RYE HARBOUR NATURE RESERVE
A set of ten activity trails created for the stunning Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, part of the Sussex Wildlife Trust and their ‘Discover Rye Harbour’ project.
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, sitting on the Sussex coast, was established in 1970 and covers 465ha (or 600 football pitches) of flat, open, low-lying ground. Within the nature reserve there is a wide variety of different habitats, including: intertidal, saltmarsh, shingle ridges, sand, marsh, scrub, woodland. Because of this, the reserve supports a large number of species – 4,523 recorded so far, including 736 that have a conservation status.
The team at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve wanted to create ten new and exciting activity trails designed to encourage individuals and families to explore this special and important area of the Sussex coast and all the variety of wildlife, flora and fauna, history, beauty and mindfulness that can be seen and felt at the reserve.
Using the existing Sussex Wildlife Trust colour palette, but in a way not used before, we wanted to create bold, bright, attractive, and even clashing combinations of colours, that would be eye-catching, enticing and surprising. A celebration of the vibrancy that can be found in nature through the seasons. Encouraging more visitors from all audiences to come and enjoy an adventure of their choosing at Rye Harbour.
Designed to be distinctive with large, graphic silhouettes and impactful typography, the activity trails bring to life the variety of diverse wildlife, exciting possibilities and different ways to explore and discover the Nature Reserve.
There’s an activity trail for everyone with: Play, Winter, Summer Birds, Flowers, Poetry, Nature Connection, Hide Heroes, Big Discovery, Camber Castle and Winchelsea Beach.
A consistent set, with designs individually tailored to each activity trail’s key audience and topic. The Play trail, designed particularly for families, has extra playful elements to make the experience even more fun and engaging for a younger audience.
The activity trails are available digitally for download and also in printed form – using paper created by upcycling overabundant algae that’s damaging fragile marine ecosystems. The seaweed particles are visible on the surface to give a unique tactile feel and natural look. It’s recyclable, biodegradable, FSC certified and made with renewable energy self-produced in the manufacturer’s hydroelectric plant, with any unavoidable emissions offset.