You will learn about wayfinding, signage design and typography to create a clear and concise wayfinding system that applies the build environment. Please enjoy this article and let me know your thoughts!

Wayfinding basics

Navigation from place to place is a fundamental human activity and an integral part of everyday life. Where are you? Where are you heading to? People use their knowledge and previous experiences to find their way in the build environment. The human perception of the build environment and information in a space comes down to balance and focus. What do you see? Why did you see it? What did you do with the information.
Wayfinding has the function to inform people of the surroundings in the (unfamiliar) build environment, it is important to show information at strategic points to guide people into the right directions. Complex structures in the build environment are interpreted and stored by the human memory. Distances, locations and time may be remembered differently than as they appear to be in reality.

An effective wayfinding system is based on human behavior and consists of the following characteristics:

• Do not make them think
  Create a comprehensive, clear and consistent visual communication system with concise messaging.
• Show only what is needed
  Show information what relevant is to the space, location and / or navigation path.
• Remove excessive information
  Remove unnecessary elements to create a clear visual environment ahead.

How does wayfinding work?

How do people orientate, navigate or remember the build environment? Why will people recognize or understand one place easier than another? As shown in the images on the left, a geographical map versus cognitive (mental) map = reality versus human mental memory. When creating a wayfinding scheme the following characteristics influences the way we interpreted the build environment.

• Landmarks
  To create a legible environment it is necessary to mark specific spaces and / or locations. This reinforces the recognition of places and plays a part in overseeing a larger area. With the use of landmarks and marking elements an area will become more visible and will be understand better in the human memory. Landmarks can be art-objects, buildings, streetart, wayfinding signs or striking elements in a landscape. These elements combined will shape the identity of an (unknown) area as seen from your perspective.
  
  
• Orientation
  In order to navigate, you need to know where you are in the build environment and where other destinations are located. Preferable it is good to know the distance in time from one place to another. If you are able to orientate yourself within the build environment, it will be easier to understand destinations and to navigate by landmarks. In wayfinding, maps are common used to indicate your location. The usage of maps is a very powerful way of expressing and overseeing the build environment. Be sure to display the maps heads-up in the direction you are facing, this way you can easy relate yourself to the build environment.
  
  
• Navigation
  Navigating the physical reference to a particular area, setting or destination. With the usage of directional (static) signs people will be guided along their path towards destination(s).

Strategic wayfinding design

When creating a signage system for an area, building or architectural structure it is essential to develop a strategic wayfinding scheme. With this step you are able to build up a modular wayfinding system that will adapt to the build environment and the human expectations for orientation and navigation purposes. Research is an important step to understand the build environment and where information is needed to maximize legibility of the wayfinding system.

Signage design basics

In basics there are four important type of signs: Information signs, for instance a signpole with locate a destination and / or to orientate yourself in the build environment. Directional signs, where information is displayed to find destinations, located on several strategic points in the build environment. Identification signs, where information about individual locations is displayed such as buildings, locations and public facilities. Warning signs, to indicate safety procedures such as a fire escape routes, no smoking areas and other regulations that is, or is not allowed in a specific area.

To make a signage system work together a design grid is used to order information and to scale the signs to different sizes, as part of the sign family. With the example design I have used a base grid of 30 mm (milimeters) with a subdivision of 9. All the measurements of the example are based on the 9x9 division. Be careful not to show too much information into one sign, this will be easily overlooked, instead use multiple signs to get good wayfinding results.

Signage typeface

A signage typeface is usually a sans-serif type and available in various weights with a simple easy-to-read straightforward design. They have a good legibility with a large X-Height and wide letter proportions with prominent ascenders / descenders to ensure a good readability.

When using an easy-to-read font the typeface is recognizable for many people to read and to understand the message clearly. Therefore the choice of a signage typeface is one of the keyfactors in order to make a wayfinding system work. When selecting a typeface for a signage design / wayfinding project please use the following characteristics:

• A clear and straightforward type design, sans-serif
• Easy recognizable letterforms
• Positive letter spacing to enhance the visual appearance
• The Font Family includes a package of many different weights
• The typeface has a large X-height for good readability

In a follow-up article on designworkplan I will go deeper into selecting typefaces for signage design / wayfinding.

