Did Apple just disrupt Healthcare?  More specifically, Health Tech? I would say Healthcare is one of those industries ripe for innovation disruption.  It is a mature industry lead by large slow-moving organisations, that have been around forever.  They have built their equivalent of the Great...

The post Designing Clarity 03 – Did Apple just Disrupt Healthcare? appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

I am honoured to be invited by Shih Chien University College of Design to give a keynote speech during their Lens International Design Conference 2022 on January 7th 2022.   In the conference The Lens, design is interpreted as a multi-perspective lens that transforms all elements...

The post Lens International Design Conference 2022 Keynote: Redesigning Design appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

  I was honoured to be invited last Friday (4th Nov 2022) to speak at the Singapore Fintech Festival’s Talent Pavilion organised by our partner WSG (Workforce Singapore). I shared why Fintech needs Design. But before I get into that, let me share a few...

The post Fintech uses Design but not in the way it should appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

ESC, the leading sustainability consultancy in Asia, and Design Sojourn, a renowned design thinking and innovation consultancy, have partnered to launch the Innovating for Sustainability Programme (ISP). This new programme aims to help Singaporean companies capture new innovative business opportunities and enhance their capabilities in...

The post ESC and Design Sojourn’s Innovating for Sustainability Programme Offers Grant Support for Singaporean Companies appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

Running a business is widely recognized as challenging, with the average startup lasting only about five years. While starting a business might seem straightforward, maintaining it proves to be the true test, a reality faced even by large multinational corporations.   Consider this: nearly 90%...

The post Design Thinking: A Catalyst for Business Growth appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

What do Design Thinking and boxing have in common? Surprisingly, more than you might think. As an Experience designer who has been boxing recreationally for the past two and a half years, I have discovered surprising parallels between these seemingly unrelated practices. In this article,...

The post 3 Ways Boxing Has Made Me A Better Design Thinker appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

In an era where technology is rapidly advancing, it is tempting to view it as a universal remedy for a myriad of challenges. However, while technology has immense potential, it cannot solve problems by itself. The effectiveness of technology as a solution is influenced by...

The post Why Technology Alone Can’t Solve Problems: The Importance of Human-Centred Design appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

Typeface Rotis Serif

Available in four font families from sans to serif, Rotis typeface can be found everywhere around you. Unfortunally Olt Aicher died in a traffic accident in 1991. Linotype currently owns the Rotis Font Family, where all of the font variations can be bought.

Rotis® gives an impression of both strength and generosity and all four versions can be used interchangeably with one another. Rotis® is suitable for book/text, documentation/business reports, business correspondence, magazines, newspapers, posters, advertiments, multimedia, corporate design.
Linotype

During our holiday in the beautiful German Steigerwald (near Nürnberg and Bamberg) I came across the Rotis Font Family quite often, this is a photo showcase collection of the Font Familiy Rotis Sans.

(wrapper)

Where to get Rotis?

The font package is available in four type families, via Linotype:

• Rotis® Sans Serif Font Family

Personally I like Rotis Sans Serif Font Family (2nd on the list above) the best, it has a very distinctive look and feel with a high legibilty for usage in many fields of visual communication.

More information about Olt Aicher

There is much written about Olt Aicher who was not only a font designer but also a graphic designer who had a big part in designing the Münich Olympic Games in 1972.

• Information about Olt Aicher at Wikipedia.
• Great article about Olt Aicher at Underconsideration.
• Work from Olt Aicher at a huge flickr pool to be found here.
• The graphic design work he created for the Münich Olympic Games at this website.
• Other interesting and informative article about the type Rotis, here at manic.com.
  (/wrapper)

Orientation & Identity

Wayfinding, signage design is still a young profession, balancing on the edge of two and three dimensional design. Wayfinding often is described as spatial problem solving and designers are multidisciplinary, with a psychological look into showing the way.

The book Orientation & Identity has 17 different projects discussed and show the potential for clients, urban planners, entrepreneurs and politicians. Each project is described from designer and client point of reference, giving a great insight on how the projects came together. This heavy weighted book shows a great in-depth insight in the field of architecture, environmental graphic design and wayfinding.

About Orientation & Identity

The first few chapters give an insight on identity and orientation standard, the philosophy and architecture. The wide range of interviews include, city-wayfinding, airport signage, Dutch road signs, museum design and corporate wayfinding in Europe. The book is written in both German and English, at first you need to adjust a bit to find the reading language of choice, after a few moments I was used reading the bottom of the pages.

The case studies starts off with a introduction of the topic followed by the people behind the projects, with full background details you will get a good feeling of who participated in the project. The interviews start by asking who participated and why projects are initiated, then the story following the discussion during the project. A great insight on how they made specific choices to come to a solution for the project.

The pages are filled with full color (detailed) photos of projects accompanied by sketches and / or 2D images of the wayfinding systems.

Projects included in the book:

• Legible London, London; City wayfinding
• Dialogmuseum, Frankfurt; Museum wayfinding
• Effenaar, Eindhoven; Environmental identity
• Messe, Stuttgart; Identity and wayfinding
• College wayfinding
• Dutch road signage, Holland; Typography Road signs and wayfinding
• Zürich Airport, Zürich; signage design and wayfinding strategy
• Lower Austrian Clinics, Niederösterreich; Hospital wayfinding systems
• and much much more

As the true value of the book is the various insights on the people involved to get a great perspective on how the projects emerged.

Conclusion

I personally enjoyed reading Orientation & Identity for various reasons; the focus of projects are European, that makes this book very relevant for EU countries and stands out to the many US wayfinding / signage books. Secondly the in-depth interviews with various stakeholders, architects and designers behind a project makes it interesting to get a peek inside a project. Lastly the book also provides in technical details, at the end some projects are displayed with typefaces details, construction drawings and iconography.

The language separation is not disturbing but could have been done better in my opinion and the weight of the book does not make it comfortable holding it for a longer period of time. Overall, if you are looking for the stories behind large-scale wayfinding and signage projects in Europe, this is the book for you.

Availability

The book is worldwide available via amazon.

The book describes everything you need to know to get started as graphic designer in the world of environmental graphic design. The writer David Gibson is a highly respected wayfinding designer and principal of graphic design firm Two Twelve, New York

A manual for students, teachers, professionals, and clients.

This is exactly what this book is about, easy readable and recognizable for everybody to read and learn wayfinding design. I have read this book with great pleasure and using it as a reference manual in my daily activities.

Information Design for Public Places

In the first chapter the book describes the history of wayfinding and the spectrum of projects, which you will learn about the different areas wayfinding designers work in. There are several great examples of wayfinding projects shown and Gibson takes it deeper into the structure of projects and where the wayfinding designers fits in. Every chapter features a page written by people from the industry, making this book great fun to read and you will get different perspectives on the topics.

Design Process

As wayfinding designer there are many different kind of signs needed in a project, from small toilet signs to large boxed letters on the roof of the building. To enhance the wayfinding system all signs need to interact which each other in order to let them work together effectively. The book describes many different type of signs and explains about strategic planning and information graphic design. With several examples on how to document a wayfinding system this part really stands out in the book.

Wayfinding design

In the section wayfinding design, Gibson talks about typography, layout, symbols, color, materials and media. This section is a great learning experience to create signage & wayfinding design. With an very interesting page from Jonathan Hoefler on type design, legibility, purpose and wayfinding design these chapters will make you want to create wayfinding design!

Practical tips

The last section of the book takes you into how wayfinding projects are initiated and what the requirements should be in order to select a wayfinding designer. I especially enjoyed the part about documentation and fabrication, one of the most essential parts of creating a good manual for a wayfinding project.

Conclusion

Personally I enjoyed reading this book very much, it is easy to read, recognizable, short stories but with an edge to keep it clean and simple. Each chapter starts with a small introduction and a line about Learn About, where you quickly see what to expect from this section in the book. As said above the different insights from other people in the industry makes this book a great reference guide into wayfinding design. What I love about this book that it is written for everybody. If you are into environmental graphic design, signage/wayfinding than this is the book for you!

