Five Ways To Get Your High Street Trending With Creative Placemaking

Unlock the latest placemaking ideas to drive footfall

Placemaking is the art of transforming spaces into vibrant destinations to help drive economic growth, footfall and engagement and promote happiness within towns, cities and shopping centres. Field and Lawn have been transforming public spaces for over 35 years, working in partnership with public and private sector organisations across a range of industries to deliver a broad range of placemaking solutions, including flags, banners, bunting, experiential displays and wayfinding. We have the skills, expertise, and experience to support you with any placemaking project – if you can dream it, we can bring it to life!

How can placemaking help high streets?

Before we get into the tips, creative placemaking is an incredibly important tool for public spaces as it has been proven to boost local businesses, increase social interaction, and promote a better quality of life for residents. It also encourages destination marketing through social media and short-form video, sharing the joy of these creative initiatives with the masses and increasing awareness through online discussion.

Similarly, placemaking can harness the power of influencer marketing, using the vast platforms of online personalities and creators to spread the word about existing destinations throughout the country. We uncover some of the proven practices destination marketeers can deploy to draw crowds and capture attention.

5 ways to improve your high street aesthetics

1. Outdoor flags

Our outdoor flags are designed to transform high streets, town centres and public spaces, making them vibrant, socially inclusive, and economically sustainable places. Custom flags may often evoke thoughts of summer festivals or cultural and creative installations, but they can be used to create a simple splash of colour in a variety of applications, from high streets to lamp post columns.

2. Street banners

Banners are a great way to get your brand or event front and centre among your desired audience. If you want to drive sales, promote an event, get an important message across or increase brand awareness, installing bespoke street banners is the way to make sure your message stands out on a busy high street.

3. Decorative bunting

Simple and easy to install, decorative bunting is an effective way to add a touch of character to any street. Whether you’re looking to promote an event, increase your brand awareness, or add a pop of colour to your town or city, our team are on hand with a host of bespoke and ready-to-hire solutions to help you create the perfect display.

FLAGS, BANNERS AND BUNTING IN FOCUS

Used together or separately, banners, flags and bunting are a creative way to get people talking about your high street or town centre. Find out which option will be best for your space and objectives and read our idea guide to banners, flags and bunting for more inspiration.

4. Umbrella Sky Installations

An umbrella sky installation is a proven, high-impact solution designed to get people talking, and taking photos.

Its success comes from a powerful combination of visual spectacle, emotional engagement, and clever installation, using void space to the best effect.

Experiential displays breathe life into new spaces. They captivate audiences, ignite curiosity, create connections and draw in visitors, encouraging them to look up and explore. People actively seek out unique experiences and this option turns an ordinary high street or shopping centre atrium into an art gallery experience, encouraging people to plan a visit to witness it themselves. The repetition of colour, symmetry, and scale creates the perfect backdrop for photos and video and will help your destination marketing go viral.

5. Street decorations and art installations

Street decorations are not just for Christmas (but we do also design and install them!) They are a perfect way to decorate a public space and make your high street a landmark by inspiring connection through the power of colour.

Thanks to our partnership with Impact Plan Art Productions, we have a wonderful brochure of creative placemaking options such as our sustainable colour rain, captivating bubble sky and floral sky garden, which will give people a reason to return time after time. The Magic Carpet solution is particularly impressive as it can provide much-needed solar shading during the hottest summer months to keep pedestrians cool under a canopy of dancing colours.

Download the full placemaking brochure

What are the outcomes of placemaking interventions?

Placemaking can have a proven positive impact on high streets from simple sentiment analysis and social media outcomes to footfall and local spend impact. We recently partnered with Impact Plan Art productions to share a case study on how placemaking has delivered a positive local legacy in Portugal, something that can be replicated here in the UK. Through clever design and creativity, a 23 day festival, AgitÁgueda, supported by creative placemaking interventions contributed 7.8m Euros to the local economy and brought in over 940,000 visitors to Agueda.

We are delighted to bring a collection of wonderful high-impact placemaking solutions to the UK market, courtesy of Impact Plan. To discover more, watch the webinar to see how you can unlock growth through placemaking, get in touch with the experts to maximise your reach.

