Littlehampton is a vibrant coastal town on England’s south-east coast, set at the mouth of the River Arun. Known for its promenade charm and strong sense of community, the town is also home to distinctive contemporary landmarks, including East Beach Café by Heatherwick Studio and The Long Bench by Studio Weave. Together with its historic lifeboat station – famously the first to receive a Blue Peter–funded lifeboat – these elements reflect Littlehampton’s close relationship with the sea, design innovation, and civic pride.
The town-wide wayfinding strategy was developed to complement Littlehampton’s high design standards while improving legibility and connectivity across the town centre, seafront, and key destinations. The strategy identified and strengthened primary pedestrian routes linking major attractions, transport hubs, and cultural assets, supported by a design language rooted in the town’s seaside heritage and contemporary identity.
To maximise value and sustainability, the scheme made careful use of existing infrastructure. Current two-sided wayfinding totems were retrofitted and re-wrapped, while new four-sided totems are being introduced around existing fingerposts as part of the ongoing rollout of the scheme. Materials were selected for durability, low maintenance, and resilience in a demanding coastal environment, ensuring long-term performance with minimal future cost.
Alongside clear, legible typographic wayfinding, the scheme integrates place-specific interpretation, archival imagery, and artworks by local artists. A series of subtle ‘breadcrumb’ references supports walking trails developed by Artswork, encouraging exploration and reinforcing a sense of discovery across the town.
The resulting scheme introduces a bold Littlehampton colour palette and a coherent family of signage elements that present clear directions and approximate walking times, while embedding stories, artworks, and historical layers directly into the public realm; creating a wayfinding system that is not only functional, but distinctly of its place.
Fabrication and installation by Standard 8
