Most wayfinding signage is deployed at eye level or above. But in certain situations the ground plane can be used to good effect. Here, in the confusing underground passages beneath Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, floor wayfinding is not only effective, but necessary.
Often called finger or pointer signs, this familiar sign type can be effective in pedestrian environments. Signs with panels that literally point toward destinations work especially well in places that are not orthogonal such as parks and historic sites. Here, the destination panels are accompanied by actual arrows that ‘pierce’… Read more »
Signs aren’t always up in the air. Here, a sculpted bronze plaque celebrating San Francisco’s historic Barbary Coast Trail is set into the sidewalk.
Yes, this is the only way out.
A lot, apparently. Drivers approaching this Pasadena intersection are confronted with ten(!) traffic control signs and five visible signal heads. Each sign is meant to improve safety, but taken together, we’re not so sure the opposite effect has not been inadvertently achieved.
Balloons dangling on a telephone pole, fence or mailbox let you know you are close to the party. Colorful and non-verbal, these are true signs, universally understood by party guests everywhere. No lettering needed. Even the colors communicate – bright colors for kids, pastels for baby showers and silver and… Read more »
It is assumed in the field of wayfinding that people prefer getting information from a person, rather than a sign. The Paris-Orly airport in France is testing that assumption with the use of virtual boarding agents. A two dimensional, life-like image is projected onto an acrylic cut out human form…. Read more »
Designed around 1900 by architect Hector Guimard, this art nouveau subway design has been defining Parisian streetscapes ever since – over 80 of these elegant gateways survive. This original example now holds court in the sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, sharing the stage with… Read more »
These homemade signs demonstrate many of the principles of effective wayfinding: simple wording, large clear font choice, strong use of color, repetition and consistency of design elements. And shaping each sign as the directional arrow is brilliant.
Expert backpackers can spot them in the densest of woods: the blazes cut into trees by the original builders of a trail – the trailblazers. Usually a few feet off the ground to be seen above deep snow, these careful cuts into the bark are truly basic wayfinding elements. Look… Read more »