The Wayfinding Handbook is a complete guide to the discipline, from planning and design to practical considerations, such as setting up teams and managing projects.

Orientation and navigation in a unknown city can be hard, can these wayfinding apps help you along?

Exploring unknown cities for business or pleasure, for me, is always a joyful experience, walking around and getting into the city will enlighten your vision and makes you connect to the culture. Visiting the beautiful and exciting elements a city has to offer makes your trip an unforgettable visit. Getting information on how to get around in a city is essential for easy orientation and navigation.

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.

Arial, a contemporary sans serif typeface by Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders designed for Monotype in 1982. If you are familiar with a computer you must know Arial, one the most used “standard” typefaces for “normal” computer usage.

Arial

Most professional designers and typophiles think of Arial as a copied typeface from Helvetica and while reading the The Scourge of Arial by Mark Simonson Studio I have realized this is in fact a true story.

The typeface became free with the release of Windows 3.1, which was a sales hit and Arial quickly gained spread around the globe. The main reason why Microsoft chose Arial as standard typeface is because of the license fee from the original Helvectia typeface by the Haas Foundry was too high. Missed change to educate the world about the wonderful Grotesk family.

Arial vs Helvetica

• Visit Arial vs Helvetica on iLoveTypography

Today Arial belongs to Monotype:

Arial is an extremely versatile family of typefaces which can be used with equal success for text setting in reports, presentations, magazines etc, and for display use in newspapers, advertising and promotions.

Arial is everywhere

Look around and you'll spot Arial around you! Arial is everyyyyyyywhere!!

Vector Arrow

Arrows originate from pointing with the human finger towards a direction. In todays graphic design arrows are widely used in all kinds of forms and shapes.

This collection of arrows are designed for environmental graphic design, signage and wayfinding. The arrows are designed from a legibility perspective and should instantly be recognized as showing a direction. The collection is designed by graphic designer Sander Baumann and now released for you to use in your designs.
When you start a design for wayfinding or signage it is important to choose a arrow that fits your overall design scheme. Use the arrow on a high contrast for maximum exposure and readability. This collection had 56 different arrow designs, experiment with the arrows in your artwork/design scheme. Below you will find a few examples of the arrows at work.

Download

The 56 free vector Arrow Symbols & Icons are created under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0, meaning the vector images can be used either for personal or commercial purposes and may be changed to your own ideas, if you will credit my work or the website it will be highly appreciated.

Arrow Pro Asset Toolkit

We have developed a professional paid arrow toolkit with over 448+ arrow symbol signs and a 44+ pages manual. Download at our tools section today.

Symbol sign collection

All the symbols have been designed & created by Sander Baumann and set to the proportions of a regular typeface, so you no longer need to copy/paste the symbols into your designs.

In this free collection I have added common used symbol signs for public services such as Toilets, Telephone, First Aid, Elevator, Information, Restaurant, Coffee Shop, Smoking, Baby, Recycle Icon, Shower, Reception desk, Arrows collection and much, much more.

The symbol signs can be used for signage & wayfinding projects. The complete symbol collection is optimized for reproduction methods such as engraving, laser engraving/cutting, screen printing and self adhesive film to manufacture the signs you need.

Details

The symbol signs have been designed for good readability and functionality, when installing the typeface into your computer the typeface symbol signs is added to your system, I have set the icons to match the most common letters for the symbols, for example F = female, M = male, d = disabled, L = arrow left, R = arrow right, U = arrow up, D = arrow down, and so on. This allows you to quickly add the symbol sign you need.

In this article I’ve compiled a list of most important tools that I use to design, create and produce signage, wayfinding and other related design products.

Top 10 of most important tools

• The Fundamentals of Typography – A great book full of examples about designing with type.
• Stanley Tape Rule – Made of steel, one of the most important hand tools I use to quickly measure something.
• Stainless steel ruler – Excellent for measuring narrow size items, exact to the millimeter.
• Steel caliper – To measure the distance between two symmetrically opposing sides and to measure the thickness of materials.
• AcrySign color samples – Material color may differ from standard color systems like Pantone, therefore I use a sample chain to check the color.
• PANTONE Color Bridge Coated – Pantone Color Matching System (PMS) is the worlds standard color usage system, can’t live without it. Most design studios (graphic) work with PMS.
• Sikkens RAL – A color system mainly used used for paint colors. On of the most popular color is RAL 9010 (white).
• Black permanent Fineliner – Using it all day for writing, designing, quick scketches and more. Using dozens of them.
• Srewdriver – The small srewdriver represents a variety of machinery used to develop & create signage systems.
• Calculator – To use for design calculations, mathematic relations, finance and more.

More items on the list

To complete the manufacturing part at the company we use various machinery like: Vinyl cutter & plotter, laser engraving, laser cutting and CNC engraving machinery. The design elements are developed with the Adobe Design Suite CS3, we especially work with Adobe Illustrator which is the probably best professional drawing program (in my opinion) for creating vector based design & signage systems. Other programs like Autocad and specific engraving software are used to manufacture the products. We make use of 3rd parties for painting jobs and creating metal structures.

You can find FF Meta all around you, this is a collection of designs where we found the use of typeface FF Meta.

FF Meta® is a wonderful typeface designed by Erik Spiekermann, the font family was released between 1991 and 1998. A very readable typeface in smaller point sizes but also with enough detail to display in large point sizes. FF Meta is a sans-serif typeface which can be found all around you. The last several months where every I came (The Netherlands) I saw typeface Meta, in this font series you can see the many different faces of the FF Meta®.

FF Meta

The Complete Font Family contains a package of 24 variations (via FontShop) and was published by FontFont (see their website for lots of Meta usage), is available in the following formats Mac PostScript, PC PostScript, PC TrueType. All styles Book, Caps, Bold and Bold Caps are also available in Italic. Starting from a set of 3 fonts at € 40,- to the complete font family for € 229,-. When bought at FontShop you can download the fonts after the purchase and start using them right away. Although FF Meta® is not in the top 10 bestsellers at FontShop I believe this is a very popular font.

• Visit FontShop for a complete overview of the Meta Font Family 1
• The complete overview of 55 variants of Meta Font Family.
• The Meta 3 Font package which contains Meta Hairline, Meta Thin & Meta Light. (Thank you Stephen Coles for adding the links)
• Wikipedia information page about the font Meta

The Cuba that we know is a very restricted, communism country. Yet was striking to see that environmental graphic design and wayfinding are thought well through. From a propaganda point of reference, it is understandable to communicate on a physical street level to interact with the local community. Everywhere in the city slogans from the Fidel regime are painted on the walls.

But, what was noticeable was the city wayfinding. A comprehensive wayfinding system is implemented throughout Havana. This article will feature the characteristics of the Havana city wayfinding system.

Streets and signs of Cuba

The street life in Cuba is a great contrast to the Western world. The atmosphere is authentic and feels like a movie from the fifties. The streets of Havana, the small way of living and the local customs puts our every day life (what we take for granted) in perspective.

Typography, color and symbol signs

The consistency in placement, readability of text, arrows usage and symbol signs are balanced and it seems there is a graphic standard in place. We tried to determine who designed the wayfinding system and we would be interested knowing which agency or authority designed this. If you know who designed the Havana city wayfinding please let us know (see contact details below).

Overall the city wayfinding system in Havana gave a good experience of the city and was a guidance along the tourist attractions.

With the help of typographic tools we discovered the typeface used in the signs; Traffic Type Spain. The font has an authentic look and feel and fits well into the Cuban environment. The arrow design seems to originating from the Aiga Symbol Sign collection. The symbol signs referring to museums, parks and memorials seems to a familiarity with standardized symbol signs collections.

