Sense of Place

Places mean a lot to us. 

My bespoke artworks are inspired by a sense of place, creating something that is unique to the people that use the space. A sense of place helps to connect people to their area, to give them a sense of belonging that helps improve wellbeing, making people feel at home and safe in their environment.

During consultation I find out what is meaningful and unique about the area or organisation gathering what makes somewhere unique. 

Calm colours to bold and exciting!

My designs can feel quite different on each project I work on as I respond to the people, place and purpose of a space.  From a calm artwork in a hospital corridor to help reduce stress and anxiety for visitors and patients to a bright vibrant cultural space to inspire people to come and to capture the essence of the building activity.

you can read more about the Dundee Contemporary Art Project https://louisekirby.com/window-designs

Locals to an area or service users of an organisation need to feel welcomed and connected to a space so they feel comfortable.  Buildings, streets and spaces can be daunting, uninspiring and scary. With the use of imagery, colour and good design in consultation with people that use the space designs can have a positive impact.

“Sustrans commissioned Louise to spruce up Albert Street with her beautiful artwork as part of the Stobswell Pocket Places project and it’s been a pleasure working with her. Her designs were carefully considered and every detail was inspired by the local area, helping to create a sense of place and an identity for Albert Street. Louise eagerly engaged with business owners to get them involved in the project and ensure they were happy with the designs before she painted them. Her warmth, authenticity and personal approach put the business owners at ease and encouraged them to participate in the project. She was in regular communication with the project team, remained flexible under changing circumstances, and even helped to raise the profile of the project through her social media and other channels. I would not hesitate to work with Louise again – 10/10 would recommend!” – Tremaine Bilham, Project Lead, Sustrans Scotland

Artwork for the enhancement of the corridor James Court sheltered housing unit in Pitlochry

For Pitlochry Sheltered Housing Unit corridor enhancements inspiration came from the local trees and wildlife to bring in a bit of the outdoors inside as talked about during the staff and tenants consultations. 

I have a vision of the world full of colourful creative interventions to bring more joy to the spaces we play, live, work and travel through.  My aim is to uplift and connect people and highlight the positives by creating artworks that capture a sense of place which creates a sense of belonging.  I love to do this with my use of playfully applying colour and pattern.

I am ready to take on new design challenges and if you have a project, collaboration or commission in mind please get in touch hello@louisekirby.com or you can check some samples on my website to give you a flavour of previous projects.

How to transform the streets to bring more joy!

I believe colour and pattern can make a positive impact in the world!  The right colour can uplift mood helping people to feel more positive.  Pattern and imagery can help connect people to places and add meaning to placemaking.

Joyous Ground Graphics

Cobalt Collective, commission by V&A Dundee. Photo Credit Louise Kirby

One way to add more colour into the public realm is through adding ground graphics and colourful crossings transforming dreary tarmac streets into colourful ones! Look how joyful these are! Cobalt Collective in collaboration with with some community groups decorated the plaza around the V&A Dundee to create this colourful positive artwork.

Plaza by Cobalt Collective outside V&A Dundee. Photo credit Cobalt Collective

Examples of colourful ground graphics from around the UK

Camille Walala, 2016, London, commissioned by the Transport for London’s Future Streets Incubator Fund.
Photo by Better Bankside

“The aim of the Colourful Crossings commission is to explore how everyday infrastructures in the city, such as pedestrian crossings, are perceived and can be transformed,” said Better Bankside.

Stobswell Colourful Crossing 2021, Dundee by Louise Kirby, UNESCO City of Design Dundee funded by Sustrans Scotland.

I (Louise Kirby) created this design inspired by the local area taking elements from the historic architectural details, green spaces and public art after consultation with locals wanting more colour into the grey streets. You can see more about it and a blog about the whole process here

Eley Kishimoto, 2016, Brixton, London. Photo from Brixton Buzz

I’ve always loved this graphic iconic print design by Eley Kishimoto. It’s got great movement with the use of strong graphics in the positive and negative space. It looks great on the streets of Brixton, also in the variations of colours.

Graphic design by Callum Laird, Union Street, Dundee, UNESCO City of Design Dundee funded by Sustrans Scotland.
Photo credit David P Scott

It brings great joy to walk up and down through the colour of Union Street, Dundee to and from the V&A Dundee. I love the limited colour palette and bold graphics. Nice to see local businesses making use of the street, it reminds me of cafe culture on holiday! I look forward to seeing what happens next in this project to create a more permanent enhancement. I am really inspired by Dundee City Councils vision.

Craigie Compass by Bigg Design and Fun Makes Good, 2022, funded by Sustrans Scotland.
Photo by Bigg Design

Hamish from Bigg Design and Eleanor from Fun Makes Good created these cool ground murals called the ‘Craigie Compas’ to help with wayfinding in Perth, Scotland. Great to see the ground graphics used to help wayfinding, brighten up the area and the addition of fun signage giving it a 3d feel. You can read about it here

Practical Considerations

On ground graphics we have a limited colour palette. By using different colour combinations we can get varied results.  There are options from the material used to apply the designs depending on if it’s a temporary or longer term installation and what the purpose of the area is used for.  When designing a ground graphic in the public realm consideration and consultation needs to be in place for accessibility for all users’ needs.

They are a great way to inject a bit of fun, playfulness and joy!

Dundee cake inspired design in Puebla Mexico for UNESCO City of Design Dundee, designed by Louise Kirby.
Photo credit UNESCO city of Design Dundee

An example of taking a bit of Dundee to the other side of the world in Puebla,Mexico, representing UNESCO City of Design Dundee. You can read more about this project where students from Puebla painted my design and used design to highlight a safety issue on the roads you can read more about it here

I have a vision of the world full of colourful creative interventions to bring more joy to the spaces we play, live, work and travel through.  My aim is to uplift and connect people and highlight the positives by creating artworks that capture a sense of place which creates a sense of belonging.  I love to do this with my use of playfully applying colour and pattern.

I am ready to take on new design challenges and if you have a project, collaboration or commission in mind please get in touch hello@louisekirby.com or you can check some samples on my website to give you a flavour of previous projects.