Signage design

Be consistent in typography, type height, icons, grid design, color and material choice. The signs needs to be straight forward designed and in a consistent order to wayfinding scheme, always use the same order of displaying the information. Remember to make samples of the different sign types and check them in the build environment to ensure it becomes a best-practice design.

See the article about signage and color contrast for more information about color usage in wayfinding.

Next up

Please let me know your thoughts about signage design and wayfinding in the comments. Thank you!

On Wednesday 31st March Ivan Bennett, Design Manger for London Buses, delivered a presentation on the design and development of Bus infrastructure furniture and products at Transport for London’s offices in Southwark. This article gives and overview of the evening and highlights some of the key topics discussed.

Background Information

As part of Transport for London (TfL), London Buses is responsible for securing the provision of bus services throughout Greater London in a safe, efficient manner, while encouraging the use of buses and public transport. Surface Transport Infrastructure Development are responsible for the design and development, specification, installation and maintenance of the supporting infrastructure within Greater London. As the main point of contact with passengers, bus stops in London currently total over 19,000.

Introduction

Mike Wolff, Chairman of the SDS, introduced Ivan and highlighted that the society often discuss the graphic design and strategy of wayfinding systems, but talk less about the design of products. That in mind he was very keen to get the event underway.

London Buses — The Facts

Ivan began his presentation by putting the scale of the London Bus project into perspective. Every weekday over 6,500 scheduled buses carry around 6.25 million passengers on over 700 different routes, amounting to over 1.7 billion journeys a year. He was also keen to point out that the first use of the iconic roundel was the 19th-century symbol of the London General Omnibus Company; its usage on the Underground came later.

History of London Buses
Illustrations of old shelters showed how little the identity had changed over the years and demonstrated how forward thinking London were in a period hung up on embellishment. Ivan emphasised the importance and influence of Frank Pick, head of the London Underground in the 1910s and 1920s and of the newly merged London Transport in the 1930s. Frank was instrumental in establishing the world’s most progressive public transport system and an exemplar of design management. Ivan went on to explain how Frank’s vision influenced the design of London bus products, including those we see on the streets today.

Creating Successful Products
TfL are a well known brand and the legacy of their products has a huge impact on defining the city. Their products and use of materials also help define the values of the system. Ivan identified his three intrinsic factors for creating successful products:

• Aesthetics
• Appropriateness
• Economics

Even in the early 19th century, London Transport realised the importance of these values.

“The test of the goodness of a thing is its fitness for use. If it fails on this first test, no amount of ornamentation or finish will make it better; it will only become more expensive and more foolish.” — Frank Pick

It was clear that Ivan and his team design products with a clear focus on ‘Appropriateness’. They adopt a cradle to grave approach to design and Ivan listed key considerations in their design process:

• Who will use the product?
• What will the product be used for?
• How long does the product need to last?
• What possible impact does the product need to withstand? (vehicles, pedestrians, weather)
• How often will the product need to be updated?
• How will the product be maintained?

In particular when looking at materials:

• Do the individual materials proposed work together?
• Are the materials used sustainable?
• Do the materials work within the surrounding environment?
• What is the life span of individual materials?
• How will materials be disposed of at the end of the products life?

Current Product
Using a full scale replica of a bus stand located at the front of the room, Ivan described in detail the design of the current product used at bus stops.

Click to enlarge the busstop details.

Many of the components are easily switchable. Ivan demonstrated how using a tiling system, bus stop numbers could be changed and moved almost like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Examples of timetables, route maps and network maps helped show how London Buses have simplified information to make it easier for bus stop users to answer three key questions:

• Where am I now?
• How do I get from A to B
• How will I know when I get there?

Click to enlarge the map busstop details.

A good example of this simplification of information is the timetable, where individual times have been omitted and instead only first and last buses are listed along with the general frequency of buses throughout the day.

Example: Transport for London Journey Planner.

Where other systems fail
One reason other systems have failed is the lack of continuity. London bus stops extend beyond central areas and cover all routes in Greater London. Ivan indicated that passengers do not just want information about where they are travelling from, but when they get there, they need the same consistently presented information. People need information near their homes and local areas, not just in the centre of the city.

