ASTLEY

Project name: 

Client: Staycity

Sector: Retail & leisure

Location: UK and Europe

Role: Supporting Staycity Group with their rebrand programme across the UK and Europe, providing signage expertise with a concept-to-completion solution.

Brief: Following the redesign of both the beloved Staycity Group brands – Staycity Aparthotels and Wilde Aparthotels – Astley was thrilled to be selected as the signage partner for their estate’s rollout programme. From the external signage to internals and wayfinding, our teams have surveyed, designed, manufactured and installed a variety of signage assets for sites across their estate.

The initial design and development phase included comprehensive surveys, detailed prototype development, creation of site-specific packs, anagement of planning applications as well as fabrication and specialist installation.

Outcome: Our teams firstly commenced with the significant surveying phase, visiting Staycity and Wilde sites across the UK and Europe to document information about current branded assets such as dimensions, positioning, fittings, types of access required at install etc. These surveys prove invaluable in ensuring for a seamless delivery, equipping the whole team, from design to install, with the necessary information about each property location to mitigate any potential risk.

Survey information was then shared with our in-house design team and technical teams who worked on designing and creating a set of proposed specifications for each asset type. This phase is particularly vital to work with the client’s key stakeholders, discussing rationale behind the choice of substrates, types of illumination, colour matching methodology and
options for finishes and fixing. Multiple variants were presented in a bespoke prototype installation at our Gateshead facility, allowing the client an opportunity to review the specification types and discuss with our teams about when and where they could be used across the estate.

Following development and approval of these assets, our design teams then worked to create site-specific signage packs, using the overarching signage manual, to specify each asset for each location. These site packs were also used as part of the planning application process, which we can support our clients with as a supporting service.

The Staycity and Wilde brands then entered our factory floor for manufacture before installation at their properties. Signage assets are manufactured at both of our production facilities – Gateshead and Kettering – with production teams collaborating to match the approved prototypes and help share resource.

Case study submitted by: Sandy Lockyer, Astley.