When people visit a college campus, a healthcare complex or even a zoo, the only time they think about wayfinding is when it’s confusing or nonexistent. When it works, it’s transparent. When it doesn’t, they can’t find their destination and they get lost.
That’s why when you are working on a large outdoor wayfinding project it's important to try to keep things simple yet still incorporate the many complex elements that might be involved. We polled a number of shops and suppliers to learn about some of the wayfinding design trends being used in this area, what their clients are looking for as well as points to consider when taking on a project of large size and scope.
Identifying Key Areas
“Creating a comprehensive wayfinding plan can seem like an overwhelming task when taking the entire scope of a facility into consideration,” says Craig Fravert, president at Fravert Services, Birmingham, Alabama. “Therefore, it’s best to identify the most crucial areas of need first and begin your wayfinding planning from those points.”
Ray Palmer, president, of the sign and graphics division of Maryland-based Alliance Franchise Brands (which encompasses Signs Now, Signs By Tomorrow and Image 360). Palmer adds that first and foremost, you should understanding that a large project is basically a lot of smaller jobs combined into one. He says it’s also important to realize that while the aesthetics tend to be what the buyer and design team like to focus on, it is all part of how the visual communication is perceived by your clients’ clients.
“Wayfinding must be functional in order to meet its basic and primary purpose,” Palmer says. “Usually the overall objective is a constant. However, there may be pieces of the project that have more targeted or specific goals. These are best handled as ‘sub-projects’, maybe with a team specifically assigned to them, particularly if the signage has specialties such as illumination, interesting artistic features or a need for structural engineering. Assigning project managers and having at least one person be the interface with the client or their representative throughout the project is crucial.”
New Design Trends
Parker reports that new design trends seemed to be geared towards more “green” solutions, or at the least, signs that fit aesthetically into the environmental landscape. “Architects and contractors are LED-conscious, and this tends to trickle down to our industry, as we must stay in line with the design of a structure. Messaging is moving towards digital driven displays. With that being said, fixed message signs are still very much in demand but tend to be designed to allow for future changes since names of buildings and destinations, or at least the people, departments and businesses within the space seem to change regularly,” he adds.
New Materials
Matt Robinson, vice president of operations at L&H Sign Companies, Reading, Pennsylvania says helping people to find their way is a foundational aspect of the signage industry. It involves principles of communication theory as well as the art of communication. He reports that one the latest trends he is seeing is the introduction of nonstandard materials being incorporated into basic designs. “For years a wayfinding sign was merely an extruded post and panel with text and directional arrows. With the EGD world growing and taking over the field of standard architect designs, signage has taken on a new look and feel. Budget is always the number one driving force in any program and we work with our clients to offer a low, medium and high range of design-build options.”
Shift From Static Signs
“We are definitely seeing a movement in static signs that are more modular which enables them to be updated more easily as changes need to occur in the messaging over time,” reports Kelly Crandall, sales director at Creative Sign Designs, Tampa, Florida. “Municipalities have realized that public wayfinding, information messaging, interpretive experiences have become vastly more important than in recent past. With our current smartphone technology, static wayfinding must meld with virtual applications to create a seamless experience.”
Creating a Brand
Crandall says her clients look to their firm to help create a “brand experience” which allows the wayfinding opportunity to relate to the uniqueness of that client. “For these opportunities, clients want their sign systems to reflect their brand and help navigate visitors to their destination with clear messaging to eliminate any unnecessary frustration in finding their destination. This is especially important to our healthcare clients that may be dealing with an emergency situation.”
For an education campus, it’s important that first time visitors and prospective families consider sending their children to a new place can feel secure knowing that they can find their way around campus with clear directional signage, Crandall says. “Planning for signage early in the process can help achieve these goals so there is sufficient time to do analysis and data collection to provide an effective wayfinding solution. Certain clients are unaware of this need or place little value on those opportunities – that’s where we offer expertise to produce a cohesive, branded signage system.”
Clear Communication
Joseph Stoddard, principal at SKA Design, an environmental graphics design firm located in South Pasadena, California says their clients want signage that communicates clearly, more than signage that just looks neat. “Signage needs to be big, with large, easy to read copy. Changeable signage is a need for many campuses that, by nature, expand and evolve over time. Our clients want signage that harmonizes with the site, ties in aesthetically with the project architecture, and their brand displayed prominently”
He says that many healthcare and educational facilities now want dynamic/changeable signage that can provide directional information, event information, life/safety information, as well as advertising.
