Imagine all the times you&#;ve been to the mall, an airport or most public areas. How many signs did you see? All these signs are what is called wayfinding.
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In a nutshell, wayfinding signage is the process of creating a system for helping direct people to a specific destination. It is particularly important in complex built environments such as educational institutes, hospitals and other health facilities.
Wayfinding signages are the most common types of wayfinding methods and generally, there are many types of wayfinding designs &#; These include some of the following :
Directional signage is the most common type of wayfinding signage. You can find it in places where travelling guidance is necessary. Directional signage employs the use of arrows and symbols to offer directional guidance. Some of these signs are globally recognised to create uniformity and standardisation.
Directional signage is also straightforward. For instance, there may be an arrow that depicts the location of a certain facility. The arrow will point right, left, up, down, or forward. Nevertheless, some people don&#;t interpret directional wayfinding systems with ease.
For the directional signage to provide the required assistance, it must be conspicuous and located in an area where many people can see it. Consequently, you will see many directional signages in elevated positions. The signages will also have a legible font with clear icons or images.
Many directional signages belong to local city municipal authorities. The authorities invest a lot in the design of directional signages. In particular, they focus on the background lighting to ensure that the signage can still be visible at night.
Identification signage is also prevalent. Its primary purpose is to indicate the function of a particular installation or individual. For example, a &#;senior manager&#; signage can be found at the senior manager&#;s office entrance. If you don&#;t know where you are, identification signage can provide additional information. That way, you can determine your next steps.
Creating identification signage requires special skills. The identification signage must provide enough information, but it shouldn&#;t confuse people. Since excessive details can blur the original meaning, identification signage should be short and accurate.
Regulatory wayfinding signs are essential since they display the requirements or regulations for a particular place. For instance, regulatory signage may inform users of a restaurant that smoking is prohibited in that restaurant. Other standard regulatory signage include speed signs and traffic control measures. Some of these signage are on T-shirts and uniforms of law enforcement officers.
The regulatory signs need to be visible to every person. Some regulatory signage includes the penalties for violating the stated requirement. Similarly, a law enforcement officer may lurk near the signage to arrest offenders.
Regulatory signage needs to be short and concise. Moreover, there shouldn&#;t be more than two regulatory signage in the same place. Generally, the signage will have a picture of what is prohibited and a written explanation.
Informational signage is different from identification signage because it provides extensive information about a specific facility. Informational signage is usually found at the entrance of the facility. Some of its details will include the location and function of various units within that installation.
This provides a general overview of what you can expect to find when you are wandering throughout that facility. Nowadays, informational signage may also include other details such as the Wi-Fi username and password.
A system designed for individuals with visual impairments, Braille signage is needed as it helps protect the rights of the blind and visually impaired. It provides them with the means to be able to evacuate in case of an emergency in a public place but more importantly can also help show consideration towards people by creating an environment whereby everyone can find their way around a building.
To reference braille building codes have a look here for relevant standards and codes. This list includes references for signage, hearing augmentation, tactical indicators, wheelchair seating spaces, swimming pools, ramps, and glazing.
This type of wayfinding signage includes some of the following: First aid kit signs, emergency signs, fire extinguisher signs and danger signs to name a few.
The wayfinding definition, types of wayfinding signage, and benefits of each will come in handy when you&#;re trying to navigate a new location or facility.
Additionally, you will stay within the legal requirements if you know how specific wayfinding signage work.
With over 20 years of experience in wayfinding signage, Apex can help design, create and even install all your wayfinding signage needs.
Last Updated on June 12,
There are different types of wayfinding signage that are used in wayfinding and navigation design and, in this post, I will explain these different types, their uses and the differences between each of them.
Signs and signage, as you may appreciate, are different because signs i.e. semiotic signifiers can come from signage, the use of space, design and other factors for sending people information and guiding people.
In this post, the focus is on signage i.e. artefacts in the form of display signs. It will become clear anyway as you read on.
Directional SignageThe most obvious type of signage, which you might expect to find in a location where people need to be guided, is directional signage.
Signage often uses symbols and arrows and, in certain spaces, tends to have internationally recognised conformity, although not always.
Directional signage example in an airportThis form of signage is quite straightforward in that the point is to try and send people in the right direction such as up and down, forwards, left, right or to take a turn.
When I say straight-forward though, that is in theory because even directional signage can easily create a lot of confusion and send people the wrong way.
The classic problem is a directional sign which is perfectly designed but then, put on the wrong wall, it has the exact opposite effect of that intended.
This is a particular problem when temporary signage is being used and when not enough detail is given to positioning of signage.
Ever found yourself walking around in circles as you follow directions in an airport, hospital or other busy environments?
One of the key requirements in the design of a wayfinding system for planning this form of signage is to make sure that they are added before key decision points so that you have time to make the decision of where to go next before it is too late.
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The signs also need to be visible to large numbers of people at the same time, i.e. to be positioned high enough that you can see the information needed, even if the space you occupy is busy people-wise.
The font needs also to be clear, images or icons clear to understand (and ideally independent of one&#;s own language) and to be clear in terms of background lighting and against the background of the sign itself.
There is a lot to consider and the process for making a genuinely efficient set of direction signs takes proper planning and organisation.
Confirmational SignsA lot of signs are actually not to direct people, but to act as comforters to the users.
Creating a positive user experience and also ensuring that the right mood and impression is relayed to the users, is a key part of what signage can achieve when implemented correctly.
In airports a great example is when you see a &#;You have Arrived at Gate&#;&#; type sign, which highlights the fact that you have reached somewhere.
It lets you know that you are where you think (or if you have taken the wrong route if confirms that you are in the wrong place) and acts to relax you and is an important part of navigation.
It is, in other words, not only important to tell people how to get somewhere but also important to tell them when they have arrived so that they are not left uncertain and unsure.
A relaxed traveller or user is one who is likely you spend more and return to this environment and to report having a positive experience.
Confirmational signs can be influential in steering behaviour.
Identification SignsIt is also important to often provide information which is to let people know things such as the:
Identification signs provide valuable and necessary information and can sometimes be combined and crossed over with confirmational signs.
An example of an identifier signInformational SignsA lot of signage acts also to provide information, rather than to direct, or to confirm a location. Examples can be:
Informational signs though, can also sometimes cross over with regulatory signage (discussed below) which provides safety and security details.
Signage, for example, which lets you know what you can or cannot take through security in an airport.
These types of signs though, most often are to satisfy the user and to improve their customer experience.
Regulatory SignsSecurity, safety and regulations need to also have prominence in certain locations in an airport, or in hospitals, ports and anywhere where there are many users and the need to regulate movement.
Signs of this type can include emergency lights signage, rules of access and warnings.
When discussing the various types of wayfinding signs, and when trying to understand how they are used to guide people. considerations need also to be given such as for DDA regulations.
Learn about DDA signage and regulations.
Competing Signage IssuesThe problem with all of these types of signs is that all of these signs act to compete for space and we can end up with what is known as clustering.
By clustering, it means that there are too many competing signs and this can create the effect that information is actually lost.
Space will also most likely be allocated for advertising signage and also tactile signage and priority needs to be given in certain locations in the airport to different signage types.
Yes, it is complicated, hence the skills of a wayfinding expert are to be valued by airports and other locations looking to become efficient.
Dr Paul Symonds has a PhD in Wayfinding from Cardiff Metropolitan University in the UK. Paul works with the signage industry, airports and other locations providing wayfinding audits, consultancy and training.
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