We are committed to enabling big visions and creative thinking.  The team at Ollywood and Field and Lawn can help bring your placemaking project, art installation or large scale outdoor signage to life.   

Discuss your placemaking project with us now

Thanks to Kate Elliot for providing the Photographers’ Gallery imagery.  It was great to work on this blog, which we hope will provide some inspiration, ideas and guidance on creative placemaking with Ollywood.  

Illuminating highstreets and boosting footfall with projection mapping

Posted on by Mathew Hall

How can you attract visitors to towns and cities post Christmas with projection mapping?

Post Christmas, many towns and cities plan on how they would attract visitors and shoppers back to the high street.

Research suggests that footfall can drop by as much as -27% compared to previous weeks.  This can have a major negative effect on local businesses.  

To support local shops, businesses and restaurants, local authorities and business improvement districts look for ways to draw people back into the high streets. Field and Lawn have worked with many Councils and BIDs on lots of different placemaking projects to make High Streets more attractive and colourful to return to. 

In Cambridge, we delivered several permanent lighting installations to illuminate buildings, trees and shopping streets. We also worked to deliver a Projection Mapping event, the first of its kind in Cambridge. We selected the Guildhall as a central and prominent building for the city to project on to and designed a video fit to showcase the history and highlights of Cambridge. A draft video was created first following a brief set by the Council and then we developed it collaboratively over a period of weeks to reach the final design.

The 8-minute video was projected on the Guildhall on a loop from 6pm-9pm with a 1-minute break between showings every night for 2 weeks.  February was chosen as a time typically when footfall is lowest following the Christmas period and when the days are short and evenings still dark. It was a great success, drawing in crowds to spend their evenings in town to catch a showing, but ultimately encouraging them to shop and visit local bars and restaurants. 

Projection Mapping is a unique and wonderful opportunity to add to a town or city’s calendar of events. The video content could be educational, commemorative or artistic. The actual event is all remotely controlled so everything is looked after. You can just sit back and enjoy the show. 

Contact us now to discuss projection mapping

eXPERIENCE THE MAGIC!