Navigating Design: Wayfinding the Labyrinth

Envision your last foray into unfamiliar territory: a sea of people navigating with apparent ease. Were they seasoned veterans, intimately acquainted with the layout? Unlikely. Rather, they were steered towards the entrance, the ticket office, or the prescribed path, all thanks to the subtle directives of wayfinding signs. These unassuming guides exist to shepherd us through spaces, using minimalist visuals. Their domain spans the public realm; businesses, parks, and manicured gardens.

In the architectural realm, signage covers several purposes; directional signage as we've uncovered in brief are simplistic guides of mainly visual representations. Informative signs provide a different aspect of the experience of public spaces; providing essential and additional notice such as dietary indicators on a menu or the historic current-knowledge at a museum. Identification signage provides the title of a specific space or room whilst fascia signs inform the name of a building or broader destination; fascia signage is usually external, large and of a company name or logo. The list of categories persists; accessible, regulatory, branding and promotional. There are many types of signage.

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The International WELL Building Institute emerged with WELL certification, in 2014. Awarded not only to buildings that follow the schemes guidance, but also to products. Yes I am about to suggest that we bring signage into the mix of products designed to fit the WELL certification. We can go a step further here to incorporate nature, following some of the ideas of biophilic design practice.

Signage is a major element of the user experience the built environment and yet often an overlooked or left to last minute decision when it comes to new/ refurbishment of public spaces, with luring completion deadlines generic off-the-peg options are often chosen. Bespoke doesn't always mean expensive. After spending hours, days, months, years meticulously designing a space, I would side with the vote to chose signage that fits the aesthetic and needs of your space. Ok, so why did I tease you into WELL certification anyway. Let's get back to that point. Products that fit the WELL certification go into a catalogue of products, making it easier for the design of buildings in aspiration of achieving WELL certification; since to achieve this, the building must promote the certifications guidance through not only the building fabric but all aspects of the holistic design. Signage included.

So how can we design signage that fits the WELL certification and can be incorporated in buildings aspiring for these standards. If we start off with what we should be avoiding, a hot topic at the moment comes up, VOCs, or, Volatile Organic Compounds, in signage this arises in the materials and processes, to reduce the VOCs of a product we need to first look at the materials we are using. Choose a low or now VOC material to begin with. The WELL website has a helpful guide on how to design to fit the certification; signage crops up throughout this, one stand out point is the types of information that should be provided may vary from standard signage and way-finding you may see in a typical building; such as, information should be provided on the risks of smoking and vaping, buildings should inform that the site is either a smoke-free site, or that smoking and vaping should not take place within 2m of any window or ventilation inlet. Informative signage should be present in eating areas, providing education on dietary choices, encourage drinking water and whole foods.

This is just one example of how new building standards, guidance and certifications touch the realm of design, not only in the built environment but also of product and graphic designs.

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I offer freelance design services, with experience in signage and well signage design. Please don’t hesitate to contact, via email, to discuss how we can collaborate.