Designing Joy: 25 Projects from 25 Years of Katapult
- Katapult Team
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
As you can imagine, we've worked on hundreds (if not thousands) of projects in our 25-year history. Leisure and themed entertainment has always been at the heart of the projects we've worked on - and we've loved every one. Here's just 25 projects that show our journey into what we are today, international themed attraction designers.
#1 - Club Nights
Late 1990s
Even before Katapult was an 'official' company in 2001, creating uplifting and joyful experiences was our passion. As a creative collective, we worked across drum & bass, house, and hip-hop club nights as designers, VJs, DJs, and event producers, building a reputation for creating memorable experiences.
#2 - Our first client
2001
Our very first paying client was the renowned Sinfonia Viva, East Midlands Orchestra. We went on to collaborate many times with the orchestra, including our very own Phil, hosting DJ workshops to young participants.
#3-5 - Local cultural venues
Early 2000's
We started working with more cultural venues and attractions in our home city of Derby, working on their branding, marketing, visual signage and wayfinding. This was a brilliant learning curve for us as we honed our skills on creating the marketing that powers great attractions and experiences.
#6-10 - Photography experiences
2008
By 2008, we were working with a theme park ride photography company, called Picsolve. We brought our visual media, branding and marketing expertise directly into the themed entertainment industry. Among many projects, we worked on CBeebies Land at Alton Towers, Warner Bros Studio Tours in Leavesden and Burbank, Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, Thomas Land at Drayton Manor Resort and Kennedy Space Center.
Full design projects
2018 onwards
Now fully immersed in themed entertainment, we started winning and working on full design projects. Including:
#11 - LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre
We were thrilled to be appointed by Merlin Entertainments to work with 19 of their LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre sites worldwide. From concept development and design, right through to production and delivery, we created event kits that launched simultaneously for popular LEGO® IPs.
#12 - Cartoon Network World, Kuwait
We worked with Cartoon Network and real estate owner/operator Future Kid Entertainment to design and develop an indoor themed attraction in Kuwait. The existing 3,000 sqm site was dated, and needed redesigning and refitting to become a fully themed and immersive attraction.
#13 - Emerald Park
We were appointed by Fáilte Ireland and Emerald Park to create the Viking Voyage - The Park queue line experience. We were tasked with telling the story of Ireland’s Ancient East in a family-friendly but historically accurate way; with plenty of story interaction and a way for visitors to immerse themselves in the Viking past.
#14 - Overdrive
We worked alongside dark ride manufacturer, Simworx, to create a Katapult original ride concept - OVERDRIVE. This high-octane ride concept draws inspiration from popular driving franchises Need for Speed and Fast and Furious.
#15 - Portmagee Whiskey
We were excited to be announced as the design partners for the Portmagee Whiskey Experience and Seine Boat Visitor Centre in Ireland, creating a new experience. This was one of our first major projects for a cultural and heritage attraction, and what a delight it was.
#16-18 - Keeping it local
2020 onwards
We may have continued to expand our expertise around the world, but that didn't (and hasn't) stopped us from working on local projects that we are passionate about. It was an absolute honour to work alongside Derby City Council during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a safe space for residents to eat at local restaurants. We also supported nature-based urban regeneration pioneers, Down To Earth on their new botanical venue, and, supported the opening of Over The Wall Camp's new residency for young people with health challenges.
#19 - LEGOLAND® Parks
We worked with The LEGO® Group to revive the Rebuild the World experiences across their parks globally. Using the existing attractions as a base, we updated the activation buildings and future-proofed them to future experiences.
#20 - Ferrari
We have a longstanding relationship with Ferrari where we have worked on numerous experiences and attractions. It was a privilege to reimagine the iconic brand as a turnkey LBE concept.
#21 - ROARR! Dinosaur Adventure
It has been a delight to work with the team at ROARR! to create new expansion concepts and lands for their dinosaur theme park in the UK. This included the implementation of their very first rides into the park.
#22 - Themed resort design
We've also discreetly been working on themed resort and hotel projects, including designing rooms, restaurants, playgrounds and water parks. We're continuing to keep our projects under wraps, but wow, what amazing projects they are.
#23 - Gibraltar WW2 Tunnels Experience
We worked alongside experience operators, Wright Tech Media, to enhance an iconic World War II attraction in Gibraltar. The Tunnels, Gibraltar’s World War II Experience is an iconic and well-visited attraction on the island of Gibraltar, with fascinating stories to tell of its strategic importance to the British resistance.
#24 - Hot Wheels Experience
It has been an absolute pleasure working with Top Notch Engineering Consultants and Mattel EMEA team on the new Hot Wheels e-Karting experience. The experience will be a multi-level e-karting track with exclusive merchandise shop, available across multiple locations in Saudi Arabia.
#25 - Gladiators Experience
We were thrilled to collaborate with Live Nation, MGM, Patrick Doherty Design and NEC to create a brand new Gladiators Experience in the UK. Guests are invited to take on the legendary physical challenges and iconic events from the TV show, testing their speed, strength, and stamina.
What's next?
We are working with amazing clients and collaborators on some brand new parks, experiences and ideas. The size, brand, country and type of experience may change, but we will continue to always bring our values-driven approach to create joyful moments.
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