Light at the End of the Tunnel
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Communicating the transformation of London’s largest structure- Coming soon Display
Railways running through urban areas often create barriers for communities. In South London a long viaduct, running from Vauxhall to Bermondsey, created a significant obstacle to economic development and job creation in some of the city’s most deprived areas.
Beneath the viaduct a series of 97 pedestrian and road tunnels, many of them dark and forbidding to pedestrians, provided the only link. Identified as a restriction on the local community and investment and employment opportunities the Cross River Partnership launched a programme for change entitled Light at the End of the Tunnel.
Creating safe, viable and functional tunnels and arches
- Coming soon Display
The project aimed to upgrade the tunnels by making them clean, safe and well illuminated so that the pedestrian experience was transformed. New public art, creative lighting and architectural interventions were central elements in the transformation.
Our brief was to identify and communicate this transformation programme, reaching out to a wide group of those involved in and affected by the change. We prepared a suite of targeted print communications. These include an introductory leaflet to inform communities, businesses and government of the issues and potential results of the programme, exhibition and result brochures for the architectural competition sponsored by Spacia and the RIBA, and a celebratory document to highlight the transformation once it had taken place.
From the outset we knew this was a complex message to get across, but the evidence of what could be achieved was clear. We emphasised the potential of the changed experience once imagination was applied to the problem. Our message was upbeat and confident, with clear, punchy graphics and clean colours. In combination the literature provide a consistency to communications through the life of the programme.
The programme had a number of successful outcomes in transforming the experience for those who live and work in the Vauxhall to Bermondsey area. From new restaurant spaces to creative lighting displays the tunnel areas have been genuinely transformed. Our work was essential in getting the message across – the before, the potential and the after – enriching the lives of those involved and creating a sense of place for the future.
