And although some companies still request square, acrylic, two-color wayfinding signs, many have branched out to using their wayfinding signage as yet another way to promote their brand.

“People think off the shelf is cheaper. That custom is more expensive. In some cases, that is true, but there are custom options that are built using common components, like stacked acrylic panels to create windows or channels,” says Jeff Frank, lead designer for Corbin Design in Traverse City, Michigan. “Any manufacturer can purchase raw materials and build sign faces, but when you get into custom elements, extrusions and things like that, they are all sourcing the same components.”

Frank works on the design side of wayfinding signage. It is his job to go in and work with a client to find out what they want to get out of the wayfinding signs. Many university campuses and hospitals have buildings that are built at different times. They have different signage depending on when they were built. Frank works with them to standardize the signs and make sure that both the interior and exterior signage complement each other.

The other big issue is that since these signs will be in a building for a decade or more, usually, they need to be built from parts that can easily be replaced over time or added to a new wing of a building 10 years later.

Corbin Design works with universities, hospitals and municipalities on their wayfinding signage. Cities and towns usually want custom signs that work well with their brand.

“We use off-the-shelf modular components in those to create those signs. We look for common extrusions or components that make the sign modular and interchangeable and allows for future expansion,” Frank says.

The company works with the city of St. Louis on its wayfinding program. It started out placing signs around downtown but has branched out into doing wayfinding for surrounding parks and trail systems.

“There’s continuity with how the information is presented to you, how it is prepared and displayed and the core elements of modularity are easily replaceable,” he says.

Interior wayfinding can be as simple as framing corners with interchangeable panels or an aluminum box.

“For us and our design process, we look at the information that needs to be presented on the sign and challenge ourselves,” Frank says. Instead of just building a box to hold information, he tries to “blow the box up and do something else instead.”

SignPro Systems, which is a division of Orbus Exhibit & Display, makes a frame system with a curved face, clear plastic lens that covers a graphic.

“The idea is that you can use an off-the-shelf option for the frame itself. It is easy to mount, fast to produce, but it still has a customized look for graphic design. They are low profile around the edges. You don’t see the frame much. It is meant to highlight the graphic,” says Katie Titus, business development representative for SignPro Systems in Woodridge, Ill.

If a client wants to make the wayfinding sign seem bigger, they can add a customized backboard, she adds.

SignPro Systems’ Division Manager Julien Aiglon says that custom signage often costs more to build because it involves the work of an architect and designer and takes longer to produce.

Titus says that companies can save money by creating a custom background while using a more standard frame that allows the signage to be easily changed out.

Flat plaque systems need to be completely redone if there is a mistake on them or the information changes over time. SignPro Systems’ framing system allows the client to print out a new graphic and slip it into the frame that is already on the wall.

Modular or three-dimensional sign systems draw customer attention.

“The whole point of directory and wayfinding signs is to tell people where to go and how to get there,” Titus says. Flat signs are easy to miss. Titus recommends projecting and suspended signs to draw attention.

There is a strong argument for using modular systems in the wayfinding industry.

“If something is needed down the road, they know they have a specific piece of the puzzle. All they have to do is order the same piece of the puzzle once again. Ninety percent of that deliverable is already designed,” says Charles Kelly Jr., president and owner of Clarke Systems in Allentown, Penn.

Clarke Systems supports sign companies by helping them decide on the best system for their project. Most clients want to have a say over the shape of the structure and how it is cut, the color and text, but the structure itself is extruded or injection molded.

When the company builds custom signs, it uses industry standard materials so that if a client needs a duplicate in the future, the colors and texture are consistent. With completely custom signs, it is difficult to match colors and the texture of the materials that are used.

“In some cases, it is a means by which either the supplier of the signs can, number one, differentiate themselves and, secondarily, protect themselves. If you make something so unique nobody wants to retrofit it, you get repeat business that can come from that,” says Kelly.

Most end users want something quick, where the pieces all fit together and are consistent over the long-term.

Wayfinding has evolved a lot over the years with new and different substrates, the Americans with Disabilities Act and advances in technology, like graphics designs programs and large-format digital color printing.

Even with all of the advances, there is still a place for static signs, he says.

“At the same time, there are strong uses of digital by way of directories and places of wait … anyplace where the public’s motion comes to a stop for some time,” he adds.

Bill Freeman, vice president of architectural sales for Howard Industries, believes that “a modular style sign system is always the best and most popular choice for wayfinding applications because they allow for easy message changes due to new construction and the addition or removal of tenants.”

He adds that, “when creating a signage design, observe the location’s architecture, design or environmental theme that could be incorporated into the design of the sign(s). Exterior signs can be adorned by adding a peak, radius, custom top, accent or specific color. Interior signage can be decorated with wood, marbled acrylic or color-specific accents.”