Ivan also pointed out that many systems fail because they do not own their products. London Buses design and build their products and own the intellectual property rights. This allows TfL the freedom to change manufacturers without having to reinvent their products. Continuity of the brand is maintained and London Buses can continually work on evolving their products.

Questions and Answers
The session concluded with a questions and answers forum. Unsurprisingly many of the questions focussed on manufacturing methods and material choices, but several of the questions were centred around brand identity and the roundel. A debate began on the use of the roundel and whether overuse was diluting its visual impact, a subject I am sure we all could have continued discussing at length, but time was pushing on and Mike sadly had to draw the session to a close.

Conclusion

I have been to several events organised by the SDS, but this was one of my favourites. The presentation was filled with facts, history, illustrations and physical examples. Ivan is obviously very knowledgeable on the subject and passionate about his job and this came through in his presentation.

I would like to thank Ivan, Mike, Michelle and the SDS for another great event.

• For more information on the SDS visit: The Sign Design Society

Author Bio:
Hayley graduated in 2007 with a first class degree in Visual Communication. She now lives and works in London as a Wayfinding Designer for a large architectural practice. Her key projects to date include developing signage and information graphics for both Dublin and Rome Airport. Hayley’s thoughts and inspirations can be found in her regular tweets as Wayfinding_UK.

This article will feature a review of the seminar day with world leading speakers on signage and wayfinding such as Jim Northover, Tim Fendley, Nic Banks, Matt Butters, Cliff Selbert and David Gibson. In total on this day there were 16 speakers with presentations on: City wayfinding, Airport signage, Metro wayfinding, Environmental graphic design, Typography, Pictogram design, and much more, a seminar marathon so to say.

The purpose of sign09 is to bring together and inform those involved in the discipline, to offer education and networking opportunities and to improve awareness of the social and commercial importance of this often underestimated aspect of environmental design.

Sign09 Vienna

This 9 days of seminar is a joined initiative of International Institute for Information Design (IIID) and Sign Design Society (SDS) with the overall goal to contribute on better understanding of the importance of signing and wayfinding and to encourage greater focus in the design disciplines, industry and education. The speakers of the Friday seminar City Identity & Wayfinding each hold a position or have done remarkable work in this field of expertise and shared their knowledge.

Organization

The opening words were by Mike Wolff (SDS) and Martin Foessleitner (IIIDSpace), my compliments to the crew for organizing this great event. We got a personalized booklet with all speakers of today and additional space on each page to write down remarks, lunch, drinks, coffee and superb talks, great!

1. Jim Northover

Global Cities, Local Places:
the challenge of identity in urban environments

First speaker on stage (09:00 sharp) was Jim Northover, Jim talked about the identity of cities and its uniqueness to create an rememberable experience. Interesting topic Jim mentioned was the look at historical facts such as the Roman build city Rome and its structure on traffic flow and circulation.

• Find out more about Jim Northover at his corporate website LloydNorthover.

2. Halime Fisenk and Zeynep Aran

Environmental sign system as a visual language matter in Turkey

Two Turkish designers are building a case on creating a sign system for cities in Turkey. The main problem is that there is no clear and concise system of signs showing street names, directions and more. From the Turkish culture people navigate by asking locals the way. The students have come up with a color coded system and a sign proposal to create make Turkey more legible. Keep up the work and good luck.

3. Khanna Raman

Reading the city of Delhi:
wayfinding strategies for international tourism

From Turkey to India where Khanna Raman talks about the need for information systems for international tourism. In 2010 India will host the Commonwealth Games and this will be an opportunity to create new wayfinding systems that oversees the illiteracy, cultural biases and overcrowded public spaces. From his point of view new mobile technologies will be used to navigate easier from one to another location.

4. Tim Fendley

A principled approach to designing urban wayfinding

Tim Fendley talks about the project Legible London and the theory behind the wayfinding strategy, he talked about the awareness of information systems that can be used as a seamless guidance in your city journey. As Tim continued his talk he mentions the issues of naming the parts of a city, as from historical point of view areas or neighborhoods can have different names. By researching the areas and questioning locals they have gathered all the correct information as needed to locate an area. Further on Tims shows us a software tool which they use to get information on or off a navigation map, an impressive way to create different maps for each specific need in urban wayfinding. With various examples of good and bad we got a great insight on urban wayfinding.

