The signage and wayfinding programme for Stockwell Park Estate and Robsart Village formed part of a wider, community-led cultural strategy developed by Futurecity for the 40-acre estate in Lambeth, south London. The project responded to longstanding challenges around accessibility, legibility and perception, using design as a tool to improve the public realm and create a more welcoming environment for residents and visitors alike.

Flour Studio worked closely with the local community, inviting residents to map the estate, identifying key routes, shortcuts, landmarks and areas to avoid. This process revealed how the estate was experienced day to day and provided the foundation for a new wayfinding system rooted in lived knowledge rather than imposed solutions.

Futurecity commissioned Hat-trick Design to develop the signage, working collaboratively with residents and local creatives. The resulting system combines clear, functional information with a rich visual language that reflects the estate’s cultural diversity. A wide range of local artists and designers contributed patterns and illustrations, drawing on personal heritage, local history and shared references.

Designs reference Victorian tilework found in some of the estate’s 19th-century villas, alongside motifs drawn from global cultures represented within the community, including West African and Caribbean textile patterns and imagery inspired by the Empire Windrush. These elements were brought together in a modular tile-based system that is both practical and expressive.

The completed signage offers a contemporary, distinctive identity for Stockwell Park Estate - improving navigation, celebrating cultural diversity and demonstrating how community-led design can play a transformative role in placemaking.

Photography from Hat-trick Design