Continue reading »]]> Quality wayfinding signage solutions for educational institutions shares several components in common. Educational facilities, particularly college and university campuses, can be quite confusing, especially for first-time visitors. To help ensure that students, faculty, and staff, can navigate the campus of a college or university, there are different kinds of wayfinding signage that need to be deployed which, in turn, enhance one another to create an effective wayfinding solution.

Directional Signage

Directional signage is one of the most important types of wayfinding signage for educational institutions. When people first arrive on campus, they need clear wayfinding signage that tells them where to park. Next, they need directional or information signage that tells them where key buildings on campus are located, for example, the administration building on a college campus. Text, color, and images can all play a role in directional signage in order to make it as intuitive and easy to follow as possible. Check out the Bellevue University wayfinding project case study.

Identity Signage

Another important type of wayfinding signage for educational institutions is identity signage, or signage that identifies buildings and areas of a campus. For example, many prospective students who visit a university campus need to find the administration building so that they can check in for a tour. Once these prospective students have utilized directional signage that tells them which way to go to find the administration building, then they need to know beyond any doubt that the building they’ve found is the correct one. That’s where identity signage comes in, and it also applies to rooms within buildings and to areas on campus, such as amphitheaters or areas reserved for outdoor activities. Check out the University of Missouri at Columbia project case study.

Access-Related Signage

On the campus of an educational institution, access-related signage can be vital. If construction is occurring on campus, then there needs to be wayfinding signage that alerts students, faculty, staff, and visitors to any detours or to the proximity of hazardous areas. Signage is also often required which denotes restricted areas where people might be paving roads or maintaining sidewalks. A big part of wayfinding is keeping people safe, and signage that regulates access to areas of the campus which are undergoing maintenance or expansion is a vital part of keeping a workable system in place.

Informative Signage

Part of any good wayfinding solution for educational institutions is informative signage, which lets people know pertinent facts about any building or region of the campus. Parking lots sometimes have limited hours during which people can park. Prospective students who have found the administration building on a college campus will need to know the hours of operation for its various offices. People who study or work on campus will need to know how long to expect construction projects to continue and what alternate routes they can take in the meantime. Check out the Southern State Community College project case study.

Wayfinding signage for educational institutions must work on multiple levels. It needs to be effective for first-time visitors who are seeking to find their way around, and it also needs to be effective, on an ongoing, day-to-day basis, for the people who study and work at the facility. For signage to work for all who interact with the facility, it must incorporate multiple levels and layers of important information, all of which will be needed at various points. In this way, everyone who comes in contact with the educational institution is more likely to report positive experiences.

Continue reading »]]> Color-selection and exterior signage is making the news again, this time it’s at Mile High Stadium – home of the Denver Broncos. The issue centers on the size, the placement, the brightness and the color of the large dimensional fabricated letters which spell Sports Authority Field. These letters, which use a strong red color, adorn the façade of the stadium – right over the “Denver Broncos” logo.

A story titled, “Denver City Council Yanks Plans for Flashy Mile High Signs,” by Jeremy P. Meyer on the denverpost.com details the events surrounding a three-hour Denver planning board meeting which resulted in the board pulling the plans for the dimensional letter signs. Citizens complained that the letters on the north, east and west sides of the stadium are too bright and too large and take away from the design of the tax-payer funded stadium. We can see their point – and so could anyone else for miles around. However, we think there might be something else at work here – the color choice. Color is a big influencer on people. It plays on emotions and can act on people at a subconscious level. In this case, the red color for the 9 ½-foot-tall and 178-foot-long illuminated dimensional letters on the east, north and west sides of the stadium just happen to be the primary color of the Denver Broncos arch-rival, the Kansas City Chiefs.

NFL fans or anyone familiar with AFC West division rivalries would get it instantly. Let’s put this into perspective. Pick your favorite sports team and think about an iconic feature of the team’s stadium or arena. Got it? Now, which sports team do you dislike the most? Now, take their team colors and put them in 9 ½-foot-tall illuminated dimensional letters in the stadium or arena.

This is not the first time exterior signage has been approved then pulled from being implemented due to public outcry. Check out this earlier post about a bank logo and letters facing a rugby stadium.

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The winner of Best Overall architectural signage project for 2011 from ASI is the Buffalo Sabres recognition and team history wall. ASI, Buffalo worked closely with the Buffalo Sabres and Cannon Design to establish the environmental graphics for the new state of the art locker room facility at the First Niagara Center.

The project was fast tracked to be completed in less than two months, from the start of the production artwork to the final installation in order to be ready for when the Buffalo Sabres returned from a European Exhibition tour.

Architectural Signage Product and Service Highlights:

Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame Wall – Digitally printed photographs and dimensional letters that spell the names of all Buffalo Sabre hall of fame members.

