Leicestershire’s Charnwood Forest is a diverse geopark that’s steeped in rich geological and cultural history, dating back nearly 600 million years. The biodiversity of the site makes it a truly unique and important area to celebrate and preserve.
To generate more excitement and awareness, Charnwood Forest approached Framework to create a content-driven and accessible website that allows visitors to learn more about the history and different locations within the geopark.
You can visit the website here.
Research phase: Exploring the ancient reserve
As with any project, we like to really get to grips with the brand’s story, so we embarked on an adventurous site visit to the expansive geopark itself. Dr Jack Matthews, Geoheritage Conservation and Interpretation Officer, showed our Creative Director, Luke, Account Manager, Maija, and Senior Designer, Tom, around key locations in the park, from Leicestershire’s famous landmark ‘Old John’ to the secluded Forest Rock that dates back 560 million years.
“It was fascinating to understand the history of the Charnwood area and to explore the diverse landscape. It’s hard to comprehend that there’s hundreds of millions of years of history to be discovered right on our doorstep!”
TOM, SENIOR DESIGNER
Delivering a profound sense of nature
After a captivating day out-of-office, the team returned enthused and inspired. We worked hard to design and develop an immersive, yet user-friendly site that effortlessly guides visitors through the diverse locations the park has to offer.
A key, standout feature of the site is the interactive map that provides visitors with an engaging digital experience that showcases landmarks, trails, local food, amenities and accommodation within the park. In addition to this, we incorporated a captivating timeline feature that takes users on a journey through the park’s rich history.
The topography of the geo park itself is an integral design element, weaving its natural contours across the website.
It was crucial that we communicated Charnwood Forest Geopark’s strong brand identity throughout, so meticulous attention was paid to incorporate the logo in various creative ways.
By dissecting the brand elements and seamlessly integrating them into the design, the new website reflects the essence of Charnwood Geopark while providing a visually captivating gateway to explore the wonders of this expansive ancient reserve.