Field and Lawn can support you with all aspects of the placemaking and city dressing

At Field and Lawn, we’re incredibly proud of our portfolio of projects across all our business divisions. Still, when it comes to placemaking it’s only natural that we have a few favourites!

One of our most notable projects, ‘Colour Rain’ at Bath Southgate transported shoppers into a magical underwater world and guided them through the shopping and dining area with 150m of colourful ribbons in a unique, immersive experience. Hidden throughout the vibrant installation were 116 fish, each one carefully placed within the display and adding to displays interactive qualities.

Our client was looking to drive commercial outcomes by helping to increase footfall, improve the overall visitor experience and encourage people to stay and explore more of what Bath Southgate has to offer. It also aimed to promote a recycle-first mindset among visitors thanks to a larger-than-life recycling container fish, and all ribbons were made from recycled plastic.

The activation was designed to be a social-first ‘shareable moment’ which would generate organic content and visibility through photos and short-form video captured beneath the installation. The display gained thousands of views across TikTok and Instagram, promoting not only its unique concept, but its strong environmental message too.

Positive social media engagement at Bath Southgate

The feel good factor is real when it comes to placemaking, with visitors flocking to social platforms to share their experience after visiting our installations. But what type of social media engagement can you expect to see? We analysed the social media sentiment during our recent colour rain installation in Bath. Needless to say, it got hundreds of mentions, thousands of views and some amazing feedback from visitors and shoppers.

It’s fantastic. I love it – especially when the breeze blows and it ripples and whispers.

Love this!!!! So beautiful. Cant wait to visit soon.

Completely transforms the space.

Beautiful shops and we loved this display. So good that it is all sustainable fabric! Well done Southgate Bath.

I think its one of the best that I’ve seen so far.

When I went a few days ago I was amazed.

These installations are...

Lightweight and durable, suitable for most existing infrastructure
Commercial grade products designed for large areas and long-term use
Rapid, disruption free installation completed by our experienced in-house teams
Flexible to suit streets, shopping centres and open public spaces

When and how to install your city dressing displays

Field and Lawn placemaking solutions are suitable for a variety of activations year-round, but if you’re unsure on when and how to install your city-dressing displays, a site consultation is the perfect place to start. One of our experienced Project Managers will visit your site to assess your requirements and discuss the best option for your activation.

Late summer is a popular option among our clients as public spaces are generally busier, providing an ideal opportunity to take advantage of increased traffic and attention. August to November is also a popular option, as existing infrastructure can be used to easily swap summer installations for seasonal lighting solutions as the season approaches, with the added benefit of savings on removal costs.

About field and lawn

Field and lawn are experts at delivering a broad range of placemaking projects and services, working with our clients throughout the whole process, from initial discussions through to delivery and installation. Our multidisciplinary, in-house team are highly experienced and knowledgeable, combining a blend of creativity, operational expertise and a commitment to health, safety and sustainability in everything they do.

Our national branch network means that you’re never too far from the support of our incredible teams. From Scotland to London and everywhere in between, we’ve got you covered for all your placemaking requirements no matter what the season. Find your local branch here.

World cup flags and commercial decorations

Posted on 12 Mar13 Mar by Mathew Hall

Turn football, into footfall with creative placemaking

The FIFA World Cup, runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026. This year, it’s hosted across the USA, Canada and Mexico. It will create a unique opportunity for high streets, towns, city centres and shopping destinations to capitalise on national interest.

dOWNLOAD THE World Cup pLACEMAKING BROCHURE here

With most matches played in North American time zones, it means fixtures will fall in the UK’s late afternoon and summer evenings, aligning perfectly with after-work footfall and the early evening night-time economy. Our range of world cup flags, commercial decorations and placemaking solutions will help you turn football into footfall, while supporting local businesses during the tournament. Ready to see what you can do, our brochure is a great place to start.