Traffic Type Spain Standard (D)

Originally, the font “Traffic Type Spain” designed in the pre-digital area around eighties. Then there were no ready to use outline fonts and to manufacture traffic signs they had to cut letterings by hand or manually compose them from single stamp letters.
URW developed sign-making software called SIGNUS, the first of its kind used to cut letters and logo in vinyl. Due the popular demand of SIGNUS, URW designed the digital outline fonts for road signs for European countries.

Under the technical direction of Peter Karow, URW led the world in developing digital font technology. Its IKARUS suite of font digitization tools and file format standards handles fonts as bitmaps, as grey scale (anti-aliased bitmaps), as vector outlines, and as curved outlines.
The fonts are designed specific to country regulations. The artwork for the fonts was mostly provided the sign-making companies who would produce the traffic letterings for the corresponding governmental traffic offices. The digital production and completion of the character set was done at URW.

The name “Traffic Type Spain” was given by URW. They named them all “Traffic Type” plus the country, like Traffic Type Sweden, Traffic Type Luxembourg, etc. This meant that the font was officially used to produce the traffic signs in for instance Spain.

We can only imagine why the Spanish variant is chosen for the sign system, it could have been an accidental choice or something to do with the Cuba history or Spanish influence. We estimate the wayfinding system was implemented about ten years ago and have regular updates.

More about the font

The font “Traffic Type Spain” and other country related fonts are available via URW++ website. Below you will also find a reference to Ikarus Typography Software used to digitize paper fonts for digital use.

• Foundry URW++

Special thanks to Peter Rosenfeld of URW++ Design & Development GmbH for contributing to this article with background details and information about the font Traffic Type Spain.

Typeface: Rijksoverheid Sans / Serif

Currently there are over 200 departments and ministries which all have different logos and uses different typefaces as their brand identity. In a pitch held by the Dutch government studio Dumbar won this competition and introduced a new logo and 1 brand identity: 1 Logo.

From the beginning of 2008 Peter Verheul was asked by studio Dumbar to take his typeface Versa and transform the typeface usable for a larger audience. He changed the look and feel of the Serif version of Versa Serif and created a complete new set of letters for the Sans version. The fonts are named Rijksoverheid Sans and Rijksoverheid Serif. The name of the typeface is recognizable as “government” and will be used in every way of visual communication.

The Rijksoverheid Sans will be used mainly for headings of text and in signage or wayfinding systems. The Rijksoverheid Serif is used as bread letter for reading text. In just under nine months Peter Verheul managed to finalize the fonts and released them in four different variations, from Regular, Italic to Bold.

Designing the Rijksoverheid typeface

Letterijk book

During the time of creation Peter Verheul did not have much time to take pictures (as said in his introduction speech) but he kept a note book full of drawings and notes of creating and designing the typefaces. After finishing the typefaces he donated them to Bijzondere Collecties, a Dutch important collection of valuable work from Dutch graphical, typographical- artists. The Bijzondere Collections hosts the booklet, first printouts and everything that is related in creating the typeface Rijksoverheid.

Letterrijk Book is a story about the birth and why of creation the typeface Rijksoverheid written by Mathieu Lommen, published by De Buitenkant Publishers. The booklet covers everything from the start of the project and the combination with project 1 Logo, a story about how the typography started working together, with many drawn examples of early stages of letter design. It also covers the complete glyphs of the typeface variations, with over 700 glyphs each this typeface is multi-language proof. With the design of the typeface several key factors of demands where given to Peter Verheul and Studio Dumbar.

The typeface should be easy to read, should not be too wide in order to reduce printing costs, it could be used for all forms of visual communication of the Dutch Government and every department will use it therefore it will reduce the costs of different typeface licenses. The typeface will function as a bridge between society and government, a typeface that everybody will feel comfortable with.

Rijksoverheids typeface

The Rijksoverheid Sans, an easy to read typeface with a large x-height. This allows maximum legibility for heading text, signage, wayfinding and other forms of visual identity. In the introduction speech Peter Verheul mentioned that he was impressed by the way the Sans version would be used for bread letter. He is interested to see the further development of Rijksoverheid Sans in this field.

Rijksoverheid Serif is the bread letter for reading text, I have read the booklet a couple of times and it seems to be a very legible typeface. Which will form the basis of the whole brand identity of the Dutch Government.

Project 1 Logo

The Dutch government brand identity was not concise or consistent, with over 200 departments and ministries costs were rising of each department havigd their own logo, typeface, print materials, signage and everything that involves the visual communication of that department. There was not a direct link to society and confusion about the identity the government wants to presents themselves. Project 1 Logo was born to bring back all brand identity of the Dutch government and give one signal to society about what the government stands for. In a pitch several design studios participated in order to create 1 Logo, 1 brand, 1 identity, 1 way of communicating between society and government, coming all together as 1 government.

From 2009 until 2011 every department should use the new logo and typeface in all forms of visual communication, a huge operation which involves many parties. I believe there will be a brand guideline from studio Dumbar to lead everything into the correct, concise and consistent use of the brand identity.

Read more

• Studio Dumbar, the designer of 1 Logo identity.
• Dutch government website about project 1 Logo, Rijkshuisstijl.
• Website of designer Peter Verheul

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.

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.

(quote: “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.

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?

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.

Orientation and navigation

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 built environment. The human perception of the built 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 principles

Wayfinding has the function to inform people of the surroundings in the (unfamiliar) built environment, it is important to show information at strategic points to guide people into the right directions. Complex structures in the built 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 that is relevant 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 built 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 built 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 built 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 built 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 built environment. Be sure to display the maps heads-up in the direction you are facing, this way you can easy relate yourself to the built 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 built environment and the human expectations for orientation and navigation purposes. Research is an important step to understand the built environment and where information is needed to maximize legibility of the wayfinding system.

Signage design principles

There are four important type of signs: Information signs, for instance a signpole with locate a destination and / or to orientate yourself in the built environment.
Directional signs, where information is displayed to find destinations, located on several strategic points in the built 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 9×9 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

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 built environment to ensure it becomes a best-practice design.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The first edition was sold out for a long time and was considered as the industry reference book for everything wayshowing, wayfinding and signs related.

About Per Mollerup

Wayshowing > Wayfinding is written by Per Mollerup (1942), a Danish Designer and Professor of Communication Design who has designed numerous wayshowing and branding projects for airports, transit, culture institutions and more. His design studio Designlab closed in 2009, and Mollerup currently is a professor at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. Dr. Per Mollerup still works with consulting concerning branding and wayshowing— and he has defined industry standards strategies for wayfinding and wayshowing.

Introduction to W>W

Wayshowing > Wayfinding is divided into three main parts, that describes wayfinding problems, principles and practices. The books principles have been revised and updated with digital signage principles.

The first part of the book describes the basic principles of wayfinding, Signage without signs. Finding and identifying places and the way through natural, intuitive elements. The second part of the book describes wayfinding as ‘A problem solving process’. Mollerup then explains about the principles of wayshowing. The third part of the book covers 25 new showcases including airports, rail, city, culture and more.

Wayfinding

The term wayfinding introduced by Kevin Lynch in book Image of the City (1960), where he described wayfinding as “a consistent use and organization of definite sensory cues from the external environment”. In 1992 Arthur and Passini published the book Wayfinding-People, Signs, and Architecture. Arthur & Passini extended the concept of the term wayfinding by relating it to architecture and signage— and described the essential principles for wayfinding.

In the book W>W Per Mollerup builds upon this knowledge, introducing a three step iterative wayfinding process; “Search, Decision, Motion”.
The chapters about wayshowing > wayfinding describe the research steps for planning and defining a wayfinding strategy. The nine described wayfinding strategies reflect environmental conditions, user needs, cognitive behavior and wayfinding practice.

Wayshowing

Wayshowing facilitate the wayfinding strategies as described in the first chapters of the book. Mollerup describes the characteristics of wayshowing and shows examples of its use.
For all wayshowing projects, Mollerup suggests a balance between two contrasting principles. Simplicity vs redundancy. These chapters describes the functional goals of simplicity and how redundancy can lead to less noise, errors or misunderstanding.

