wayfinding signs

Comparable to architectural signs, way-finding signs are meant to work together as a system to help guide users through a space. Appropriately, consistency is key to their effectiveness. If you visit a museum or amusement park, you’ll find a wealth of examples. While branding elements are often used to infuse these signs with a creative appeal, advertising is not the aim. Rather, the goal is to create a seamless user experience so that people can spend more time on the reason for their visit, rather than trying to find their way around. Not only will helpful signs that reduce travel time help your visitors or customers, they will also reflect well on you. On the flipside, if your amusement park is a nightmare to navigate to, you can end up with a bunch of angry customers no matter how fun your rides are.

The guiding philosophy behind successful wayfinding is that signs should make spaces functional and enjoyable for everyone, whether they have a disability, they are young or old, or they speak a different language. To ensure that your company, park or store is accessible, when designing your signs and wayfinding system you should ask the following questions. What are the recommended heights and spacing for these signs? What fonts are most legible? What is the ideal font size? Is the color contrast between font and background sufficient? Are you relying too much on color to illustrate your point? Is the sign too busy? What universal symbols or helpful images can be used to help explain any written content? Equally important, can alternative methods of distributing the written information be incorporated into your signs? For example, braille, subtitled video, an audio option, or a downloadable app can augment displays or informational signs.

By considering accessibility at the outset of your project, you can rest assured that you have created a welcoming space for all your customers.