In October 2023, Storm Babet rained for 36 continuous hours. The nearby river burst its banks and flooded the school and 300 pupils had to be evacuated. The children were moved – and bussed daily – to a suitable building five miles away while the school was gutted, repaired and renovated. Books, displays, drawings and decorations were all lost. Thrown away due to water damage and damp. We really wanted to help and knew we could make a real difference to the building and children too.
We reached out to the Head Teacher to offer our creative services that would brighten their space and add a little sparkle for the when the students returned. We met with Faye and her enthusiastic team to walk around the school – which was still under construction – and to discuss how we could support the refurbishment. After a lovely chat, we decided our focus was the main hall because it was the largest space. The 10 metre long wall was perfect for a school timeline graphic that could be enjoyed by all staff and pupils from Reception Class to Year 6. We also suggested a display to promote their Attitude Acorns, a school-wide initiative to encourage and reward good behaviour. This work for the school was designed, printed and installed free of charge as part of our Community Project scheme that aims to help local schools.
Our brief for the timeline graphic was to cover all the areas within their curriculum. The timeline wall would span from the Ice Age to modern day and everything in between. Our design team got to work! The 10 metre timeline graphic needed to cover Ancient Egypt, the Shang dynasty, Henry VIII, the Slave Trade, the moon landing and beyond! Our team split the design into four sections, each with a custom timescale that could cover thousands of years in just a few metres and also cover eras that required more depth and detail. The timeline graphic was supported with images and ‘bitesize’ information panels to explain extra information.
As with all timelines, they can expire. Recent entries may need to be changed or adjusted so we designed the graphic with this in mind. Each entry is a rectangle or block that can be covered with an extra vinyl or panel or added to around the wall. Our design is an organic timeline graphic that can grow as the children do.
We printed the school timeline graphic onto foamex, a durable indoor board that will withstand busy dinner times and PE sessions. We made sure that the outer corners of the wall graphics were rounded to remove any sharp edges. Our UV cured inks are tough and resilient to scuffs and knocks and will last for years.
Duffield Meadows School implements a wonderful incentive to promote good behaviour and learning. The Attitude Acorns represent personal growth and achievements, and are acknowledged and rewarded with small wooden acorns. Every child is encouraged to earn acorns to add towards one of four School House teams; Earth, Air, Fire and Water. We designed a panel that would promote the Attitude Acorns and celebrate the acorn tally by displaying the Acorn collection box. This design followed a similar style to the timeline graphic and the external signage.
As part of the design we illustrated a specific space to accommodate the existing acorn box that had been made by the school. This allowed the box to be positioned at a suitable height for the children with labelling and directions for using it. Our installation team fitted the box to the graphic ready for the children’s Friday assembly.
We love designing signage and wayfinding strategies. Schools can be tricky because they have often inherited signage that can be very old and out of date. Schools can also over-sign because of concerns that one sign isn’t clear enough. Duffield Meadows took the opportunity to have a signage rethink and streamlined their signage to reflect their school values and current branding. We developed a signage style and vectorised their logo which we shared with them for future reference. A consistent typeface, arrow style and colour palette will help keep their signage on-brand and looking professional. We designed and printed a new welcome sign and some directional signage for the gates and locations around the site.
If you think we could help your school with a little update, refresh signage or transform your walls, then please get in touch. We love working with schools and have a team of designers, artworkers, project managers, printers and DBS checked installation team ready to make your next project happen. Give our friendly team a call on 01332 613900 and we can help get the ball rolling. Or, if your prefer you can email us at ideas@mxdisplay.co.uk
MX Display has truly transformed our school environment! Their stunning timeline in our hall beautifully captures our curriculum, while the remarkable display of our school attitudes inspires everyone daily. The modern, smart signage they created has added a polished and professional touch throughout our school. Their creativity, quality, and attention to detail are outstanding—highly recommended!
Faye, Headteacher