Sign functions, contents and form

After theoretical chapters W>W describes sign functions, contents and form. Everything you want to know related to identification, direction, description and regulation is described, these chapters will give insight on how to design for a wayshowing project. These chapters also offer many examples on legibility, color contrast, typography, pictograms, arrows and more. The content in these chapters are updated from the previous version with new content about performance, digital signage and wayfinding insights.

Interactive wayshowing

New chapters include Interactive Wayshowing. In the increasingly changing world, digital tools are used more and more for wayfinding purposes. The new chapters describe the digital spectrum and how digital tools can work efficiently in a wayshowing scheme.

Cases

About one third of the book is reserved for principles applied in practice. A showcase of best-practice design in six categories ranging from Airports, Rail, City, Knowledge, Culture and Outdoor. The cases include (traditional) static sign systems— as well as digital wayfinding examples.
The projects are by design studios from around the world— and give insight on how wayfinding strategies are applied for designing clear, concise and informative environments.

Conclusion

If you have any interest in designing and planning for the build environment/public space— this is the book for you! I believe the content of W>W is relevant for designers, EGD designer, urban planners, architects, engineers, teachers, students, clients and many more. As the physical and digital environments move close towards each other, applying a wayfinding strategy is applicable for offline/online marketing, communication and information distribution.

Overall the book is a learning book to understand how people experience and navigate in Terra Incognita. The chapters are accessible and with many steps/examples you can implement strategies in your own thinking for developing wayfinding.
If you already own Wayshowing 2005, you might want to consider updating to W>W. The new edition offers enough new content, principles and practices to learn from.

The case studies are fresh, and inspiring which, creates a visual interpretation of the wayfinding strategies as describes in the W>W book.

Availability W>W

Wayshowing > Wayfinding is limited available, see the link below to obtain a copy.

What is wayfinding?

Wayfinding is a design profession that requires multidisciplinary skills ranging from psychology, the study of human behavior, research in the built environment to strategy and design.

To develop a wayfinding scheme we start by looking at the end-user needs and requirements at each stage of the user-journey. The goal of a wayfinding scheme is to create a network of information, by showing the right information at the right time focused around the end-user.

How to map the user needs and requirements?

In order to understand the user in relation to the built environment, path and surroundings. We need to gather information from the user. What needs and requirements does the user have and how does the journey path look like.

In order to map the user-journey we look at the following steps to gather information:

• Define the end-user groups, e.g. visitor, student, tourist, patient, commuter, supplier, guest, etc.
• Field research, study the behaviour of the user(s) and map out their movements and modes of transportation
• Identify issues in wayfinding and define potential opportunities for improving the user-experience
• Look for accessibility issues and survey users to get a full understanding of their needs and requirements

Wayfinding strategy

The next step in the wayfinding approach is to define a information hierarchy. Show only what is needed and remove excessive information. Provide consistent information across all media and reveal options along the user-journey stages.

In this step the needs and requirements are put into the information hierarchy. To create a unique and seamless user journey experience by showing sorting the information in a logical order. This results in a comprehensive and bespoke wayfinding system where visitors can orientate, navigate and discover its surroundings.

Design for All concept

Accessibility is an important factor to consider this includes the following items to consider:

• Respectful, the wayfinding should respect the diversity of users
• Safe, it should be free of risks to all users
• Functional, wayfinding should be able to orientate, navigate, identify and discover
• Comprehensible, a integrated approach to wayfinding design
• Appealing, emotional and socially acceptable
• Sustainable, misuse of natural resources should be avoided

Key takeaways

By following these guidelines you will be able to map out the user needs and requirements. Focus the information at the end-user to create a unique and seamless experience.

• Map the user journey and seek for issues and opportunities at every stage of the journey
• Develop a wayfinding strategy focused at the end-user
• Make use of the Design for All concept

• Where are you?
• Where are you heading?

The human mind observes and stores the journey as a mind-map. Distances, locations and time may be remembered differently than as they appear to be in reality. Signs, landmarks and directions are interpreted as signals and helps to guide along the way.

We use our personal knowledge, look at inference for common patterns and use previous experiences to find destinations. This article explores a history of navigation and view a on the general understanding of ways in which we all tend to navigate in terra incognita.

Early wayfinding polynesian navigators

Between 500 - 700 BC explorers began sailing the sea and started their travels towards finding new land. Sea is not as big as a barrier if you know where you are heading to and able to find your way back… Interesting enough early sea explorers didn't have maps, compasses, clocks or sextents to navigate. The new land was yet to discover and no information on how to get there, or return home, was available.

The discovery of the Polynesian islands by, from origin, Asian inhabitants tells a story on how they found those islands in the middle of the South Pacific. Voyages would take up to months and they sailed over 2000 km to discover new land, but how did they navigate? And how can we learn from their knowledge in the ancient way of getting around?

The Polynesians traveled over vast expanses of open ocean across the Pacific. In order to locate directions they memorized at various times of day and year the important facts of their surroundings. The traditional Polynesian navigation methods included memorizing the motion of stars; rise and set of the sun on the horizon; the direction, size and speed of ocean waves; gathering of clouds that cluster at specific locations; direction of winds and the following of wildlife of the ocean such as birds and fish.

Understanding how these explorers used their senses and ways of memorizing their surroundings can help us understanding how to design effective wayfinding systems today and tomorrow.

The traditional navigation by the Polynesian is also called non-instrument navigation — which means finding your way without the usage of modern tools. Instead, looking at the characteristic patterns in the surroundings they could build a mental map and used that to navigate. Those 'fingerprints' on the open ocean could well be referenced as todays 'landmarks'. History describes how the navigators kept a mental log of their journey, maintaining a sense of distance from where they started along their way. The structure that the navigators used in ancient history is similar as we apply in wayfinding strategy today.

• Planning, what is the strategy?
• Setting the course, which way to go?
• Holding the course, how far we need to travel?
• Finding land, are we there yet?
• Returning home, which way to head back?

Although the traditional Polynesian ways to navigate is almost extinct. The wayfinders of Polynesia traveled over one fifth of the surface of the planet and largest culture sphere in human history.

Navigation is not about you, or your mind, or what you can do. It's not about the sun and stars. It's really about everything. Shortly Bertelman, navigator

Holistic approach to wayfinding

Important steps in developing a wayfinding strategy is to look beyond a specific environment, space or building. Wayfinding doesn't start or stop at specific places. A wayfinding system comprises communications that may involve multiple media to help people navigate an environment. This emphasizes the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts, also referred as the Holistic Approach.

The Holistic Approach defines a wayfinding process that is researched and analyzed for the needs of the user. The objectives may include virtual and physical communication tools such as websites, signs, information systems, organizational goals, increasing customer satisfaction, placemaking or media support. Overall goal of the Holistic Approach includes to provide a better user-experience. Taking time to research the objectives will ensure the resulting wayfinding system goals are managed for optimal results. The boundaries between the abstract digital world and the real physical world starts to blur and the way that we experience wayfinding is starting to change.

Key takeaway

Wayfinding could well be put into a wider objective, today we live in a global economy and as a result we should re-think how we communicate. Wayfinding can act as stepping stone to connect people, movement and places efficiently. Taking wayfinding beyond 'signs with arrows' and an integrated communication system will emerge.

The concept is relative simple — show the right message at the right time. Make use of integrated communication systems to allow the user to have seamless journeys and engaging discoveries.

References

• Dragons, Memory & Navigating the Globe Using Only Your Wits Link

A unique ancient map of the Mesopotamian world. Babylonian, about 700-500 BC. Image courtesy of The British Museum.

Early wayfinding map

Early map creating represents a significant step forward in the intellectual development of knowledge for the human race. The information and maps were used as tools and could be passed on from one generation to another. Early maps are not geographical correct, but maps to capture the observers spatial knowledge of a space as a cognitive map. These maps contained the characteristics of that particular space and that could be remembered by humans, such as paths, landmarks, nodes, mountains, sea and areas.

