Mersey Valley Way
Mersey Valley Way is the first route in a planned nationwide series of walking trails designed to encourage outdoor activity and strengthen connections between local communities. The 13-mile pathway follows the River Mersey through Stockport, Manchester, and Trafford, creating an accessible and scenic walking experience for visitors. I was asked to help design a logo that reflected the identity and direction of the route, alongside a wayfinding sign version that would be placed throughout the walkway to guide visitors along the trail.
LOGO DESIGN
Logo Design
I explored symbolic ideas when developing the logo for Mersey Valley Way. I designed the icon within a circular shape to create a dynamic and versatile form. With the route name consisting of three words, I developed three individual shapes representing the viaduct, river, and walking path. Consistent line widths helped create balance throughout the design while allowing for multiple logo variations across different applications.
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Symbolic Concept Development
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Circular Logo Structure
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Shape & Text Integration
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Logo Variations & Flexibility
TYPOGRAPHY
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Typography
I opted for a simple and accessible type pairing to suit both the council and wider community audience. I chose the Arial font family for its readability and familiarity across digital and print applications. For the logo specifically, I used Arial Rounded MT to complement the soft circular shape of the icon while creating a more approachable and welcoming appearance.
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Accessible Typeface Selection
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Community & Council Readability
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Rounded Logo Typography
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Consistent Brand Application
COLOUR PALETTE
Colour Palette
Research into the River Mersey inspired the overall colour palette. The deep red and maroon tones were influenced by the New Red Sandstone found throughout the Mersey River Basin and the colour of the Stockport viaduct. Blue was chosen to represent the river, carefully balanced to complement the sandstone tones. For the final colour, I selected a neutral tone instead of green to create a more cohesive palette.
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Research-Led Colour Selection
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Environmental & Architectural References
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Balanced Colour Harmony
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Cohesive Brand Palette
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WAYFINDER SIGN
Wayfinder Sign
The circular logo was designed to work naturally within the wayfinder sign, allowing the “Mersey Valley Way” text to wrap around the shape for a clear and balanced layout. I chose a white background with a label-like appearance to help the sign stand out against the wooden forest surroundings while improving visibility from a distance.
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Circular Sign Integration
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Environmental Visibility
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Clear Route Identification
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Functional Outdoor Design
ACCESSORIES
Accessories
These mock-ups were created to show how the brand identity, assets, and logo variations could work across different mediums. Although they were not a required part of the project, they helped visualise the branding in more realistic environments and highlighted the flexibility of the overall identity system.
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Brand Application Visualisation
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Real-World Context Mock-Ups
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Flexible Identity System
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Expanded Brand Possibilities
WALK & PRESENTATION
Walk & Presentation
It was great to finally meet in Stockport and walk the starting section of the route in person. Seeing the colours, textures, and surroundings firsthand gave me a deeper understanding of the environment that inspired the project, and it was an amazing experience seeing my work displayed along the trail for the first time. After the walk, I had the opportunity to meet everyone involved in helping bring the project together and learn more about the wider vision behind the initiative. The local community had really embraced the route, and it was exciting to hear how positive the response had been alongside the future plans for expanding the walking trails nationwide.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Media Coverage
Following the launch of Mersey Valley Way, the project received coverage across a range of online news and media platforms. The articles highlighted the opening of the first walking route and the wider vision for future nationwide trails. Seeing the project featured across multiple publications helped reinforce the significance of the launch and the positive momentum behind the initiative.
