Wayfinding Design Helps Move People to Places
It is very easy to get lost in places that have no wayfinding systems. Effective wayfinding signage systems are a symbol of a developed society and an urbanized city. Many towns and villages are still without such signs and people in these areas still depend on environmental cues to find their way. Points of reference include colors of nearby buildings, trees, signboards, or shops. In the distant past, the visual cues included rock formations, mountains, rivers, and coastlines.
Wayfinding Design Helps Move People to Places
Signage guides people so they can get to their destination easily. It benefits all in three ways. First, everyoneis able to save time. Second, they can stay safe from strangers. Lastly, they can have a better level of trust. When we have a bad experience traveling to a destination we tend not to go there again. Many neighborhoods stay cut off from the main city due to a lack of signage systems. These neighborhoods cannot thrive due to the lack of commercial activity. To connect people to places wayfinding systems serves as a funnel. For assistance when we choose strangers we can get followed and even robbed. This is why these days no one wishes to come into contact with any unknown people when they are traveling to new places.
Finding a destination that we are looking for can take time if we rely on environmental cues. With new developments taking place in the area the built scenario may get changed and we may not find the cues we are looking for and hence get lost. The need for wayfinding systems grew with mass transit schemes. Cities had to instruct their people about how to get around. Now in every city, we find effective signage systems that allow for smooth movement of the community from one place to another. Today signs are used to direct, identify and even warn public. They are a source of information for millions of people. As the population grew the built environment grew and now in any given city there are hundreds and thousands of buildings housing millions. All need to get to places promptly and need to know the distances before they embark on the trip.
Wayfinding signage enhances traffic for cities as it guides the visitors well and they can accomplish their tasks and go back home without any waste of time. For businesses, it helps bring in more sales. The university and hospital campuses are easier to navigate with the help of wayfinding systems. Guests can navigate the area effortlessly and begin to trust the place. This helps them retain the name of the establishment which boosts branding.
Wayfinding design incorporates several elements of design. Before the designers embark on the design process they have to go through lengthy research and measure the area. The signage shows the distance of the area that needs to get covered to reach a certain point. Specialized designers and human behaviorists are hired to develop environments where human and vehicular movement is well organized. It takes several meetings between the stakeholders and the graphic design company before the design is developed and approved.
Maps of the area and brand logo are also part of the wayfinding design. The logo instills loyalty. The corporate colors are often used in the signage systems for visual consistency. Wayfinding design is best created by the experts. If your signs are outdated and do not bring you much traffic a revamp will work wonders for your establishment. The company that makes your signage systems is also able to repair the signs and replace them promptly if required. Sometimes due to the strong UV rays, the text on the signs gets faded making it illegible from far. Storms and hurricanes can damage a signs and it is good to have the system functional again.
In the modern build environment, these designs are part of a much bigger scheme called the environmental graphic design. Architects, contractors, and designers all take part in the execution of the wayfinding design. It helps people to identify places of interest and guides them to it in an effective manner.
Special attention is paid to the materials, typography, colors and also lightening. To make the signs durable the right materials are used that are weather resistant. The colors have to be in contrast so the text pops out from the background and can be seen from far. The placement of the signs in conspicuous places helps it gets noticed. Fonts used on signage systems are always the sans serif fonts as they are more legible from a distance as compared to serif fonts.
Now you can find computerized wayfinding displays in the busy cities so travelers can quickly find the information they need for safe travel. These displays also inform users about the bus schedule and weather. This promotes an excellent sense of place when created to communicate a theme or support a brand.
