Greyfriars Kirkyard

This project is an exploration of Greyfriars kirkyard, one of my favourite places in Edinburgh. I explored the history of this famous burial ground in Edinburgh and practiced visual storytelling.

Greyfriars Kirkyard is one of the most haunted cemeteries in the world. It remains one of the most important historic and cultural places in Edinburgh. It tells many stories that happened over the years including body snatching, poltergeist, resistance, and a story of love and devotion of one dog. It has also inspired a lot of modern stories, like Harry Potter.

Based in the historic city center, Greyfriars Kirkyard is a tranquil cemetery dating back to the 1560s. Its stories and history attracts a lot of ghost hunters and wizarding fans.

The project: Personal research and visual storytelling practice

Tools: Adobe InDesign, Readymag

01 Brochure

A concise history of a hidden gem

In my research, I used the book “Greyfriars graveyard” written by historian Charlotte Golledge. The author explores the history and the symbolism behind the gravestones and how it changed over the years.

In the brochure below, I tell the story of this graveyard and show how it changed over the years and what events influenced the changes. I also look into the history of craftsmanship in Scotland, the views on life and death, and the way they changed over the years.

Working with data

During this project, I really enjoyed working with a lot of data, which I compressed into one concise brochure. My goal was to let the readers see how much history is in this small plot of land and learn new facts quickly. And to visually show the mysticism, tranquility, and uniqueness of this place.

I divided the information into 2 sections: history and symbolism.

Sections

In the history section, I look into the main events in the history of the graveyard and show a timeline, to help readers visualize it.

In the symbolism section, I look at the symbolism of the monuments and how it changed over the years. Monuments can be divided into 3 different categories which are: mortality, immortality, and means of salvation. This categorization makes it easier to digest the vast amount of different symbols and monuments used on the grounds since the 16th century.

02 Digital journey

History in motion

In addition to the printed booklet, I created a landing page using the Readymag platform. It allowed me to bring the story into motion and make learning about the history of this magical place more engaging and fun.

This long scroll highlights the main events in the history of the graveyard. It allows users to explore the story in a little bit more detail.