Getting from point A to point B—without somehow first hitting point Z, J or Q—sounds like it should be easy enough, but it doesn’t always end up that way. Sometimes, wayfinding signage systems are inaccurate, confusing and downright ineffective, leaving visitors feeling lost and frustrated. But with careful planning, the right look and timely maintenance, any wayfinding signage system can increase its effectiveness. 

 

LOGISTICS OF WAYFINDING

When designing a wayfinding signage system, there are many zoning issues that should first be noted, especially with properties in the middle of metropolitan areas, says Virginia Gehshan, FSEGD, principal of Cloud Gehshan Associates, an architectural design firm in Philadelphia. Neighborhood associations; street, zoning and licensing committees; and even historical groups all have their own regulations, which can make dealing with so many various interests difficult. Approvals are typically a lengthy process, and this must be figured into the preparation. 

 

“We have this whole list of reviewing agencies, and every municipality has its own rules,” Gehshan says. “There is often an unbelievable number of approvals and governmental reviews, with each of them looking at different regulations.” 

 

In one zoning case, Gehshan’s firm designed a set of permanent aluminum banners for the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at the Columbia University Medical Center; however, the approval process was set to take a year. Gehshan believes the approval was scheduled to take so long because of the system’s permanence, which was against the local zoning laws. The firm instead designed a temporary banner system using fabric, which was soon approved. 

 

Testing is also a critical logistical component of wayfinding signage, Gehshan adds. Peter Hecht, Ph.D., an expert on human behavior and wayfinding consultant for Cloud Gehshan Associates, conducts much of the firm’s testing and uses full-sized mock-ups that are placed on the client’s grounds. Sometimes the mock-ups stay for only a few hours; other times, they are up for a week or two. During this time, it allows both the client and the Cloud Gehshan Associates team to see what is working and what could use some improvement.  

 

“It helps stakeholder groups reach decisions because the client group often doesn’t have a lot of experience with sign programs,” Gehsan says. “It’s really helpful for them to see it in real life, as opposed to drawings. Even Photoshop renderings, which are great, never substitute for seeing mockups.”

 

A consistent look is necessary for wayfinding signage, as well, Gehshan says. With a consistent look, a pattern is set for the visitors to follow—before they can even read the signs. For example, if a hospital is using blue directional signs, visitors will see that blue spot from a distance and know it has something to do with that particular hospital. 

 

“The consistency is very important,” Gehshan says. “It helps the client solidify their identity and branding so that it reduces anxiety on the part of the visitor, but it also helps the client make that consistent welcoming statement with their own branding in mind.”

 

CHALLENGES WITH WAYFINDING 

For Cloud Gehshan Associates, maintenance is the biggest challenge regarding wayfinding signage, Gehshan says. Wayfinding signage is vulnerable to vandalism, theft, and the everyday wear and tear that brush up against the components, and these systems must be fabricated with high-quality products and craftsmanship to hold up to the damaging elements. 

 

“It is easy to create and design a wonderful system that looks great and works well on day one,” Gehshan says. “With as many parameters as you throw at it, it’s still has to work through all of those.”

 

The sun, in particular, can be damaging to exterior wayfinding signage, Gehshan says. Of course, no matter what is done, fading is inevitable, but high-quality paint with a written guarantee can go a long way in providing added protection. 

 

Maintenance on the part of the client is especially challenging, Gehshan adds. Employees come and go, departments change locations, and new wings are added—all of which can make maintaining accurate wayfinding signage difficult. 

 

“When we’re designing sign systems, we try to figure out how we can help the client keep it up to date because wayfinding signage is not helpful if it’s not up to date,” Gehshan says. “We try to simplify the message.”

 

To help clients with this, Gehshan avoids using a person’s identity on direction signage. Instead, she includes identification information on a map, which usually changes every year, or uses removable panels. 

 

WAYFINDING SIGNAGE TRENDS

Much of the buzz in the signage industry is swirling around digital components. From menu boards to point-of-purchase displays, digital signage is becoming more common, but it isn’t always the answer for some, Gehshan says. Major wayfinding programs include expansive areas, and digital signage units are often too pricey for some wayfinding budgets. 

 

“We have had some very big institutions that we’ve worked with that have had good budgets,” Gehshan says. “Even with good budgets, though, digital signs are sometimes too expensive. Digital signage is great in a lot of ways, and as it gets cheaper, it will help, but it doesn’t meet a lot of clients’ price points.”

 

Moving forward, Gehshan also expects to see more emphasis placed on wayfinding through the use of smart phones with special applications, especially through mapping programs, such as Map Quest and Google Maps. By tagging specific areas of a large campus or hospital, these programs can provide photographic mapping of areas that receive the most foot traffic. Besides maps, these wayfinding apps can also include pertinent contact information, such as phone numbers or Web addresses. 

 

“You can be on a campus or hospital and need the phone number for admissions, parking, or the general switchboard,” Gehshan says. “It’s a low tech-thing, but it’s something people need. Without much effort on the part of the institution, you can do that as a minimum.”

 

Although smart phone exterior wayfinding apps have experienced noticeable growth, interior wayfinding is still lacking on that front, Gehshan says. For interior wayfinding, the mapping tends to change more often than the exterior side, making it difficult to maintain an accurate guide. 

 

“What we haven’t done or seen done yet is an efficient way of doing interior mapping because those floor plans are always changing,” Gehshan says. “Especially in an area like a medical institution, everyone is moving all the time, and the maintenance of that is fairly considerable. That’s probably a deterrent to doing the interior mapping—at least at this point.” 

 

One notion is clear: While these wayfinding technological advances are in their infancy, they are playing a more predominant role in wayfinding applications than in the past. There still may be plenty of room to grow, but wayfinding signage is taking on unprecedented heights.