Retired Numbers Wall – Custom designed environmental graphic design panels and dimensional graphics representing the retired numbers of Sabres players.

Puck History Wall – A custom curved wall detailing the history of each decade with digitally printed history information, dimensional letters for each year and more than 700 pucks mounted to the wall.

The facility and graphic elements can be seen on television at each televised home game as the players enter and leave the ice, as well as when they interview the players before and after the games.

To view other select contest entries, click here.

To view additional project case studies, click here.

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Studies on wayfinding and gender suggest that differences exist in how males and females carry out wayfinding and navigation. For those of us who are concerned with providing efficient and workable wayfinding solutions, a striking result of the research is that men and women go about finding their way around built environments in different ways. Exploring the differences in how men and women orient themselves can build a better understanding of how to improve wayfinding systems and facilitate navigation for everyone.

Wayfinding Maps vs. Landmarks

When it comes to making wayfinding and navigation choices, men tend to rely on map navigation. Men, more so then women, rely on spatial abilities which help them navigate environments from a three-dimensional mental model. On the other hand, women tend to be either landmark navigators or route navigators, which means they are more likely to rely on familiar landmarks or on established routes to find their way around. For a funny real-life example of this phenomenon, check this post titled Uptight Wayfinding. 

Differences in Wayfinding Strategy

Differences in style translate into differences in strategy. Since more men than women fall into the map navigator style, they often rely on global reference points that assist them in building conceptual models of built environments. Women tend to strongly rely on cues from the immediate built environment, such as landmarks or information given to them about which routes to take. Think traditional cardinal directions (North, South, East, West) as opposed to “over by the fountain with the ducks” — both points of reference can get you where you want to go, but men and women choose one over the other. Along the same vein, studies show that women are better able to recall specific landmarks in their environment than are men. For a deeper understanding of wayfinding and how architectural signage can improve communication, check out this whitepaper titled Pathways to Success with Wayfinding Signage.

Differences in Confidence Levels

When it comes to what’s known as the sense of direction, studies have suggested differences in confidence levels between the genders. Confidence level directly correlates into how much anxiety a person experiences in navigating complex structures and campuses. On the whole, men report feeling more confident than women about their sense of direction, which strongly comes into play when they’re faced with having to find their way around an environment that’s new to them.

Nature or Nurture?

Do differences in how men and women navigate spring from nature or nurture? Nobody can definitively answer that question, but nurture probably plays a significant part. Studies suggest that even when women perform as well as men on wayfinding and navigational problems, they experience, on the whole, more stress when faced with carrying out these tasks. Socialization likely plays into the equation, since many girls receive, while growing up, the message that women aren’t good at navigation.

What are the implications of wayfinding and gender studies that suggest differences in how men and women tend to navigate? Further studies in this regard will doubtlessly prove helpful, but in the real world, support is the key. No matter what their styles, strategies, or confidence levels, both men and women benefit from reliable, effective wayfinding support, made available through well-implemented architectural signage solutions and intuitive, user-friendly architectural design elements.

Continue reading »]]> Each year, ASI turns to its network of affiliates and asks the question, “Show us your best architectural signage projects from the previous year.” We give them the option to submit projects into specific categories, like interior signage and exterior signage and digital signage. Like any contest, there are folks that choose to partake in the fun and those that do not get around to it for any number of reasons. We wanted to share a handful of fun and eye-opening examples from the entries we received. We’ll be sure to post the winners, including Best Overall for 2011, in another week.

Ascension Parish Library

Collinwood Recreation Center

Crawford County Memorial Hospital

Perham Health

Buffalo Sabres

Continue reading »]]> A series of articles posted on tctimes.com by Sharon Stone tell the story of a development board’s concerns with a city’s new exterior signage. This story reminds us of a post we wrote a few months ago about client’s making decisions with pocketbooks rather than common business sense of working with skilled signage providers. To be clear — the city did indeed engage a reputable exterior signage provider, but the issue at hand seems to be a matter of whether or not the exterior signage matches the specs and expectations of the development board. It’s best to read through each article to get the complete story, but we’ve provided a few key excerpts from the tctimes.com posts for a summary review:

‘Welcome to Fenton” signs were installed, on Torrey Road, North Road, Silver Lake Road, South Holly Road and Adelaide Street. Burns said these signs were taken down shortly after they were installed when they noticed that the size of the lettering was not to spec. These signs were fixed and in the process of going back up.  In the downtown area, motorists will see new “Welcome to Downtown” signs on Main Street, east of Walnut Street, Silver Lake Road at Adelaide Street and at Shiawassee Avenue at Elizabeth Street. Burns said the concrete bases were made by Rice’s Garden Ornaments in Holly and Dibbleville Woodworks built the prototype for the concrete fluting. Jennifer Weaver, of Weaver Designs in Fenton, created the lettering on the signs. Craftsman Electrical Services, of Fenton, took care of the lighting on the monument signs, while Universal Signs, of Grand Rapids, installed the signs. “A lot of people in town helped with these signs,” said Burns. “We had a lot of local assistance.”