World cup flags, banners and bunting

World cup flags will help your town, high street or shopping centre capture the excitement and enhance the feel-good atmosphere of the World Cup. Flags, lamp post motifs, or large-scale banners will help visitors feel part of the moment, create energy and encourage them to share the moment on social media. Well-curated environments have been shown to attract new visitors, increase dwell time, and encourage return visits in public settings and we can help transform your space into a destination. From practical installation guidance and unique designs right through to expert, safe installation. Explore our inspiration…

Illumination and lighting

With evening kick off times creating a big opportunity for local businesses, light up your space with a bespoke illuminated ground feature. Imagine the earned media engagement a giant illuminated football, light up archway or a full walk-through experience can do for your experience-led destination strategy. Pulls people in, hold them longer, and give visitors a reason to share your destination.

Commercial world cup decorations

Transform your space into a must-visit destination with design-led decoration and custom placemaking installations built for high-footfall environments. Our large-scale commercial World Cup decorations and stand-out experiential displays will transform your high street, shopping centre or venue into vibrant, photo-worthy space that looks and feels completely on-brand. From flags, bunting, lighting, and large-format installs to fan routes, wayfinding, feature builds, and immersive features, we design, manufacture, install, and maintain everything safely, professionally, and at scale. Go all out and decorate your space with a bespoke colour canopy in your nations colours.

make it rain in colour!

Colour Rain can be installed indoors or outside and produced in many colours and materials including sustainable solutions and recyclable fabrics. We can create bespoke designs for indoor or outdoor use like this full-scale flags!

Why should you get involved in the world cup?

The 2022 Qatar World Cup demonstrated the commercial power of football, reaching over 51 million people in the UK, with matchdays delivering significant uplift in food and drink spend and increased dwell time in social spaces. In summer 2026, destinations that actively participate through city dressing, fanzones, big screens, lighting, and themed placemaking can create repeated reasons to visit over a six-week period, driving footfall, uniting communities, and boosting retail, hospitality and leisure spend.

By backing the tournament and creating shared moments, town and shopping centres can own the occasion, encourage longer stays, and convert national excitement into measurable local economic benefit.

Field and Lawn can support you with all aspects of the placemaking and city dressing

New to placemaking? We are experts

If this is the first time you are exploring placemaking and city dressing opportunities, we are here to help every step of the way. Our creative team and in-house installation crews handle everything from concept creation through to rigging and removal. Every project is expertly managed and installed from concept to completion by our in-house team, giving you a complete, fully managed, safe and compliant solution. We support with infrastructure requirements and can help you every step of the way. You might be surprised at what is possible!

Lightweight and durable, suitable for most existing infrastructure
Commercial grade products designed for large areas and long-term use
Rapid, disruption free installation completed by our experienced in-house teams
Flexible designs to suit streets, fanzones, shopping centres and open public spaces

The complete fan experience

Field and Lawn can support you to make the most of the world cup. Our temporary structures and event marquees are ideal solutions for fanzones and pop-up activations. From merchandise tents and shops to additional bar and hospitality space, our bespoke tents are fully customisable.

This Is Oxford Street

Posted on 16 Oct16 Oct by Mathew Hall

Transforming London's most famous high street

Oxford Street in London is the nation’s most famous high street and This is Oxford Street was a pioneering event to showcase what can be achieved when brand, destination marketing, placemaking and experience is unified.

Oxford Street was transformed with art installations, an urban forest, sports pitches, chill out zones, live performances and food and drink from around the world. The creative team from Field and Lawn played an expert part in the special day, installing rows of specially designed, cross street flags that stretched the length of Oxford Street, helping to draw the crowds through the space.

A specialist installation

What makes this installation remarkable is that all the flags were installed in just one night by our dedicated, in-house installation teams. The flags feature a bespoke “This Is Oxford Street” design. It demonstrates how we can re-imagine our high streets for the future, giving shops a real boost, reducing vehicle pollution, enhancing safety and creating unique and memorable experiences.

Take a walk down the reimagined oxford street

Make Your high street Unforgettable

We specialise in providing bespoke city dressing and placemaking solutions for public events, city and town centres and shopping centres. We manage the whole process from planning, project management and installation through to safe removal of displays. Every installation is managed by our skilled in-house team.

Feedback from the Mayor of London

“’This is Oxford Street’ is going to be a landmark, free event open for everyone and will showcase the nation’s high street as you have never seen it before, offering a glimpse of what it could look like in the future.”

