F51 in Folkestone is the world’s first multi-storey skatepark. Designed and built by our friends at Hollaway Studio, they tasked us with creating in-keeping branded signage for the new complex. They invited local artists to create pieces of art which BISON had to translate to high impact wall graphics across a multitude of surfaces.
As well as working closely with artists to bring their vision to life, BISON also produced many other types of signage, including printing skate decks as part of a 142 deck display fitted in the main reception area.
The skatepark has helped the community come together in Folkestone and has welcomed people from far and wide. BISON loved being part of such a great project!
We met BISON at a talk that Guy [Hollaway] was doing about the skatepark and they were really excited about the project. BISON had an immediate hands on approach – the team visited site during the construction phase and they just got the vision straightaway. They knew what we liked and what F51 were after – it was so easy.
The artists we originally spoke to were putting plans together to spray paint the walls, but F51 said they wanted the art to be changeable. BISON came up solutions to apply vinyl across many different surfaces. This included wrapping the stairs on one piece, making it it so much more impactful and immersive – very different from what you’d expect to see in skate parks.
People have been loving the aesthetic of the wayfinding as well, especially the floor numbers on the concrete walls. They’re just so crisp against a really rough concrete wall – it’s a really cool contrast.
I was so impressed with how thorough everything was – everything was signed off, marked up and we knew exactly what what was going where at all times. Given the scale of the project we were working on, things got quite chaotic at times, but BISON kept a really good handle on everything. We were trying to keep track on tabs and everything and we would often refer back to documents that BISON had put together. The guys on site were clean and attentive – they overcame challenges and had to think on their feet all the time to get it done.
It honestly was an absolute pleasure working with BISON – they have been so accommodating throughout the whole process.
