The Woolly Sheep Inn: Signage, Wayfinding and Graphics – Skipton

Bowman Riley worked alongside our in-house interior designers and Timothy Taylor’s marketing team to create a cohesive signage, wayfinding and graphic design scheme, as part of the refurbishment of The Woolly Sheep Inn in Skipton, to support the visitor experience and strengthen the venue’s identity.

Prior to the refurbishment, key areas, including the toilets and beer garden, were difficult to find. Existing signage was inconsistent, dated and poorly positioned, and did not reflect either the Timothy Taylor brand or the quality of the new interior.

We undertook a comprehensive review of the visitor journey, identifying the different routes and information needs of hotel guests, diners, drinkers and function users. This informed the design and technical specifications of 19 signage, wayfinding, and graphic interventions across the venue, covering the bar, dining areas, hotel check-in route, toilets, beer garden, internal courtyard, and function spaces.

Our scheme was designed to feel integral to the Woolly Sheep rather than added afterwards, with carefully considered typography, materials, positioning, and graphics that create a consistent visual language throughout. Alongside the wayfinding, we curated framed artwork and photography, developed bespoke murals and worked to ensure every element authentically reflected the venue’s character and heritage.

The result is an intuitive and welcoming visitor experience, with signage and graphics that feel as though they have always belonged within the Woolly Sheep. The venue went on to achieve record financial success and was named ‘Yorkshire and the Humber Pub and Bar of the Year’ at the 2026 National Pub and Bar Awards.