Beach Hut Books
This publishing project idea aims to regenerate the salt fringe through literary tourism.
Speculative project for MA Graphic Design to stretch my skills and strategic thinking
Problem:
Bournemouth welcomes millions of visitors to its famous beach annually, yet these day trippers do not venture beyond the seafront. The town centre, like many seaside towns, is in decline, with limited footfall and boarded-up shops. Along with tourists, this coastline also attracts vulnerable people seeking a new life and addictions and homelessness are an issue here.
Insight
Bournemouth has a rich heritage of literary visitors, from famous authors writing here during restorative stays for the sea air (Robert Louis Stevenson, DH Lawrence), holidaying here (Oscar Wilde, Enid Blyton) living here (Tolkien, Gerald Durrell) or setting their stories here (Thomas Hardy). The location has offered respite and inspiration to so many creatives, can this be celebrated and presented to today's visitors?
Solution:
Beach Hut Books is a new publishing company which celebrates the town’s literary history. It would republish out-of-copyright fiction with a foreword and illustrations highlighting the connection to Bournemouth with links to particular locations, encouraging beach visitors to not only enjoy reading on the beach, rediscovering these literary classics, but also be inspired to explore the local area: from Robert Louis-Stevenson’s 'Skerryvore' garden in Westbourne, Gerald Durrell’s house in Charminster and Percy Shelley’s 'Shelley Manor' in Boscombe. A clean contemporary design will present the text in accessible chunks in a small pocket-sized format, creating a less intimidating reading experience for these classic texts. Printed in weather-proof waterproof editions for outdoor reading.
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Through reading and collecting the books users will be inspired to celebrate and engage in the arts and culture of Bournemouth.
Wonky house sketches of author's homes in Bournemouth, left to right: Gerald Durrell's house in Charminster, Robert Loius-Stevenson's 'Skerryvore' in Westbourne and Percy Shelley's 'Shelley Manor' in Boscombe, Bournemouth.
Plus sketches of locations the author enjoyed.
The collectible, numbered editions would feature varying stripe designs, for an authentic seaside feel, inspired by colours and patterns in the local area. Back cover text replaced with info on the author's link with the location and home as shown below:
I collected colours along Bournemouth seafront, from plants and the painted wooden huts, uses these as inspiration for the colour palette of stripes.
A beach hut bookshop on the promenade could bring easy access to these 5 million visitors. It will also a include a free book swap area, making books accessible to all, aiming to increase literacy.
Conclusion
As part of this speculative pitch, I considered scalability and how this approach could roll out across towns and cities all over the world. There is already a proven market in republishing old classics, with beautiful design and tactile print creating cherished objects readers want to collect. Beach Hut Books are intricately linked to locations, acting as part tour guide, by drawing on the hidden/less well known literary history of a place, places could strengthen their place making to create a unique point of interest for visitors and literary tourists, attracting collectors and appealing to local communities alike.
