Tahoma High School in Tahoma, Washington by DLR Group. Photo by Chris Roberts.
From branding to signage to wayfinding, images have the power to connect a user with a space and deliver a unique emotional experience. No matter the type of building, users must be able to move throughout a space with ease, and a successful graphics and wayfinding program provides users with the necessary information at key decision points to find their way.
College campuses are complex systems that have to cater to a variety of user types. Visitors, students, faculty, and staff all have to feel comfortable, welcome, and secure as they make their way through various spaces. Our higher education clients understand the value of coherent experiential design, and how it can bring a sense of identity and cohesion to their campuses. As my colleagues and I work alongside DLR Group architects and engineers, we follow a key set of principles to help create this sense of place and identity that is so vital to a college campus.
Tahoma High School in Tahoma, Washington by DLR Group. Photo by Chris Roberts.
A well-thought-out wayfinding system takes into consideration the first-time-user – a prospective student or community member, for example – and that person’s limited familiarity with the campus. The positive experience that comes with ease of finding one’s way around a campus – wayfinding – has the power to transform that first-time-user into an applicant, frequent-repeat visitor, or even financial partner.
But what makes a campus wayfinding system “well-thought-out?”
One key component is signage design. Signage design visually knits together a campus, providing the user with a unified brand identity while simultaneously creating a sense of place; what we call placemaking.Successful systems key into the architecture, natural materials, logo, identity, vision, and values of a particular campus. This alignment makes the signage feel harmonious with its natural environment, rather than in competition with, or visually distracting from, its surroundings.
It’s also critical to avoid information overload. Nothing is more confusing than an over-signed space. In our design process, we consider what the user needs to know versus what the visitor may want to know, and identify primary, secondary, and tertiary decision points to equip the user with the pertinent information he or she needs at a particular location. Our ultimate goal is to develop and facilitate the user’s ability to think for his or herself in a successful and confident manner, no matter the purpose or destination.