One of the oldest maps of the Mesopotamian World dates back to around 500-700 BC. This is a unique ancient carved tablet that contains a cuneiform inscription (early written expression) and Babylon is drawn in the middle. Also, other places are mentioned such as Assyria and Elam. Around the centre is a circular waterway described as 'Salt-Sea' and the outer rim of the sea is surrounded with about eight regions. The regions contained marked signs or are labeled with names as 'Region' or 'Island', interestingly the distances are marked between the regions.

Over time maps became increasingly accurate and a universal tool for communication. Regardless of language or culture maps are mostly easy to understand by most people. By the use of scientific tools such as a compass rose, maps would improve as navigation tool. The compass rose was invented around the same time as the Polynesian explorers went on their Voyages. But made it appearances not earlier that the 11th century on maps and charts for a sense of orientation and direction.

The knowledge of aiming

The Babylonian Map shows a clear image of where destinations are located. Although the reading of the tablet is illegible, we can clearly make out the direction of destinations. If you would follow the euphrates towards the mountains other destinations will become able to locate. Similar to the Pythagorean Theorem, if you know two elements you can hypotenuse the third element. In this case identifying two locations makes the observer able to set a path to the desired location.

Landmark wayfinding

The usage of landmarks to navigate originates from the tablet and is still used today for orientation and navigational purposes. As we browse through history landmark maps are commonly used to indicate destinations and have a reference of landmark buildings.

Example of the Roman Empire a landmark map, an abstract map of Europe showing cities, Middle Sea, Middle East and parts of Middle Europe. The landmarks are placed on top of the map as a 3D landmark. This map dates from the high days of the Roman Empire. Image taken from Erroma.

The Image of the City (Kevin A. Lynch)

Kevin Lynch published the book The Image of the City (1960) and described a way for people to mentally map and understand their environments in a logical and predictable way. In his book he describes a the concept of mental maps, a sketch map by a average person about an environment from memory. Within the mental maps he discovered five common elements to indicate whereabouts, destinations and paths. Similar to the early maps.

• Pathways, streets, sidewalks, trails, and other channels in which people travel;
• Edges, perceived boundaries such as walls, buildings, and shorelines;
• Districts, which represent relatively large sections of the city distinguished by some identity or character;
• Nodes, focal points, intersections, decision points or gateways
• Landmarks, memorable/identifiable objects or places which serve as external reference points.

People who move through the city engage in way-finding. They need to be able to recognize and organize urban elements into a coherent pattern. ~Kevin Lynch

Main takeaways

A mental map is one of the most important human elements to 'read' an (un)familiar environments. In order to orientate and navigate we tend to use references from our surroundings and interpret elements to choose the desired path.

A mental map is the human imagination of reality, a map that is different for everyone. According to the mental map we can estimate where other places are places and how we can go. This is our association with the environment, perception and appreciation of this environment.

Wayfinding strategy approach

The basic principle of a wayfinding strategy is to create a legible environment, to find destinations and to exclude random seeking. A wayfinding strategy helps to create areas, environments, buildings to be easy to navigate places for people and to have a seamless journey experience.

Within the wayfinding strategy there are three (3) main wayfinding tasks defined;

1. Naive Search
   Where the user has no exact knowledge of the whereabouts of the destination’s location.
2. Primed Search
   Where the user knows the destination’s location.
3. Exploration
   Any wayfinding task in which there is no set destination.

Wayfinding tasks

Each area, environment requires different approach to wayfinding. Depending on the required wayfinding a task a strategy can be chosen for people to understand their surroundings. For instance in Airports the tasks can be different than wondering in the park. Below you will find examples of wayfinding tasks that can be applied in a wayfinding strategy.

• Route following
• Inference
• Aiming
• Map reading
• Technology

Discover each of these strategies to create legible environments and focus on delivering end-user information.

Route following

Route Following is a strategy to describe a way in which the observer is using signs with arrows to go from one place to another. The target of location is known, but a direct path towards it is unknown. Along the route, information is displayed to inform the observer towards the target. The signs are working together to create a network of connections between locations. The consistency in terminology- and hierarchy of information as well as marking decision points is important for Route Following to be an effective way of directing people from one place to another.

Route following can be applied for instance in areas to point towards an entrance, exit. A situation where a directive wayfinding task is required to guide towards a destination.

Inference

Inference is a wayfinding strategy that involves systematic searching, the understanding of a direction by reading numerical and alphabetical information in sequences. This methodology is based on creating an environment in a logical, understandable order. Combined with conventional cultural patterns Inference is a logical approach to create a legible environment build on expectations.

Inference can be applied in areas for instance at Airports, Railway stations or Stadiums. Upfront information such as "Your flight departs from Gate H3" is required as wayfinding taks, to follow a logical approach "H1, H2, H3, etc".

Aiming

Object (aiming) wayfinding strategy is divided into two categories, direct- and indirect visual contact with the target. In a direct visual contact, the observer has a visual reference of the target and chooses the desired path towards it. In an indirect visual contact, the observer chooses to follow logical steps to find a place where visual contact can be made, then follows the desired path towards the target.

Aiming as wayfinding taks can be applied in for instance cities or wide spread areas, where you can see landmarks and make your way towards the destination.

Map reading

Map Reading is a strategy to inform the observer about their surroundings, e.g. "You are Here". Based upon the understanding of the map in relation to the environment the observer makes a choice of navigation. Map Reading is usually supported by a compass rose to have a better understanding of direction. Techniques such as; to display maps in a heads-up direction can empathize a greater understanding between the map and the environment.

Map reading as a wayfinding task can be applied in cities, for example as in the Legible London mapping system. A heads-up map shows destinations, paths, safe routes and landmarks within a certain walking distance. A quick and easy way to navigate unknown areas, locate destinations and serendipity (to explore previous unknown destinations).

Technology

Technology driven strategies are usually hand-held devices or digital kiosks where input from the observer leads to orientation and navigational information. With the use of technology, dynamic information can be displayed to the observer and could be mixed with personal preference and social learning. Meaning technology has the ability to show narrow casted information, leaving out the overflow of information for the user.

The role of technology in wayfinding is set to show tailored information to the user. The phone navigational options for wayfinding usually works best open areas such as cities to locate and path towards a destination. The usage of mobile phones in buildings seems a more difficult taks, as there are lesser options for distinctiveness and technology difficulties.

Main takeaways

A wayfinding strategy is tailored to the required tasks in an environment and focused at the user. Different areas, buildings, transportation hubs, etc required their own approach in wayfinding.

• What is the required wayfinding task?
• What kind of area, environment, building?

Try different approaches while developing a wayfinding strategy and user-test scenarios to create a seamless journey experience.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Over the years airports have been increasingly becoming larger spaces. Often also integrated with rail, metro and other means of transportation. In general(before COVID) people tend to take flights as a fast means on transportation from place to place.

The layout and structure of airports are different from city to city, therefore wayfinding is needed to navigate quickly and safely. Although wayfinding should be clear in airport, often the navigational information has interference with increasingly more advertising.

Airports have become multi-functional environments processes are internationally standardized and maximally efficient, with a strong emphasis on entertainment and consumption.

The book “Aiport Wayfinding” by Heike Nehl and Sibylle Schlaich is a complete overview what it takes to develop a wayfinding scheme for airports.

In some cases the wayfinding becomes part of the identity of an airport. Good example cases is for instance at Schiphol. The yellow signs stand out in the environment making it easy to navigate around. In the case of Schiphol, yellow has become the identity driver, recognizable and to stand out of advertising.

The book in a extensive overview on airport wayfinding, and explores the following;

• Evolving, a constant state of evolution
• Identity, architecture, flow and integrated design
• Design, color, typography and pictograms
• Digital, pre-journey experience, at the airport and onward travel
• Beyond, how airports connect, mobility and the city

Airport wayfinding

As there a many ‘standards’ in wayfinding, airport wayfinding tends to differ and creating a unique identity to the airport. Usually the background color of the signs are part of the identity. For example; Schiphol Yellow, Frankfurt Blue, Switserland Black, Heathtrow yellow, Berlin Red/Brown, etc.