“From food and drink from different cultures to live main stage music, to a Literary Festival for children and action-packed activations from major brands, shops and event partners, it is going to be a fantastic day.”

“As Mayor, I have pledged to pedestrianise Oxford Street and I am determined to unlock its true potential to deliver a world-class, accessible, clean street for everyone as we build a better, greener and safer London for all.”

Field and Lawn can support you with all aspects of placemaking

Field and Lawn are one of the leading placemaking and city dressing providers in the UK. With four regional branches across the UK, 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. We provide placemaking and city dressing for:

Events and activations
Performance art
Celebrations and gatherings
Urban greening
Large outdoor lettering
Signage and wayfinding
Experiential displays

Pop-up markets
Art installations and exhibitions
Lighting and illuminations
Architectural lighting
Flags, banners and bunting
Seasonal outdoor events
Outdoor beaches

Centenary Celebrations for Cork Street Galleries

Posted on 16 Jul16 Jul by Mathew Hall

Fear gives wings to courage

The Galleries on Cork Street Join Forces for group exhibition celebrating 100 years as a landmark art destination, Fear Gives Wings to Courage, organised in collaboration with Tarini Malik, curator of modern and contemporary Art at the Royal Academy of Arts, London.

We’re proud to have delivered the project management and precise installation of the new banners. Working alongside curators and stakeholders, our placemaking team helped bring the bold artistic flags into the public realm, creating a visually powerful activation that has transformed the street scene while honouring its rich legacy of modern and contemporary art.

Cork Street Banners Commission 2025, ‘Fear Gives Wings to Courage’, organised in collaboration with Tarini Malik, Courtesy Cork Street Galleries and The Pollen Estate. Photo credit: Luke Hayes.

About the placemaking commision on cork street

Cork Street Galleries this year celebrates its centenary as a pioneering force in the art world, with 2025 marking 100 years as the iconic London art destination. A specially curated programme will honour its rich legacy as the historic and enduring home of modern and contemporary art in London.

In tribute to the centennial year, a first-of-its-kind initiative, a group exhibition entitled Fear Gives Wings to Courage will be staged across all 15 galleries on Cork Street, with each gallery presenting a response to a central theme conceived by Tarini Malik, curator of modern and contemporary Art at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Fear Gives Wings to Courage has been commissioned in three parts as a response to the curatorial theme conceived by Malik. This is comprised of Fear Gives Wings to Courage Part I; a new edition of the Cork Street Galleries Banners Commission forming an outdoor element of the exhibition on view until the end of 2025.

Cork Street Banners Commission 2025, ‘Fear Gives Wings to Courage’, organised in collaboration with Tarini Malik, Courtesy Cork Street Galleries and The Pollen Estate. Photo credit: Luke Hayes.

Taking its title from Jean Cocteau’s seminal 1938 work La peur donnant des ailes au courage (Fear Giving Wings to Courage), the exhibition celebrates 100 years of Cork Street and the transformative potential of artists’ voices both within gallery spaces and outside of them. Gesturing to the street’s long-established cultural history, the exhibition’s theme recalls Cork Street’s pioneering role in transforming London into a hub for international art practices in the twentieth century, while also making it one of the key platforms in Europe for the expansion of Surrealist and Dadaist movements.
13 years after Freddy Mayor established the first gallery on Cork Street in 1925, Peggy Guggenheim opened her ‘Guggenheim Jeune’ gallery in 1938.

While hosting her first show with the famed polymath Jean Cocteau, the gallery stirred up significant controversy due to his painting La peur donnant des ailes au courage (Fear Giving Wings to Courage), which was confiscated by British customs authorities upon arrival in the United Kingdom. Similarly, this exhibition nods to the necessity of the gallery ecosystem in encouraging, upholding and presenting artists’ practices that are assertions of agency in the face of societal and political pressures. The galleries on Cork Street were asked to respond to the theme with artists’ work that can be thought of as emblematic of Cocteau’s unabashed vigour and Guggenheim’s abiding belief in supporting artists. The galleries were also encouraged to profile artists who continue to draw from the legacies of Surrealism, not as a mere style or movement within the Western canon, but rather as a state of mind; a fluid, boundless approach of navigating notions of the self and society that transgress borders and temporalities.

