Bespoke signs and shapes were required by Ordnance Survey to
be used as props for an upcoming PR event to help launch Greenspace; a new free
layer in Ordnance Survey Maps which enables the public to easily discover green
spaces for leisure and recreation across England, Scotland and Wales.
The concept was to produce a giant map pin that was capable
of freestanding and various handheld arrow-shaped signs that were fun and
interactive. All signage and props had to be lightweight yet robust as they
would be handled frequently by school children during the course of the
campaign and be travelling all across Britain.
Display-grade polystyrene containing a flame retarding
additive was selected as the ideal material to make the signage from due to its
lightweight properties, while the additional painted finish added to its
strength.
The arrow-shaped signs, which were 30cm tall and up to 2
metres in length, were machine cut from blocks of polystyrene and shaped to
have radius corners making them safer for members of the public to handle. The
arrows had a matt emulsion paint finish and white, self-adhesive vinyl
lettering applied to one side.
The giant pin was an impressive 7ft tall and 1ft thick and
had a hollow centre with mini arrow signs inside which were held in place by a
pole that ran through to centre of the pin. The pole was fixed to an MDF base and
was stabilised by white wedges which helped the pin to free-stand. The MDF base
and side of the pin were both covered in a realistic faux grass for added
effect. Similarly to the hand-held arrows, the pin was finished in matt
emulsion paint and had white vinyl logos and letters applied to the face. The
customer chose to have applied vinyl rather than flat cut acrylic letters so
that they could easily update logos and wording in future.
Due to the General Election the official launch of
Greenspace was pushed back by about a month but all props and signs were
delivered by the original agreed date and the customer commented that “they
look amazing” and they were “proper chuffed”.
Since the official launch of Greenspace at the beginning of
July the props and signage have travelled England, Scotland and Wales visiting
schools and local councils and have even been photographed with high profile
MPs and celebrities such as Ben Fogle to help raise awareness of Greenspace.