Airport Wayfinding Strategy

Apart from color, typography and pictograms the wayfinding systems are also vary from letters to numbers.

The book explains the passengers flow land side and air side. A complete overview of the customer journey throughout an airport. Included examples for spatial layout and visions on how to improve passengers flow in airports.

From interviews, explanations and examples, the book analyzes wayfinding systems of approximately 70 airports by aligning their identities and functions.

Conclusion

The book “Airport Wayfinding” is a must read for urban planners, wayfinding information designers and working in the field of (air) transportation and mobility.

The countless examples, comparisons, standards and interviews makes this book on of our favorites in airport wayfinding.

If you want to learn about the authors, visit their website Moniteurs.

On our website designworkplan we used Google Analytics for collecting visitors data. When we started the blog way back in 2008 it was a good way to find out which content viewers of our website liked and disliked. A user-friendly dashboard to find out important metrics related to viewers of the website.

Google Analytics gave us insights on popular pages and were people visited our website from. This allowed us to target those audiences more and as a result we gained traction to our (design) website. Our content evolves around design, typography and wayfinding. Wayfinding is a design niche that focusses at connecting people to information and environments.

If you want to learn more about wayfinding, please read our page Introduction to Wayfinding.

Over time Google Analytics grew in complexity to an extend we have a hard time understanding the metrics shown in the dashboards.

Google Analytics back to the future

In the beginning Google Analytics was plain and simple, the right fit for our design content. As a content creator we are interested in how visitors perceive information on our website. Information about popular pages, demographics and referral sources are meaningful for establishing an understanding of what visitors are looking for.

Privacy and data collection

Over time we realized Google used our collected data for their benefits. Although Google says to “never” sell any personal information. The collective gathered information through Google Analytics is an immense source of valuable information about browser behaviour online. Not only it provides information on topics people are interested in, it also gives information about reading time, bounce rates and related information people are interested in. Maybe Google doesn’t use the information gathered from our website, but sure it can create a broader sense of what people in general are interested in.

As Google remains to control most of the internet search queries and related internet services such as advertising. Google can combine Analytics and Adwords to maximize their profit ratio. In other words, we believe as Google has a tremendous amount of information from the Analytics part of their database. The Adwords part of Google will benefit from this information, as they are familiar with what people search for and what related information people would be interested in.

Our most popular posts on the blog

Over the years we have published many articles on the blog. Via our visitors data tracking we could see these are our most popular posts:

• A arrow symbol collection, with over 1M (Million) downloads! 56 Free Arrow Symbols & Icons
• The guide into color contrast for sign and wayfinding design. Signs and color contrast
• A free collection of 50 common used symbol signs. Symbol Sign Collection

Our series about typography did very well over the last years, including the following articles:

• An example collection of typeface usages with Arial. Arial is everywhere
• Another collection with FF Meta typeface examples FF Meta is everywhere

Our book series are popular with the following reviews:

• A comprehensive book about wayfinding by David Gibson. The Wayfinding Handbook
• The industry standard for learning about wayfinding by Per Mollerup. Wayfinding > Wayshowing

Over the years we have continued our writing, consider looking at our blog to learn more about wayfinding.

Seamless reading experience

We are wayfinding and information designers. Our core services evolve around information, people and places. Connecting information at the right time and place. As we are browsing the internet, the reading experiences are mostly dreadful. Pop-ups, reminders, boxes, ads, etc.

At our website we want people to enjoy our content, without having to read privacy policies and forcing visitors to click "Accept" buttons. We want to create a seamless reading experience without distractions.

The brilliant website How I Experience Web Today is a fantastic example of most browsing experiences today. So familiar, yet so disappointing experiences.

According to research the average internet user spends ~3 hours online every day, visiting anywhere from 5 up-tp 100 website each day. Imagine the time lost for accepting all those cookies each and every day.

Recently it came to our attention that Google Analytics is in conflicts with European regulations and is not fully GDPR complaint. In relationship to the cookie, accept privacy terms and UX issues it got us to rethink the analytics part of our website.

From past to present

As we want to comply to European guidelines regarding data collection and to create a seamless reading experience, we started to seek an alternative for Google Analytics.

As also found Google Analytics was found illegal in an Austrian court decision. The details of that decision can be found here

From here our search began looking for an alternative way to collect visitors data at our website. We have tried other different analytics services, which include:

• Matomo analytics, a self hosted analytics service. Comes with many features and is free to use. We have found installing the software and dashboard somewhat complicated to use.
• Statscounter, great alternative. The dashboard has a good UX design and the service has many features to track visitors behaviour. Statscounter is an anonymous web tracking service which is good to become GDPR compliant. The paid version starts at $19,- per month.
• Fathom, a very user friendly interface, cookie-free and GDPR proof with anonymous web tracking. Starting at $14,- per month. ($140,- p/y)

Our research was plain simple, trying out the services as mentioned above for ~14 days. The experiment gave us insights on what we wanted to see in our analytics, useful metrics, ease of use, GDPR free. As running websites is NOT our daily focus, we found out our needs are UX and ease of use based. Meaning a single dashboard solution, main metrics and great UX design. In our quest for the Google Analytics alternative we landed at Fathom Analytics.

Use Fathom Analytics

Our basic requirements are formulated as following:

• GDPR Proof and anonymous pageview tracking
• Fast loading script, by-passing ad blockers and no cookies
• Easy to use dashboard, in one overview
• Information about pages, average time on site/page and traffic sources
• Information about devices, browsers and countries
• Possibility to track specific actions or events on webpages (easy funnel)
• Track multiple websites in one dashboard/account

As we deploy multiple websites, a single dashboard solution is ideal to gain overview insights on performance.

Reading experience & privacy

Our website and content creation is focussed on providing niche information for design, typography and wayfinding. In our opinion Google Analytics has become a complex platform with too many functionalities. We understand that professional website creators and builders could use Google Analytics to its full potential. We simply want to put out great content and gather information about the visitors to our website.

Our goal is provide a visitor to our website a seamless reading experience and enjoying our content without annoying pop-ups or related privacy issues.

From now on forward we have disabled Google Analytics from our websites and are fully compliant with European regulation around collecting information from visitors on our website.

Fathom is a paid service which collects anonymous data from visitors on our websites. We are using a $140,- yearly plan for collecting visitors data from our websites.

Full disclosure

We work as a designers for Google Offices, where we develop and create wayfinding solutions for their visitors and employees. We respect Google for their vision and the way how they organize their workplaces, people and environments. At our website (designworkplan) we have chosen to use fathom for reasons stated in this article. We are not paid or sponsored by usefathom. If you want to support us, please use our affiliate link below.

Final thoughts

This post is different from our usual design content, we wanted to be fully transparant in the way how we collect visitors data from our websites. Consider thinking about the way you collect visitors data at your website(s).

If you are planning to use Fathom, consider using our referral link (highly appreciated) Use Fathom referral code CCPSXY

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Wayfinding

Finding your way in a hospital setting can be tricky. The stress of finding a department or destination in a (unfamiliar) building can a challenging experience.

What is there was a way to make finding your way in a hospital easier? This is where design discipline wayfinding comes into play and has the potential to improve the patient experience.

Wayfinding is a multidisciplinary design field that combines principles of cognitive psychology and human behavior for a better understanding of the surroundings.

For hospitals, wayfinding aims to address the following critical issues:

• How can we make it improve wayfinding for patients?
• Which design principles can assist to enhance the visitors experience?
• How can we create an accessible environment for all users, including people with disabilities?

In this article we will explore the importance of wayfinding principles in hospitals. The challenges we face along the way and the innovative solutions that will improve the way patients navigate healthcare settings.

By exploring the role of both traditional and digital wayfinding tools, we will highlight the potential of well-designed wayfinding to improve wayfinding in hospitals. The goal is an improved patient experience and ultimately to contribute to reduced stress when visiting a hospital.