• Find out more about Tim Fendley at his corporate company Applied Information Group and follow Tim Fendley on Twitter.

5. Barry Gray

Barry talked about the latest developments in the standardisation of graphical symbols and signs. With many examples Barry emphasized the importance of the ISO standard on testing and using symbols and icons in wayfinding systems. This resulted in a discussion about the cultural differences and interpretation of graphical symbols. They plan to release a search able database that will give out the symbol that you can use in the design. Looking forward to this new functionality.

• Find out more about the ISO Standard of graphical symbols at the International Organization for Standardization.

6. Stefan Egger

Tern: A new traffic typeface for the Trans European Road Network

Stefan Egger talked about a European Union project named “In-Saftey”, where a typeface should be developed to meet the demands of road users since the introduction of the international standards (41 years ago agreed on). In a team of type developers Erik Spiekermann is involved to create the typeface TERN. Stefan talked about how the typeface is developed and what criteria was used to make it legible on road signs or electrical signs. In 2010 Austria will be the fist to have the typeface TERN Narrow on its roadsigns.

7. Gökhan Namanoglu

For the Istanbul Summer Olympics 2020 Gökhan Namanoglu is researching if international pictographic languages exists and this project will focus on the function and effectiveness on pictograms.

8. Nic Banks

Signing public transport systems

After lunch Nic Banks got on stage to talk about his work in Asia for designing signage systems for transport facilities in Bangkok, Dubai, Hong Kong and more. Nic pointed out that the principle of signage is to move and navigate and will holds its own identity. To clearly inform passengers of understanding a facility forms the back-bone of all good transport systems. Nic addresses the differences between cultures and its interpretation of information on which a signage system is build. With various examples we got a great insight on transport signage systems in Asia.

• Find out more about Nic Banks and his corporate company Atelier Pacific Limited Hong Kong.

9. Matt Butters

Heathrow Airport Terminal 5

Designed to handle over thirty million passengers a year this airport terminal was to bring together the standards of modern terminal design. Matt Butters talks about the way architecture can play a part in wayfinding to create a clarity in orientation and information delivery. This intuitive way of designing a building will create trust with its passengers who will find their gates with ease. Signage has become a part of its facility.

• Find out more about Matt Butters and his corporate company Pascall + Watson.

10. Helmut Ness

Messe Frankfurt

Messe Frankfurt is world’s largest faire trade company with over 578,000 square meters of ground cover. Within three separate buildings an current wayfinding system is not providing the needed information. Helmut Ness talks about the new and improved wayfinding system they have developed with a custom Univers typeface designed by Erik Spiekermann. Their ideas consists of the right balance in showing dynamic and fixed information within a circular red following line that connects all three buildings.

• Find out more about Helmut Ness and his corporate company Fuenfwerken Design AG.

11. Tony Howard

Public service or brand opportunism

As everybody has problems with clients demands Tony Howard talked about the signing and wayfinding for Dubai Metro. Tony discusses how they designed specific cultural pictograms and custom typeface that combines Latin and Arabic characters in one typeface. Interesting enough the way public signage is handled in Dubai is to sell ‘advertising’ space on signs in order to create income. Tony talks about how the managed to under these circumstances created a working signage system.

• Find out more about Tony Howard and his corporate company Transport Design Consultancy.

12. Tommie Nyström

Teaching wayfinding at Stuttgart Media University

The future of information design is in the hands of students. Tommie Nyström has students who perform wayfinding studies for well known places such as the Porsche Museum and let them come up with new ideas to show information. Within 6 weeks the students go from idea to prototype and present their ideas as parts of their study.

• Find out more about Tommie Nyström and the Stuttgart Media University.

13. Ralf Herrmann

Wayfinding typefaces

Ralf Herrmann studied for over three years road signage typefaces throughout Europe. His study shows many typefaces have difficulties under certain circumstances, Ralf Herrmann decided to design his own wayfinding typeface based on his ideas of maximum legibility. He created a software tool to simulate reading conditions in order create a working wayfinding typeface under all weather and distance conditions. Currently in beta.

