effective and cohesive signage/wayfinding solutions

[juan carlos casas]

i often come across signage ideas that offer a lack of integration to their surroundings or lack a good sense of scale and place.

why do you think there seems to be such a disconnect between signage and architecture ?
jc

[nca]

What do they say? Architecture is livable signage. I know Venturi was an advocate for ornamentation and detail in the times of minimalism and modernity which has clearly taken a foothold in contemporary design. I’ve repeated this over and over in recent discussions. I think contemporary minimalism stops at function, therefore leading to the need for more signs and wayfinding devices.

I think in ‘good’ design wayfinding elements should be embedded in the landscape/architecture with iconography, character, scale, viewframing, landmarking, and other principle elements of urban design.

In some cases, however, like national parks, or trails signage is more essential.

I agree that some signage is pretty hideous and often misplaced, but sometimes it pays to take a closer look at what you might think doesnt work so well. Do the proportions of the sign accomodate a wide range of intended users, is it interactive, accesssible, easy to understand, can you read it from ten feet away, can you read it from 6 inches away?

I had the opportunity to work on some signage along the Grand Canyon last summer and although there was a lot I would have liked to include and some things I think should have been better considered I learned about the simple function of signs and how even the most basic signage requires a fair amount of forethought and consideration.

What kind of signage did you have in mind? Do you have any pictures or examples? I’d like to see what you’re talking about more specifically.

[juan carlos casas]

nick,
just getting around to responding here myself…. thanks. i so agree with your comments
about contemporary minimalism-just that, a conscious effort often bordering on austerity in the name of ‘keep it simple’ and ‘cool’ as if we’re afraid of artistic expression.

all those components you note related to scale, place-making, experience, legibility etc are essential. it’s also true that we all have encountered such everydayness in communication and sometimes in not so clear proportions too. integration, i mean embracing opportunities to work and learn from each other along the process. i mean embracing opportunities to potentially enhance these tools of communication with good signage design and the technical experience often thought about very late in the process. while i have seen a huge improvement in this area by architects to include signage consultants along the way, i also think signage can be more like architecture, as a supporting expression of social attitude carefully thought out and fun to encounter however simple a structure. and BTW, when clients ask us for something ‘simple’ what does that mean really? its like saying don’t take it personal, isn’t life work people personal?

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