Cork Street Banners Commission 2025, ‘Fear Gives Wings to Courage’, organised in collaboration with Tarini Malik, Courtesy Cork Street Galleries and The Pollen Estate. Photo credit: Luke Hayes.

Jenny Casebourne, Head of Portfolio, The Pollen Estate: “It is a huge honour for The Pollen Estate, as the 400 year old custodian of this part of Mayfair, to celebrate a century of artistic endeavour with Cork Street Galleries. The 15 galleries have come together to collaborate in a first-of-its-kind exhibition that honours the legacy of those who paved the way whilst championing the artists who continue to pioneer. This longevity is unrivalled in London and Cork Street Galleries, an initiative of the Pollen Estate, remains a world class destination for artists, galleries and art audiences.”

Photo credit: Luke Hayes.

Field and Lawn can support you with all aspects of the placemaking mix

About fIELD AND LAWN: Placemaing and City dRESSING

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

Events and activations
Performance art
Celebrations and gatherings
Urban greening
Large outdoor lettering
Signage and wayfinding
Experiential displays

Pop-up markets
Art installations and exhibitions
Lighting and illuminations
Architectural lighting
Flags, banners and bunting
Seasonal outdoor events
Outdoor beaches

Floating through the ocean in the centre of Bath!

Posted on 2 Jul29 Aug by Mathew Hall

Colourful Placemaking Installation in bath

Visitors to SouthGate Bath are enjoying a brand new, immersive experience this summer. A unique installation is transporting shoppers into a magical underwater world thanks to a 150m long river of colour rain ribbons. Hidden throughout the vibrant installation are 116 fish, each one carefully nestled within the display, inviting visitors to explore, discover, and count them all as part of the interactive experience.

Part of the Festival of Nature, the huge overhead canopy guides visitors through shops and restaurants. The shimmering, family friendly summer display is already gaining thousands of views on TikTok, with people sharing short videos from underneath the canopy. People are certainly sharing the love for the magical idea!

The installation also carries a strong environmental message and encourages re-cycling through a larger-than-life recycling container fish! Plastic waste will be collected and in collaboration with Bristol Avon River Trust, recycled or repurposed. In addition, the ribbons will have a new lease of life as they will be donated to Art and Design students at Bath College for reuse.

The scheme, designed by Impact Plan and installed by experts from Field and Lawn will help to increase footfall and enhance the overall visitor experience, encouraging people to spend more time exploring everything SouthGate Bath has to offer while sharing the experience on social media. The installation was carefully planned and took place over three nights to avoid disruption to local businesses.

You can visit the display and experience strolling through an underwater world right through to September 2025 at SouthGate Bath.

Field and Lawn can support you with all aspects of the placemaking mix

About fIELD AND LAWN: Placemaing and City dRESSING

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

Events and activations
Performance art
Celebrations and gatherings
Urban greening
Large outdoor lettering
Signage and wayfinding
Experiential displays

Pop-up markets
Art installations and exhibitions
Lighting and illuminations
Architectural lighting
Flags, banners and bunting
Seasonal outdoor events
Outdoor beaches

VE Day Celebrations Announced

Posted on 5 Mar5 Mar by Mathew Hall

Placemaking and city dressing for ve day celebrations

The Government have announced a four day national celebration to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Find out what’s planned and get your town, city or shopping centre ready for the celebrations!

Thursday 8th May 2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of VE day (also known as Victory in Europe Day) and towns cities and communities across the UK will be holding vibrant celebration events, street parties and community gatherings to mark the occasion. If you are planning a VE Day celebration, we can dress your town, high street or shopping centre with flags, banners, and bunting that will bring people together in a spirit of celebration and remembrance.

Ready to hire VE DAY FLAGS

We have 1,000+ Union Flags and 200+ lamp post banners currently in stock for VE Day. A sustainable, cost-effective alternative to buying new decorations. Availability is limited, so contact us today to secure your flags and motifs for VE Day 2025.

uNION FLAGS FOR VE DAY

✅ Cost-effective – Reusing flags and motifs is cheaper than purchasing new, helping you create a vibrant and cost-effective display.