• Find out more about Ralf Herrmann and his typeface Wayfinding at his website Open Type, see here for an review of his typeface.

14. Clive Richards

A picture isn’t always worth 1000 words

Clive Richards the president of IIID / UK had a presentation about the design of warning labels in particular for tractor security. The manufacturer of tractors wished to minimize the number of different language variants needed on the labels, Clive talks about the problems that they faced and how they managed to maximize the level of understanding of graphical information.

15. Cliff Selbert

Finding your way while enhancing your brand

Cliff Selbert has a specific approach in wayfinding and landmarking, their philosophy consists on creating big environmental sculptures to create an identity for its area. This is an interesting way of making areas or facilities legible and while creating an photo opportunity people will remember the location more intense. Cliff talked about the parking for Disney where they used music and images to let visitors remember the location and enhance the experience which will be linked to the brand.

• Find out more about Cliff Selbert and his corporate company Selbert Perkins Design.

16. David Gibson

Finding the hidden logic

After about 9 hours of talk David Gibson had the task to close this marathon day of speakers. With his book The Wayfinding Handbook David is creating legible enviroments by finding the hidden logic. With basic principles he creates systems that allows us to find our way in unfamiliar environments. With his recent visit to Beijing David tells about the hidden logic he found in this immense city.

• Find out more about David Gibson and his corporate company TwoTwelve or read the review on The Wayfinding Handbook.

Additional information:

Hopefully IIID and SDS will continue hosting these events in the future, if you want to know more about the organizations or the event please use the following links.

• Sign09 Vienna Event
• International Institute for Information Design — IIIDSpace
• Sign Design Society — SDS

Afterwards we had a great dinner and drink till late. Thanks everybody for the open-minds and great talks about our common interests. Thank you Peter for showing us around in Vienna. See you next year!

Actually one of the most important factors that you will remember after visiting a city is how did you get around.

What items did you use to navigate through a city? How did public transport interacts with the navigation possibilities that you have? What was your feeling and with the items you used to navigate and did you find your way? Where did you get your information from and was it sufficient enough?

All of these questions make or break a your vision on city exploration.

Exploring a unknown city

When visiting a city there are different ways you can get there and after arriving you need to know where you are in the spatial environment in order to locate yourself and make decisions on where to go next. The provided information at that point of entry is critical for easy city exploration, if the provided information is insufficient, you might turn the wrong way and not finding the locations you want or need to visit. Going the wrong way increases feelings of disorientation, distraction and anxiety. The feeling that you are loosing time on exploring a city trip is one of the worst psychological emotions you experience.

City information

When visiting a new city is can be useful to check the cities website and obtain information about:

• Public transport and available connections between the various transportation services
• Getting a map of the city and locate your hotel, maybe even plan a trip from your city point to entry to the hotel
• Maybe plan your trip via google maps and mark all the points your want to visit
• Opening hours of the facilities you want to visit

I’m that kind of guy that doesn’t do any of the suggested items as described above… I just try to explore the city using my senses and trying to find where I need to go next. Sometimes this is a great and joyful experience, sometimes it causes disorientation and arguments with the people I travel with at that time.

Orientation and navigation in an unknown city

When using your senses to guide yourself in a unknown environment you need eye-level directional information and possibly a map to locate and navigate through the city. City often uses directional signs on streets to point you in the right direction and sometimes information panels are providing you with an orientation overview. In future posts I will go deeper into pedestrian navigation and city wayfinding. Other forms of navigation is through a mobile phone powered with for instance Google Maps or specific applications enhanced to bring you information about the city you want to visit.

City marketing and visitors information

As city marketing is the nr. 1 way of promoting your city, providing information to the visitors is also part of the branding strategy. Currently many cities worldwide are producing mobile applications to improve the visitors experience and this will make it easier to navigate through a city. I have compiled a list of iPhone applications which will let you navigation through a city using your own personal map.

iPhone apps for city orientation and navigation

WalkBrighton

The London based information design company Applied Information Group started a project in London several years ago names: Legible London, this project aimed at pedestrian wayfinding in the heart of London to release the stress on public transport and enhance the user experience. AIG rolled out a pilot and the case is very strong, people are using it with ease and it will change the way at city wayfinding completely.