The challenges of hospital signage

Orienting and navigating a hospital environment can be challenging for patients, visitors and even medical staff. With wayfinding research we can look through the 'eyes' of the users and understand the bottlenecks and success factors of effective wayfinding.

In this chapter we explore the main challenges of signage and take a closer look at why these problems can arise.

A. Complexity of buildings

Signage 'shows' people the way in buildings and environments. A hospital building is usually a large building with several floors, wings and departments. A hospital can have more than 100 different departments, from Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Surgery, Internal Medicine to Orthopedics, Radiology and Oncology. This can include many subspecialties.
A hospital usually consists of many departments and specialists, located throughout the hospital building, connected by squares and corridors.

Why can a hospital building have a complicated or confusing layout?

• Due to expansion and renovations, buildings can be adapted over time. Expansion of wings and/or, for example, an attached building can lead to a confusing layout.
• Due to functional requirements of departments, part of the hospital may not be accessible. As a result, to reach a certain department, you can get there via a detour.

How does (building) complexity affect patients and visitors?

• A complicated layout brings increased stress. Can I find the department? Am I on time?
• Difficulty finding departments. Where is department xx? How do I get to the department?

Why are hospital environments naturally stressful?

• Due to health problems and emotional nature, a hospital can be experienced as stressful. What do I have? Can the doctor help me?
• Due to time-bound appointments and procedures in a hospital. Am I on time? Where is...?

How does this stress affect signage?

• Due to increased stress, people (usually) have a reduced ability to process information. Where should I look?
• Due to an increased reliance on intuitive references. How does the signage work?

What are the unique signage challenges that different users face?

• Patients, visitors are not familiar with the layout of the building. Where's what?
• Patients, visitors have cognitive or physical limitations. May have difficulty processing the information.
• Non-native speakers and/or have difficulty reading the signage.

Why is it important to consider user needs when designing signage?

• Ensuring accessibility and inclusiveness principles, design-for-all concept.
• Reduce the risk of disorientation
• On time for an appointment
• Consistent information provision towards a patient and visitor gives peace of mind in orienting and navigating in an (unfamiliar) environment.

Why can it be difficult to maintain consistency in hospital signage systems?

• Due to the variety of systems and information provision around patient information.
• Information such as on the website, call letter, reception desk, ticket, referral letter and signage must be consistent for a clear picture towards the patient, visitor.

By examining these challenges in wayfinding research, we understand the user and thereby identify bottlenecks and success factors.

Wayfinding strategy for hospitals

In this chapter we discuss different ways of referring that can help improve orientation and navigation in the hospital. By implementing these strategies, hospitals become more user-friendly and accessible, reducing the stress associated with navigating healthcare facilities.

1. Well-thought-out signage
   This includes clear, concise, and easy-to-understand signage at key decision points, such as at entrances, hallways, elevators, stairways, and wards. Ensure consistency in design, colors and typography for clear communication.

Example: A hospital can create a wing layout for different departments such as A, B, C, D, etc. making it easier for users to track their destination.

2. Landmarks and Visual Recognition Points:
   Including landmarks and visual identifiers in the hospital environment can aid orientation and make it easier for users to remember the route.

Example: Placing distinctive artwork, architectural features or color schemes as landmarks in the hospital.

3. Digital Wayfinding:
   Digital wayfinding, such as interactive kiosks, mobile apps and touchscreens, can provide real-time information and personalized directions to help users navigate the hospital more easily.

Example: Digital screens in the hospital for displaying relevant information for users. Where am I? Where can I find department xx? And how do I get there?

4. Staff training and support:
   Ensuring that medical staff and employees are well aware of the signage system and tone-of-voice towards patients and visitors.

Example: A hospital could offer training sessions to employees to familiarize them with the signage and teach them how to effectively help visitors navigate the hospital.

5. Inclusive Design and Accessibility:
   Hospitals should be accessible to everyone, including people with reduced mobility, the visually impaired or the hearing impaired.

Ensure that (digital) signage takes these groups into account by using clear, high-contrast fonts, tactile elements, Braille and audio signals where appropriate.

Example: Tactile markings on the floor or braille signs assist to the help the visually impaired to navigate the building and find the right department.

By implementing these signage strategies and addressing bottlenecks and success factors, healthcare facilities can significantly improve the user experience of patients, visitors and staff. This leads to less stress, increased satisfaction and ultimately better healthcare outcomes.

Digital wayfinding in hospitals

Digitization in signage is important for improving the overall user experience in a hospital. Digital tools provide real-time information, personalized routes and additional resources to assist patients and visitors in navigating complex hospital environments.

In this chapter we discuss examples and use cases for digital wayfinding.

1. Real Time Information:
   Digital signage can provide real-time information and updates about, for example, waiting times, routes and where you are in a hospital.

Example: Digital information signs can display the current waiting times for departments and/or other hospital services.

2. Integration with Social Media and Online Communication:
   A social media integration platform to assist patients and visitors plan their visit, receive (route) information and share feedback.

Example: A hospital can implement a (AI) chatbot to assist users for navigating questions, ask for directions, and for instance scheduling appointments.

3. Digital Screens:
   Interactive screens can provide patients with real-time information about their destination, directions and additional services such as finding a nearby restroom or coffee corner.

Example: A hospital can place interactive screens or a kiosk at the entrance and install it on every floor, where visitors can receive personalized route information.

4. Mobile Information :
   Show relevant information on digitale signage screens, such as routes and destinations in the hospital. Think about including a "you are here" on a map and/or use directory signs for an overview of departments.

Example: A hospital can display the information in a mobile environment, which is linked to the hospital's website.

5. Augmented Reality (AR) Signage:
   AR technology could overlay digital information in the real environment, such as arrows and text, using a smartphone's camera.

Example: An overlay that guides users using digital cues that overlap with the real environment.

The implementation of digital signage in hospitals creates an integrated patient experience and approach. The starting point is to use technology for a more personalized route and real-time updates, resulting in an improved user experience.

Wayfinding scenarios

In this chapter we discuss different scenarios for referring users in a hospital building. A new or existing hospital building usually has an entrance, exit, atrium, floors, corridors and wards. Destinations in a hospital can be 'coded' by using a wayfinding strategy. By means of a reference key it is possible to easily reach destinations. Below are a few examples:

1. Route numbers
   Organizing the hospital with route numbers. This means that each destination gets a route number. Patients, visitors use the route number to reach a destination. Route numbers can be ascending or linked to, for example, a floor.

Example: Route 142, where 1 stands for floor 1 and 42 is the sequential number. This way you can always find where you are in a hospital.

2. Wing layout
   With wing layouts, lift points such as elevators or stairs are classified with a name or letters. For example A, B, C, D, etc. With wing layouts, the letters are usually followed by a number, which stands for the floor.

Example: C2, where C stands for the wing and 3 for the floor. An addition of a number can indicate even further specifications, such as C2-12. Where, for example, 12 is the waiting area on wing C floor 2.

3. User-friendly (digital) additions
   This scenario adds tactile and auditory information to wayfinding scenarios for reaching foreign speaking people or for people who have difficulty walking or have reduced vision capacity.

Testing the wayfinding scenarios is important to gain feedback from users. A scenario is building, process and user-related. Implementing a clear and concise wayfinding scenario improves an intuitive way finding destinations in a hospital.

Conclusion

A wayfinding design strategy plays an important role in improving the user experience in a hospital.

Implementing a well-thought-out wayfinding strategy and scenarios, users can orientate and navigate more easily. The starting point is to improve the user experience, which contributes to a positive image of the hospital.

The roll-out of both fixed and digital wayfinding tools, such as signage and digital displays, can help provide an integrated approach and experience tailored to users' requirements and needs.

In conclusion, a wayfinding design and strategy are indispensable for creating an accessible, safe and user-friendly environment in hospitals. It is vital that hospitals and wayfinding design studios work together to implement effective solutions that help patients, visitors and staff navigate and feel comfortable in these complex environments.