✅ Environmentally responsible – By hiring instead of buying, you reduce waste and contribute to a circular economy.

✅ High-quality & ready to install – Our flags and motifs are as good as new and ready to hire right away.

✅ Quick & easy – We can offer both a supply only and supply and install / removal service using our in-house installation experts, making it quick and easy for you!

Make Your VE Day Celebrations Unforgettable

Whether you’re looking for classic Union Jack bunting, large-scale event banners, or unique placemaking activations, we will make your event a standout occasion. From ready to hire Union Flags and bunting to bespoke flags for your VE Day celebrations, we can take care of everything. We can offer a supply only service and supply and installation, with full project management support.

VE Day 80th Anniversary Activations

High street VE Day Bunting

High streets are often the focal point for public celebrations and creating a visually striking display is essential for marking such an important national event.

Bunting can be used to dress shop fronts, large flags can be installed across streets, when combined with lamp post column motifs it really enhances the visual spectacle, and bespoke banners can be used to promote key events across your town or city.

Large-Scale VE DAY FLAGS

We provide high-quality, flags, banners and bunting and offer both ready to hire Union Flags as well as bespoke, custom-made flags, banners, and bunting that can be tailored to fit your specific needs. Whether you’re organising a local street party, a city-wide celebration, or a special tribute event, our placemaking solutions will help transform your space ready for the VE Day celebrations. Our products can be manufactured in a range of materials, sizes and colours, the possibilities are almost limitless!

Union Flags feature traditional red, white, and blue, and can also be personalised with your messaging or branding.

wHAT IS ve day?

VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, commemorates the formal acceptance of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender on 8th May 1945, marking the end of World War II in Europe. It was a day of jubilation and relief across the UK and beyond, as millions took to the streets to celebrate peace and freedom. The 80th anniversary in 2025 presents a special opportunity to reflect on this momentous occasion and honour those who served.

When is ve day

VE Day is observed annually on 8th May. In 2025, the UK will celebrate the 80th anniversary, making it an especially significant occasion for large-scale commemorations, public events, and themed decorations. The celebrations in 2025 are set to take place between Bank Holiday Monday, the 5th May and finish on the 8th May 2025.

Why is the Union Flag Synonymous with VE Day?

The Union Flag, often referred to as the Union Jack, became synonymous with VE Day because it symbolises the unity and resilience of the British people during World War II. On 8th May 1945, when news of victory spread, people poured into the streets waving Union Flags in celebration. The flag represented national pride, freedom, and the collective spirit of the United Kingdom and its Allies. Today, the Union Flag remains a powerful visual reminder of the sacrifices made and the triumph achieved, making it a central feature of VE Day decorations and activations.

How will the nation mark ve day 80 in 2025?

The Government have announced a four day celebration to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe in May. Commemorations will kick off on Bank Holiday Monday, which will see the Cenotaph dressed in Union flags, a Military procession and a flypast in London.

Street parties will also be held across the country and a ceremony on HMS Belfast will kick off community celebrations. Thursday 8th May will see a service of remembrance and thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey followed by a concert. A service is planned to mark VJ Day and the end of the war in the Far East in August. The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day will be marked this year with a series of events and celebrations that will share stories of the Second World War generation.

You can find out more about all the VE Day celebrations and events in the official press release.

Planning an event

In addition to our wide range of placemaking and city dressing solutions for VE day, Field and Lawn are leading providers of clearspan event marquees. If you are planning an event and need additional space, our marquees offer a bespoke solution.

Field and Lawn can support you with all aspects of placemaking

Field and Lawn are one of the leading placemaking and city dressing providers in the UK. With four regional branches across the UK, 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. We provide placemaking and city dressing for:

Events and activations
Performance art
Celebrations and gatherings
Urban greening
Large outdoor lettering
Signage and wayfinding
Experiential displays

Pop-up markets
Art installations and exhibitions
Lighting and illuminations
Architectural lighting
Flags, banners and bunting
Seasonal outdoor events
Outdoor beaches

Colour Rain Installations

Posted on 17 Feb21 Jul by Mathew Hall

High impact placemaking

Is your high street, town, city or shopping centre looking to make a real impact? Introducing Colour Rain!

