We partnered with Brent Council to create a digital platform to help guide people along the Brent Art Trail and discover the street art in their neighbourhood.
Brent Council created the trail to encourage residents and visitors to explore the borough by walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport.
In a great example of departmental collaboration within the council, the teams leading on economic growth and the environment recognised that Brent is home to a rich and diverse collection of street art, murals and creative spaces.
The art features on shop shutters and walls in Church End, Ealing Road, Harlesden, Kilburn, Kingsbury, Neasden, Wembley and Willesden Green. However, the works existed in isolation with nothing connecting the locations and encouraging people to explore them.
The Brent Art Trail is now bringing together 100 individual works of art across Brent into a series of connected art trails that creates a journey of discovery for residents and visitors.
Take a look at the Brent Art Trail website our team developed:
By clicking on the roundels that signify each artwork on the map, you can find out about the artists and read a full description of the artworks and their significance.
There is also information on when the artworks are visible.
Our challenge
Brent Council commissioned us to create the following:
- A cohesive borough-wide cultural experience
- A user-friendly digital platform showcasing all artwork locations
- Sustainable travel routes linking each destination
- Educations engagement opportunities for local schools
- A long-term platform for rent Council to manage independently
Our solution
We brought together the following assets for the borough, creating the Brent Art Trail as a fully integrated cultural and sustainable travel initiative:
- Interactive website
- Route planning and mapping
- Community engagement
- Educational workshops
- Branding
- Digital content creation
- Training on updating the wesbite
What we did
To make it easy for people to navigate the trails and find their favourite works or cultural icons, we commissioned graphic design studio, Modern Activity, and illustrator Al Murphy, to create a vibrant visual identity for the trail.
The result for the curious and for art trail enthusiasts is an interactive online map which brings together culture, creativity and healthy sustainable travel.
Designing the Brent Art Trail
We extended the design we had previously done with Brent for their Breathe Clean campaign to connect the art trail with Brent’s clean air initiatives.
To provide people with healthier routes, we used air quality analysis and road safety audits to help inform our route design.
To ensure the trail is easy for everyone to navigate, the website shows nearby Underground and rail stations, bus stops, bus route information and directional guidance between locations.
People planning a walk along the trail can look up information on the art trail website about the artists and their artwork.
We used air quality analysis and road safety audits to help inform our route design so the trail route would take people along less polluted and safer streets.
Creating an educational opportunity for the local school
As part of our community engagement programme about the art trail, our team delivered three workshops for 11 to 14-year-olds at Alperton Community School, which has the vibrant street art along Ealing Road on its doorstep.
We worked with the students looking at the following themes:
- The importance of street art within communities
- How creativity shapes public spaces
- Sustainable and active travel
- Navigating the Brent Art Trail website.
We took the opportunity to invite professionals along to talk to the young people about careers in economic regeneration and urban design and the value these jobs contribute to society.
Leaving a legacy for the borough
We developed a suite of educational resources for classroom use, including workshop materials for teachers and games to inspire students to discover and explore the artworks in their neighbourhood.
We trained Brent officers on how to update the website so they can continue to maintain it. We also provided the council with a step-by-step guide for future administration and expansion of the trail.
This was a rewarding project to be involved with, as it provided numerous positive outcomes for the community:
- Connected 100 artwork locations into one cohesive digital experience
- Encouraged active and sustainable travel across Brent
- Increased visibility of local artists and creative spaces
- Engaged young people through education and career inspiration
- Delivered a scalable platform for future artwork additions
- Strengthened the connection between culture, community and sustainability.
More than an art trail
The Brent Art Trail demonstrates how digital placemaking, sustainable transport and creative engagement can work together to transform how people experience their local area.
By combining culture with accessible travel planning, the project created more than an art trail — it created a borough-wide journey through Brent’s identity, creativity and community spirit.