Starting a website can be a fun journey for some of the tech wizards out there, and a relative nightmare for the rest of us. So before you take a leap of faith and jump-start this project, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. 1.   The aim matters This is where it all begins, your vision. What is your website about? What is it that you would like for your website to showcase? What is the call-to-action you hope your website’s visitors to make? As you answer the above questions, you will be able to utilize

The post 5 Things You Should Keep in Mind Before Starting a Website appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

Your website can be two things: an asset, or just there. The difference between the two can be very subtle, but have an online asset can drive business like you’ve never imagined. So, how do you turn your website from a random property into an asset for your business? By focusing on two major factors: style and performance. Get a New Theme One of the easiest ways to upgrade the look and feel of your WordPress website is by picking a new theme. There are tons of themes out there to choose from, so you just have to find the

The post 6 Way to Upgrade the Look of Your WordPress appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

Looking for ways to perform hard drive recovery? Many things can go wrong while you’re using your device. A power surge can fry it and damage the motherboard, an outage can delete hours of progress if you didn’t save your work, and overuse will cause it to go haywire in the long run. While these won’t cause any permanent damage or loss, a hard drive crash can prevent you from getting your data. What’s worse is that the simplest things like an OS update can cause your system to crash. While there’s nothing you can do to prevent it when

The post Computer Nightmares: 7 Effective Tips for Hard Drive Recovery appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

Photographs are an incredible tool for preserving memories in tangible forms. Not only it captures your most treasured moments but also keeps the sentiment intact no matter when you look at it. PhotoBooks are where we maintain and keep our photographic collection. There are many reasons to make photo book in today’s technologically advancing world. They allow your loved ones and family to reminisce your special moments for years to come. When you create a PhotoBook you make sure your memorable moments stand the test of time. Since photo albums capture and preserve life’s moments, they make fantastic gifting options.

The post How to Make Your Personalized PhotoBook Easily appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

A beautiful house is never complete without comfortable furniture that coordinates with the style of the home. Furniture transforms a block of stones into a beautiful space that you can then call home. While there are a variety of furniture makers and designers out there, none of them can match up to the style and elegance of mid-century modern furniture. Your home will never look the same again if you just get your furniture from mid-century. Here is why they are that popular.   Vintage Appeal If you want a vintage look in your house, then mid-century got you. You

The post Great Homes with Mid Century Modern Furniture appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

Do you remember a time when there was only text on the internet? Or when the first images popped up in their glorious blocky low resolution? It seems like a lifetime ago.   Streaming services, social media, shops… Images and videos are all around the web today. It’s no wonder we see more and more imagery used for online advertisement as well.   There are always aspects to consider to decide the best fit for your project. When choosing your advertising strategy, it’s essential to know the good and the not-so-good about photography and videography for marketing. Advantages Look Sharp

The post Pros and Cons of Photography and Videography in Visual Marketing appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

Coté Escrivá, a Spanish artist, creates playful character designs inspired by nostalgic childhood themes, with notable collaborations with Thunder Mates on limited-edition resin toys. His standout collection includes dark twists on classic Disney icons like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, reimagined as spooky characters with eerie eyes, tattered clothes, and exposed skeletons, drawing influences from […]

In the late 1990s, Winona Ryder defined a unique fusion of edgy elegance, often seen in minimalist black dresses, leather jackets, and sharp blazers. With her cropped dark hair and bold brows, she embodied an iconic look that captured the grunge and alternative styles of the era. Known for her powerful roles in *Alien: Resurrection* […]

Patrick Razo, also known as Nino, is a Los Angeles-based concept designer and visual development artist. His diverse career spans entertainment design, fashion, and motorcycle design. Before transitioning to entertainment design, Razo spent over 15 years in the fashion industry, where he honed his skills in brand building and product design. More: Artstation, Instagram In […]

Niall Shukla, a remarkably skilled and self-taught artist, creates stunningly intricate portraits on laminated glass by meticulously cracking it with controlled hammer strikes. This unique art form is paradoxical and captivating; Shukla wields various metal hammers and chisels to chip away at glass panels, generating cracks that eventually transform into beautifully detailed images. His technique […]

Weather Photographer, Winner: Sprites Dancing in the Dark Night by Wang Xin The Royal Meteorological Society has announced the 2024 winners of the Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Awards, featuring breathtaking images of weather phenomena worldwide. The top prize went to Wang Xin from Shanghai for the photograph “Sprites Dancing in the Dark […]

Ben J, is a digital artist. He creates a compelling and narrative rich atmosphere that keeps the audience stimulated. He specializes on the fantasy art, especially on the lands and the landscapes that create almost a movie effect. The color schemes of each of the works are intricate and complex, with dim lights and lots […]

Sadan Vague is a Ukrainian concept artist and sculptor renowned for his intricate creature designs and surreal sculptures. With several years of experience in a small indie game studio, he has honed his skills in both digital and traditional mediums. His works features a diverse array of works, including 3D models and traditional sculptures, highlighting […]

Dariusz Kieliszek, a self-taught Polish illustrator and concept artist, has made a remarkable impact on the digital art world through his exploration of symbolic fantasy and surreal horror. More: Instagram, Artstation

1st Place Winner: “Delicate” by Hilda Champion The 2024 Minimalist Photography Awards celebrated fine-art photographers who have redefined visual storytelling through simplicity, highlighting the profound beauty in minimalism. The award-winning works, from serene landscapes to striking abstractions, showcase how thoughtful use of negative space and single subjects can evoke deep emotional responses and reveal powerful […]

Grand Prize: “Bengal Tigers” by Mangesh Ratnakar Desai, India The 2024 Nature’s Best Photography International Awards highlighted breathtaking moments from around the globe, celebrating photographers who captured the beauty and power of Earth’s diverse ecosystems. From sweeping landscapes to intimate wildlife portraits, the award-winning images showcase nature’s grandeur and fragility, inspiring deeper appreciation and awareness […]

DannyLaiLai is a Chinese artist from Beijing, recognized for his traditional oil paintings and digital artworks that blend ethereal aesthetics with realistic elements. His portfolio includes a variety of subjects, from serene landscapes to intimate portraits, all characterized by a delicate interplay of light and shadow. More: Artstation

Anthony Ventura, an award-winning Canadian artist, is known for his highly detailed and expressive illustrated portraits. A graduate of Sheridan College’s Illustration program, he has worked with major clients like Playboy, Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, Doritos, and ESPN, with standout celebrity pieces featuring Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and Nikki Sixx that showcase his exceptional linework […]

Oupas Design, a creative studio from Portugal, has spent over 12 years crafting playful, custom paper art for brands like Salesforce, Hermès, and The Atlantic. Founded by three friends—Cidália, Joana, and Sofia—the studio’s work reflects their passion and expertise in paper art, evident in their detailed, whimsical creations that bring ideas to life. More: Oupas […]

Eresus Walckenaeri. Shortlisted in the Invertebrate Portrait category. By Aris Kolokontes The 2024 Close-Up Photographer of the Year competition has shortlisted 20 stunning images from 11,681 entries, spanning 11 categories like Animals, Insects, and Underwater scenes, with a special category for photographers under 18. The overall winner will receive $3,240 and a trophy, while category […]

Victorian Sussex showcased remarkable displays of engineering ingenuity, where inventors tackled various cycling challenges from bumpy unpaved roads to the impracticalities of woolen clothing with boundless enthusiasm and creativity. h/t: vintag.es Among these innovators was Horsham architect Edward Burstow, who in 1882 patented the ‘pentacycle,’ an ingenious machine featuring a large central wheel driven by […]

DAB Motors has crafted a unique DAB 1α electric motorcycle inspired by the DeLorean time machine from “Back to the Future.” This bespoke model features a stainless steel body, exposed wiring, and CNC-machined wheels reminiscent of the iconic car. Notable design elements include a speedometer capped at 88 mph and an illuminated flux capacitor, paying […]