Rain in summer might not be at the top of everyone’s wish list but just imagine transforming your high street into a colourful kaleidoscope. Colour Rain can be installed indoors or outside and produced in many colours and materials including sustainable solutions and recyclable fabrics. Explore how Colour Rain can activate your high street or shopping centre…

See how colour rain dances and delights...

Application gallery

Shopping centres & retail

Colour Rain is a stunning focal point that enhances wayfinding and drives footfall.

By suspending Colour Rain over key areas such as entrances, atriums, voids or food courts, the installation naturally draws visitors in and encourages them to explore further.

Additionally, Colour Rain enhances dwell time, as the striking display encourages visitors to pause, engage, and interact with their surroundings, ultimately increasing the likelihood of additional spending.

High Streets

On high streets, Colour Rain acts as a transformational placemaking tool that creates a more inviting and pedestrian-friendly atmosphere.

The overhead canopy provides visual continuity, guiding visitors along retail routes and seamlessly connecting different shopping areas. This not only improves footfall but also enhances the overall experience, encouraging people to spend more time browsing and exploring while sharing the experience on social media. Colour Rain will make your high street a more attractive destination, helping to promote local businesses and drive further traffic to the area.

Other options & experiential displays

Beyond Summer Rain, we can provide a wide range of bespoke and immersive experiential placemaking activations. From giant coloured cubes to classic umbrella installations.

Field and Lawn can support you with all aspects of the placemaking mix

About fIELD AND LAWN: Placemaing and City dRESSING

Field and Lawn are one of the leading placemaking and city dressing providers in the UK. With four regional branches across the UK, 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. We provide placemaking and city dressing for:

Events and activations
Performance art
Celebrations and gatherings
Urban greening
Large outdoor lettering
Signage and wayfinding
Experiential displays

Pop-up markets
Art installations and exhibitions
Lighting and illuminations
Architectural lighting
Flags, banners and bunting
Seasonal outdoor events
Outdoor beaches

Projection Mapping Solutions

Posted on 23 Jul23 Jul by Mathew Hall

Bespoke Projection Mapping Solutions

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.

Cambridge city council case study

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.

Play Video

About the activation

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.

Field and Lawn can support you with all aspects of the placemaking mix

Other ideas for creative placemaking

Field and Lawn are one of the leading placemaking and city dressing providers in the UK. Beyond placemaking, we also provide festive lighting services, event marquees and temporary buildings. We provide placemaking and city dressing for:

Events and activations
Performance art
Celebrations and gatherings
Urban greening
Large outdoor lettering
Signage and wayfinding
Experiential displays

Pop-up markets
Art installations and exhibitions
Lighting and illuminations
Architectural lighting
Flags, banners and bunting
Seasonal outdoor events
Outdoor beaches

Placemaking: Banners, Flags and Bunting

Posted on 8 Sep11 Apr by Mathew Hall

How to brighten up your high street with banners, flags and bunting.

Is your high street, town, city or shopping centre looking to draw crowds, create a social media buzz and make people happy? If so, you’re in the right place!

Explore how bunting, banners and flags can be powerful tools in place management. They are cost-effective, yet high impact options for enhancing your high street or shopping centre…

The power of placemaking

Placemaking is more than just urban planning; it’s about creating spaces that resonate with people on a personal level. Placemaking can help to foster a sense of belonging and identity within a local community. A well-executed local plan for implementing placemaking projects can breathe new life into your high street, boost local businesses, and make your town or city a bustling destination of choice.

Here are some key placemaking ideas for high streets and town centres:

Bunting

Bunting, with its charming and nostalgic appearance, is key to making any public space look visually appealing. The colours and patterns can create a festive and inviting atmosphere, especially during special occasions or celebrations. We supply and/or install all types of bunting in a range of materials.

Street-Level Decoration: Hanging bunting along streets, shopfronts, or outdoor seating areas invites visitors to spend time in communal areas by creating a welcoming atmosphere.