Stoddard also points that government regulations are also having an effect on changes in this market. “Recent code changes in states such as California have created new restrictions for exterior signage, limiting the area where copy can be displayed. Additionally, city sign ordinances are becoming more restrictive in terms of sign height and overall sign size, further restricting copy area,” he adds.
Functional and Easy to Maintain
Favert points out that different clients want/need different things but for the most part they want something that is highly functional, easy to maintain and affordable. “Most of the time when we are asked to help with wayfinding, when the issues have become acute. Many of the problems most people experience in losing their way in public buildings and campuses is the result of compounding. Generally, in the case of hospitals and hospital campuses, there was an original building or buildings that were easily identified and located”
Fravert reports that today most hospitals and hospital campuses have expanded in some way. “New additions, relocated entryways, MOB’s, POB’s, parking decks, Emergency Department expansions, etc., all have an effect on how people access the facility. Typically when these expansions occur, signage is not always considered or it is only considered within the footprint of the expansion. What we find many times that the old signage has not been removed and/or additional signage has been installed in the hope that it will cure the problem when in reality; it makes it worse. This compounding effect occurs in both interior and exterior signage and the resulting ‘visual clutter’ becomes a contributing factor in wayfinding problems,” he explains.
Keep it Simple
Glen Welden, design director at Creative Sign Designs, who works on projects in tandem with Crandall, feels its best to try and keep things the design basic. “The key is to keep it simple. Too many times, wayfinding becomes ineffective because the design is cluttered with messaging, ineffective color contrast and confusing shapes and/or decorations. A solution to this is the use of appropriate size and style of font, its placement and use of images to convey a clear message. Additionally, the uniqueness of the design must also be considered in relation to the overall ‘brand experience’ and understanding and managing the client’s expectations in relationship to the desired outcome.”
Weldon says wayfinding often involves not only the client’s needs and desires but it must also follow DOT regulations and restrictions. “Therefore, it is imperative that the design firm fully understands the needs of both in order to ‘craft’ a successful wayfinding solution. Additionally, the design firm has a responsibility to facilitate a willing partnership between the two. Getting all parties to ‘buy-in’ and feel that they all have ownership in the outcome makes for a very effective program.”
Weldon continues, “All the elements mentioned above are integral to the overall effectiveness of the program. You need to take a larger view and make sure all decision makers and relevant user groups are involved in the process so that the program will be effective for all groups including visitors, employees and vendors coming in and out of the designated areas.”
Taking the Team Approach
Stoddard adds another key to a successful exterior project is working with the entire team. “Work closely with the project team at the beginning of the project to coordinate signage with the architecture. Ideally, the project should have a seamless appearance, as if it all came from the same hand, each component working in harmony with the rest. You also need to coordinate signage locations with the landscape designer and consider modifications to the landscape plan to enhance placement and visibility of signage elements.”
He adds that you need to conduct a detailed photo survey of existing conditions: not only the buildings and site issues, but the current signage as well. “Other points to consider include a clear understanding of the the City Sign Code and how it applies to this project. You also need to look at the current and proposed lighting plan and locate signage to maximize visibility. Signage may require its own light source. Lastly, look at the client’s branding that they want used on the project as what can be done and what shouldn’t be done,” he concludes.
Breaking a Large Project Down
As with any kind of large project, Fravert says breaking it down into manageable pieces is a key to its success. “We use a Four Step process that we go through with our clients where we evaluate their existing conditions; listen to their issues and concerns before we begin to develop a strategy resolving the issue. We also try to establish expectations with our clients. Probably the biggest issue in this regard is to help them understand that there is no magic solution.”
“Our goal is to make it easier for first time, unique visitors to find their destination with little or no confusion. Human nature being what it is, some people are more directionally challenged than others, we strive to get the vast majority to their destinations. However, in my experience, there is not a solution that will get 100 percent of the visitors to their destination 100 percent of the time. We have written a guide to help clients with this process and it can be downloaded from our website at www.Fravert.com,” he concludes.