Designing Orientation: Signage Concepts & Wayfinding Systems

The purpose and primary function of wayfinding and signage design is to provide spatial orientation as quickly and clearly as possible.

Respective concepts and systems can be designed for individual buildings, for example corporate headquarters, museums or hospitals, for areas such as a university campus or distinct municipal district, or for entire systems like a city’s public transport. In addition to communicating direction, the interplay of typography, pictograms, materials, colors and shapes in these systems also delineates a particular identity of the location. On the basis of international realizations this title shows the range of different approaches and implementation possibilities of environmental graphics. No matter what kind of spatial context, the focus is always on visual communication that is understandable for every user. This volume is an indispensable reference work for anyone involved in communications, as well as for architects, interior designers, graphic designers, and indeed creative minds of any sectors.

About the Author:

The core topic for Chris van Uffelen is the transfer of knowledge about design in all its manifestations. For more than twenty years the Dutch-German art historian has been publishing books as well as countless essays and articels on art, architecture, interior design and urban planning from antiquity to the present. He is particular interested in the effects of architecture on public spaces.