Events and Festivals: Bunting is a must-have for street parties, parades, and festivals. It instantly adds a celebratory feel to any event.

Customisation: It’s very easy to customise bunting to create a bespoke design that reflects your town’s unique character. This provides an opportunity to involve local artists and craftspeople in the placemaking process.

Bunting can be a great addition to your placemaking toolkit:

BANNERS

Banners are an effective tool for storytelling as they offer a great way to showcase the heritage of your local area. They can convey a sense of history, celebrate local events and heroes, or simply add a burst of colour to your high street.

Here's why banners are an essential element of placemaking:

Identity and place branding: Custom banners can be designed with local motifs, landmarks, and cultural references to help define your town’s identity and make it memorable to both residents and tourists.

Artist-led collaboration: Placemaking offers a great opportunity to collaborate with local people and get the wider community engaged with local businesses. During one of Field & Lawn’s recent placemaking projects, two public spaces in Bath were dressed with bespoke artwork to celebrate the city as part of a summer events programme. It featured overhead flags, decorated with designs created by local artist Zoë Power. The project aimed to increase footfall and support local businesses as part of a wider high street renewal project.

Promotion: Banners can be used to promote local businesses, events, and community initiatives. They’re a cost-effective way to support local businesses and increase the number of visitors to your local high streets. Collaborating with local businesses on placemaking projects can help to support your local economy.

Wayfinding: Well-placed banners can also be used as wayfinding signs, helping visitors navigate your high street more easily. This can attract a larger number of tourists to key landmarks in your area.

Flags

Flags can play a key role in placemaking by contributing to the identity, character, and sense of belonging in your local area. They often represent the identity and values of a place and are reflective of the community’s values and culture.

Flags can be a powerful tool in the placemaking process:

Community Cohesion: Flags representing different local groups, neighbourhoods, or cultures can create unity and belonging. This can even help develop a sense of pride that brings wider community groups together.

Celebration: Flags are often used during special occasions and events to create a festive atmosphere that brings people together. For example, Field & Lawn were able to provide a wide range of displays and features for the Coronation of King Charles III. This included Coronation flags on Regent St. Oxford St. Jermyn St. The Strand, Marylebone High St. Bond St. Sloan St. and various other streets across the West End.

Visual Appeal: A row of flags can really brighten up your high street, attracting photographers and influencers to the town centre. Creating a great photo opportunity is an excellent way to attract attention and increase visitors to local high streets.

Cultural Representation: Flags are a wonderful way to display the diversity of your local community. Flying flags from other nations or areas can highlight the unique diversity of your town or city.

Field and Lawn 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.

A Collaborative Effort

To make placemaking truly successful, it’s important to collaborate with businesses, artists, the community and expert placemaking providers like Field and Lawn. Placemaking projects aim to benefit the wider community, so it is key to get local people involved.

Here's how to get started:

Field and Lawn can support you with all aspects of the placemaking mix

Engage the Community: Seek input from residents and local businesses to understand what they need from their local high street as well as key high street challenges. This involvement gives the community a sense of ownership over the project which can help create excitement about your installation.

Local Artists and Designers: Collaborate with local artists and designers to create unique and meaningful banners, flags, and bunting that demonstrate local talent and showcase the heritage of your town.

Maintenance: Regularly maintain and replace banners, flags, and bunting to ensure they always look their best.

Promotion: Use social media, local newspapers, and events to promote your placemaking efforts. Encourage residents and visitors to share their experiences. Social media is a great tool for increasing footfall.

If you need additional support with your latest placemaking project, reach out to one of your local Field & Lawn branches for advice from a placemaking expert.

About fIELD AND LAWN: Placemaing and City dRESSING

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. We provide placemaking and city dressing for:

Events and activations
Performance art
Celebrations and gatherings
Urban greening
Large outdoor lettering
Signage and wayfinding
Experiential displays

Pop-up markets
Art installations and exhibitions
Lighting and illuminations
Architectural lighting
Flags, banners and bunting
Seasonal outdoor events
Outdoor beaches

Placemaking: Transforming cities together

Posted on 2 Mar23 Jul 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.