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Scale, colors, lighting, architectural details, artwork, landscaping and signage all play an essential part in wayfinding according to designers. To ensure they work harmoniously and guide visitors throughout the space successfully it is key that a dialogue about wayfinding be initiated early on.
“Integrated from day one is key; any attempts to retrofit something into an existing plan will only make things less effective,” according to Kevin A. Day, principal at HGA (Washington D.C).
Holistic design provides an opportunity for different perspectives to work collaboratively, according to Elizabeth Von Lehe, design director for HDR (New York). Interior and wayfinding designers “don’t focus exclusively on individual components,” states Von Lehe. They instead consider “the grander goal for the space itself – how it will be used and any particular pain points we are supposed to address.”
Phuong Nguyen, associate principal and lead experiential graphic designer at Page (Atlanta), emphasizes: “Early engagement in the planning process allows us to identify and reserve the most effective locations for wayfinding.”
Wayfinding early also sets the stage for careful expansion in the future, so that its strategy remains cohesive even as new spaces open up. According to Chris Bowles, senior environmental graphic designer at Page, “you should always be thinking ahead – even though we may only have two buildings here now, there may still be lots of empty land that’s waiting to come online and new structures built,” says Chris.
Designers are in an ideal position to provide owners with wayfinding and signage guidelines that can accommodate future expansion. HGA recently completed a project at Washington, D.C.’s Children’s National Hospital where HGA developed a toolkit of wayfinding tools that helps identify new clinic and department entries.
“They don’t have many landmarks, so we developed a system that goes beyond signage types – more like a design guide – which can be implemented during smaller renovations,” according to Heslington.