The cost to the DDA for what is currently up was $104,000, said Burns. In 2013, when the city begins the streetscape project, it will also install the planned directional signs, which are part of this sign project. Estimated cost for the directional signs is $175,000. In all, the DDA is spending between $275,000 and $300,000 on signage for the city. Burns said they did not want to install the Wayfinding directional signs now since they would have to removed, when the streetscape and landscaping project is being done.”

Click the following links to read the posts from tctimes.com:

Exterior Signage Meets Flexible Specs

Exterior Signage Does Not Meet Specs

Mixed reviews on city’s new ‘welcome’ signs

Exterior Signage Everywhere 

Historic District Review Board Seeking Architectural Signage Standards

Click to read the complete article from Travis Brown on mdcoastdispatch.com:

The Berlin Historic District Commission (HDC) met this week to discuss signage at the Chamber of Commerce, alterations to PNC Bank and the eventual adoption of town architectural standards and guidelines. First on the agenda were proposed alterations to signs adorning the chamber building on Main St. Chamber Executive Director Olive Mawyer came before the commission with designs for a new frontal and side sign. The commission immediately had problems with the insignia meant for the side of the building. “It isn’t what I’d call a first-rate looking sign,” said Commissioner Mary Moore.

Moore said the design was decent but since the chamber is the face of Berlin to visitors, she was expecting something much more unique. “You really are the person out there front and center,” Moore told Mawyer. Moore added that signage was the beginning of a quality building and suggested Mawyer look into other designs. Mawyer agreed that the chamber should have quality signage but explained the limitations of the budget. At $425, the current design was affordable, but stretching beyond that would be difficult. Additionally, delaying while waiting for funds might mean the sign wouldn’t be up before this summer. Moore suggested going before the Mayor and Council to ask for additional funds. Mawyer promised to hold out for a more elaborate design, though it would also be more expensive. After providing a sample of what that sign would look like, the commission approved it, though there’s no timeline on when the chamber will have the funds to produce it.

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Emily Badger wrote a wonderful piece in the Atlantic Cities Journal about urban wayfinding or cityscpae signage and wayfinding titled “The Suprising Complex Art of Urban Wayfinding.” We wish we could have written an opening statement that is as humorous and observant as what she wrote. If you are involved with architectural design or wayfinding, you should take a few minutes to read Ms. Badger’s column. Click here to read more. For your convienience, we’ve pasted a few key excerpts below.

“Atlanta is no easy city for outsiders to navigate. It has seemingly three downtowns, plus three major interstates slicing through the core of the place, plus infinite maddeningly intertwined Peachtree streets. Los Angeles has neither an obvious street grid nor a comprehensive transit system that spans the entire city. Downtown Seattle actually has something like five street grids, all tilting on a slightly different axis. Washington, D.C., has those diagonal boulevards that befuddle tourists. And then there’s Venice – don’t even get visitors started on Venice.

In a word, these are all cities that could use some wayfinding.

Enter the urban wayfinding expert. This field – also known as environmental graphic design – fits a unique niche somewhere in between two- and three-dimensional design, between building and landscape architecture, between the small scale (street signs) and really large systems (whole cities).

“Architectural signage and wayfinding isn’t about building a nicely designed sign,” says Sue Labouvie, one such expert whom we tapped to explain the science of helping us find our way in the city. “It’s about the information content and the analysis of the space or place that you’re trying to move people through, and coming up with a strategy of how you make this big complex thing simple and understandable to the user.”

Bravo, Ms. Badger and Ms. Labouvie.

While we’re sharing information about wayfinding from other resources, we’d like to shine some light on a blog post authored by Sun Joo Kim on smartplanet.com titled, “How to Design Better City Streets for the Blind.”

In addition, we’d like to share a few other sources of information for wayfinding — both for urban wayfinding, cityscape signage, and architectural wayfinding solutions.

Click here to download the whitepaper “Pathways to Success: The Benefits of Wayfinding Signage“

Check out these other urban wayfinding or cityscape signage blog posts:

Cityscape and Wayfinding Signage is Making News Again

Signage Quick Hits: Wayfinding and Architectural Signage for Public Spaces

City Wayfinding Signage: Why Making the Investment in Exterior Directional Signage is a Good Idea

Continue reading »]]> Managing ADA accessibility is important to consider not only when implementing a standard architectural signage solution, but it is also important to consider for digital signage solutions as well. Thanks to technological advances, there are numerous assistive technologies available on the market today that facilitate ADA-compliant digital signage solutions.

