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Wayfinding has been around ever since the first bunch of cavemen got lost trying to find their way home from a wooly mammoth hunt, but has only become a profession in the twentieth century. It is a specialized area within Interpretive Environmental Graphics and shares many of the same goals and purposes.
It is essentially the use of visual aids in finding one’s way in an unfamiliar environment. A wayfinding system organizes the process of providing those necessary clues and environmental information that help people orient themselves and intuitively find their way.
Wayfinding is a closed system, which not only lets you know your present location, how to get where you want to go, but also something about the place where you are. It is factual, directional information delivered in a manner that is contextual as well as psychological. When delivered effectively in this way the user not only navigates their surroundings effortlessly but as a result feels at ease, safe, welcomed and “at home”. It is a multi-level system that is accurate, up to date and evokes a “spirit of place”
WayFinding plays a crucial part in the operation of a society. It unifies a group of people by establishing a common visual language of symbols, markers, images, and words. According to David Gibson author of “The WayFinding Handbook: Information Design for Public Places,” it creates a public narrative of how people witness, read, and experience a space. At its core, it is a systematic method of helping a person answer two questions: “Where am I?” and “How do I get there?” This provides guidance, putting people at ease in their surroundings. An effective WayFinding system encompasses existing visual markers, while also allowing for future modifications. It requires an attention to a variety of design applications including signs, maps, and interactive media employing orientational, directional, and identifying information.
A successful system is both functional and aesthetic. It captures personality and emphasizes unique character, furthering brand identity. Employing the theories of visual communication, hierarchy, color, and iconography, can create this sense of unity and consistency. The goal is to produce a comprehensive network, linking and enhancing connections by improving orientation, navigation, and identification.
Organizationally, the approach is to codify the steps of planning a systematic set of solutions. More, or too much, information does not necessarily translate into increased understanding without contextual clues and clear orientation signals. So, the optimum solution is not necessarily characterized by more information, but instead by how that information is presented.
The success to adaptability is to base the system on a “Design Framework” rather than a “Comprehensive Plan”. This provides flexibility for the future while also giving direction. The framework creates an awareness for connections between seemingly dispirit projects and providing cohesiveness and comprehensiveness, therefore increased effectiveness.
ASSIGNMENT:
Create a Wayfinding System that includes the following:
- A navigational system (what direction, how far, where are you now)
- A location system (Identify destinations)
- A thematic unifying style (a visual brand or Identity)
- User Experience
PROCESS:
- Choose the same venue your picked for either the Visual Identity/Branding assignment or for the Symbol/Icon Set assignment
- You will need to have both a consistent visual brand as well as a system of icons for this assignment. So, build upon the work you did previously and apply either the brand or the symbols to this wayfinding system. You will then need to create either the brand or symbol set, whichever one you don’t currently have.
- Identify similar level destinations within your overall location. (ex. restaurants and shops are on a similar level but restrooms and ticket offices are on a different level and performance or entertainment is on yet a third level). You should have at least 3 different levels or groups. Create a system of signage prototypes that represent each level of location.
- Identify similar zones or groupings within your overall location (ex.: main and also alternative routes of travel) (ex.: Disneyland has zones such as Adventureland and Tomorrowland, etc.) Create a system of signage prototypes that represent each type of zone.
- Identify the primary user groups for your venue. Who comes there and why? How can your design help not only the practical requirements of finding one’s way around, but also make that experience a pleasant and less stressful one?—User Experience.
- Specify materials and installation processes
- Comp or prototype site specific examples to show how and where each level and zone would look on location.
GOALS:
- Consistent Thematic Brand
- Location and Navigational systems are well thought out and creatively realized
- User Experience has been considered and is evident
Graphic Design Thoughts 