In Brighton AIG also adapted the wayfinding system and developed an iPhone application to support the pedestrian wayfinding system, named WalkBrighton. Using the same look and feel as the hardware allowing the two systems works seamlessly together informing you where you are and where you want to go. Looking forward visiting Brighton to use the system in real life.

Details of the application:
Crossings, railings, ramps and footpaths are shown in detail, as well as individual shops, bars and public services. 3D illustrations of key landmarks help you place yourself in the map just one of many features that makes this one of the best-looking and most user-friendly maps you will see on the iPhone

Additional information:

• Applied information Group
• Visit Brighton website
• WalkBrighton website
• Install iPhone app WalkBrighton (iTunes link)

Infomaps Amsterdam

The city of Amsterdam has much to explore but getting around in a circular city can be hard. This application from Infomaps changes the way you can interact in public transport, providing you with the up-to-date information about

The application comes in two versions:
Infomaps Amsterdam:Tourist guide with 130 hotspots linked to public Tram-, Metro– and Railway connections
Metro Amsterdam: Travel fast and easy with Metro Amsterdam. With a custom made map and list view of all 4 Metro lines

Additional information:

• Website of infomaps
• Install iPhone app infomaps (iTunes link)

Holland, Amsterdam

The Amsterdam Mobile Guide provides users with striking images and accurate descriptions of Amsterdam’s most popular attractions, including restaurants and bars, sights, hotels, shops and much more. Compiled with the on-the-go traveler in mind, the Amsterdam Mobile Guide highlights the very best Amsterdam has to offer, helping travelers discover local favorites while allowing travelers to contact any venue by phone, email or website — or launch a Google map — directly from the application.

Find the best venues to enjoy on your trip to Amsterdam and read about them on-the-go. Each entry in the Amsterdam Mobile Guide includes a striking image, accurate description, contact information, and a map. Call, email, or browse the venue’s website directly from the app. Or launch the Google Maps application from the venue page to receive directions from your current location.

Additional information:

• Offical website with information about the iPhone app
• Install this iPhone app (iTunes link)
• License: Free

OffMaps

OffMaps is an iPhone application that you can use for navigation through a city, you can download maps of area’s you are going to and use the maps without a wifi connection. The latest version also includes routes, you can set up directions before visiting the area and use the route as you go.

OffMaps uses OpenStreetMaps that include a lot more information than simple road maps: from ATMs and train stations to restaurants and pubs.

Additional information:

• Website OffMaps
• Install iPhone app OffMaps (iTunes link)

Nearest Tube New York

Nearest Tube is one of the first augmented reality iPhone apps available. The app is basically of a simple concept, point your iPhone into the environment and the app will show you where the nearest tube station. Available for many cities such as New York, London, Barcelona, San Fransisco, Chicago, Madrid, Paris, Tokyo and many more. Check the website of Acrossair for more information.

Additional information:

• Website of Acrossair
• London tube map
• Install this iPhone app (iTunes link)
• * iPhone 3GS only

London Tube (subway)

London Tube is a comprehensive guide to travelling through London. It includes official subway maps. London Tube map is licensed by Presselite from Transport for London (TfL).

The iPhone app includes many features such as travel planning, detailed maps of almost every lines available, push notifications for real time Tube alerts, bookmark manager and much more. Check the website for specific details of the city wayfinding iPhone app.

Additional details:

• Official website for London Tube iPhone app
• Website of Presselite for other city iPhone apps, for Berlin, NYC, Tokyo and more.
• Install London Tube iPhone app (iTunes link)

Various other suppliers for travel, orientation city maps

There are several iPhone app available for simple orientation and navigation for many cities worldwide, please check the following websites for more information:

• Smart Maps
• Visual IT
• Ulmon
• Not for tourists iPhone
• Fidesreef
• Mobile streetsmaps

Conclusion

I have installed and tested many of the above mentioned iPhone apps for city wayfinding and I believe the real added value is real time walking around where the iPhone app shows you where you are and where you are going to. My personal favorite is WalkBrighton for its clear and straightforward map design, it offers both in functionality and navigation great results.

Future of city wayfinding

So tell me…
Do you use or will you use these apps to travel around in a city?
Will mobile applications be the future of city exploration?