 QR Codes: More Than a Marketing Tool

QR codes are specially designed barcodes that can encode a great deal more information than regular bar codes, including textual information that could conceivably be converted to audio. Visually impaired people could use hand-held devices and smart phones to scan a QR code displayed on a digital sign. Earlier in the year, we featured an application that allows Spanish as first language people to scan and translate English language signs. Either technology could deliver auditory information to help the visually impaired with wayfinding and orientation at a given facility.

Voice-Responsive Technology and IR Sensors

For people who are blind or visually impaired, voice-responsive technology can be integrated into a digital signage solution. Because ADA guidelines mandate that raised character information has to be displayed at a certain height, it is easy to place a simple push button that would activate a voice-response system. In addition, infrared sensors can be mounted nearby the digital signage display and integrated into a voice-response technology. People approaching the digital display would activate the voice-response system simply by approaching the display and breaking the IR stream. The voice-response system would function in the same manner as an interactive touch screen digital sign for sighted people. The voice-responsive enabled digital signage would be able to give blind or visually impaired people auditory cues regarding how to find their way to destinations based on simple “yes/no” answers to automated questions.

Continue reading »]]> By its nature, architectural signage plays an important role in branding built environments because architectural signage serves as the conduit to integrate brand identity into the overall architectural design of the facility. However, figuring out how to present a tenant’s brand identity through architectural signage can be challenging because the tenant’s brand may not always complement the architectural styling of the facility.

Identity Branding

Companies take great care to ensure their brands are distinctive and instantly recognizable, and they want these qualities to carry forward through the architectural signage that identify their facilities.

While identity branding is about identifying the company to visitors, it’s also about presenting the company’s image in a positive light.

Environment Branding

While environment branding is related to identity branding, they’re not the same. Environment branding in a built structure is about presenting a corporate facility’s brand throughout the interior or exterior design scheme to help visitors and staff feel confident about their decision to do business with the tenant.

Architectural signage, both exterior and interior, plays a major role in environmental branding effort when it’s comprehensive and well-designed and highly specific to the facility’s physical structure and its brand. The aim of environmental branding is to help people feel comfortable in the facility and remember it as a place to which they want to return.

Wayfinding Signage

Branding also plays an important role in wayfinding. When people arrive on a large campus, wayfinding signage that incorporates brand identity helps create a positive experience for the visitor.

People who can make use of well-designed, well-branded architectural signage to find their way around a complex campus are much more likely to report positive experiences to colleagues. When the facility’s brand is smoothly incorporated into wayfinding signage, it will likely leave a strong imprint on people’s minds that ties into their good experiences.

Consistency in Branding Corporate Facilities

Corporations have exacting standards for their brands, and for good reason. Consistent branding throughout all levels enhances prospects for acquiring new customers and retaining current ones. This consistency in branding applies to architectural signage for corporate facilities. Without brand consistency, a brand loses much of its appeal, and brand appeal is something that must never be underestimated. It’s what makes a corporate facility – as well as its products and services – memorable. To make a positive impact on patrons, a corporate brand must offer them the assurance that they’re receiving value on all levels, from being able to identify and navigate the corporate campus to feeling comfortable there and positive about the prospect of returning.

Branding through architectural signage for corporate facilities appeals to people on practical and emotional levels. Architectural signage for corporate facilities accomplishes this by being well-designed and seamlessly integrated into the design of the facility. Most of all, the brand identity harmonizes with the architectural signage design and helps a promote a positive brand appeal, which can, over time, mean a considerable return on investment.

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We wanted to share an information piece that compares and contrasts architectural signage and commercial signage. Because commercial signage is almost always associated with exterior signage, the information piece is geared toward comparing and contrasting exterior signage applications. Here are a few key excerpts:

“What defines a commercial sign? It’s easy to identify a commercial sign when looking at popular fast-food restaurants and service stations, but it gets harder to define when the signage solution is a higher-end retail store or “one-of-a-kind” branded signage solution. Architectural signage is usually associated with corporate towers and hospitals, but architectural signage can easily be found in retail or hospitality environments.”

“There is an old saying in architectural circles that works for determining signage: Form follows function. Once you determine and define the need or the function that the sign will provide, the form the solution takes will reveal itself. For example, if you need 500 branded signs that all look the same and will fit into the environment the same way, then you need a commercial signage solution. If you need a solution that complements the architectural environment, incorporates brand identity, higher-end building materials, and is built to last, you need an architectural signage solution.”

Click here to access the information piece. Be sure to click the button on the right-side of the landing page to get the PDF.