Our expertise
Signs like stepping stones
Wayfinding addresses the age-old problem that people are confronted with when they find themselves in a new place:
How do I find my destination?
Wayfinding is the art of gently nudging people along their way, using signs like stepping stones.
Many places are a complex mix of users and destinations. Understanding who the users are and where they want to go is key to getting this right.
We talk about...
Complex environments
Town centres, universities and hospitals are prime examples of environments you could easily get lost in.
Wayfinding is much more than sign design. It's the art of cutting through the clutter of a place.
Strategic wayfinding
It's never too soon to talk about wayfinding. We work with local authorities and developers to turn masterplans into destinations.
Gone is the "car is king" mantra. Get the strategic wayfinding right and create places for people.
Placemaking
Signs are only one small piece of the wayfinding puzzle.
We get under the skin of a place to understand what makes it unique. Wayfinding elevates and celebrates hidden stories, to create memorable experiences that encourage people to stay a little longer.
Complex environments
Places are a complex mix of users and destinations. With each user vying for the most direct path to a different destination, it's no surprise that town centres, university campuses and hospitals can be hard to navigate.
Our work in Eastbourne's Devonshire Quarter sought to address just this problem.
Strategic wayfinding
We've lost count of the number of times we're told that it's "too soon" to talk about the wayfinding.
The truth is, it's never too soon. Wayfinding helps to get the connections between different users right, so that people can find their way easily. It's the hidden link in successful masterplanning.
Our work in Southall Waterside helped achieve exactly that.
Placemaking
Places are not simply a collection of buildings with spaces in between.
There's a psychology to place and pinpointing how a place makes you feel - or, how you want it to make visitors feel - is crucial to a place's success.
We uncover stories about a place that make it unique and use design to bring it to life.
Our work on the Oxford Road Corridor helped to bolster its unique identity and encourages visitors to connect with it and explore further.
Don't just take our word for it...
Award winning work...
University of Bedfordshire
Wellington Place
Ireland's Ancient East
How we work...
Our work falls into five key stages, each informing the next.
Placemaking isn't really linear, of course. Our work across all five stages informs our advice at any point, making sure you get a robust strategy that is realistic and deliverable.
1 Research
Site visits and information gathering help us gain insights to deeply understand and interpret a place.
2 Strategy
Our strategies keep the user front and centre. This starting point informs key design drivers and determine what information is needed, where.
3 Design
We create bespoke concepts that reflect a place's identity, choosing graphic treatments, colour and more to land on a solution that embraces user experience and inclusivity.
4 Develop
This is where we refine our design concept, working with prototypes and preparing detailed specifications ready for manufacture.
5 Deliver
We'll project manage the delivery, finalising sign artwork and providing design manuals to make sure the finished product looks just right.
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What we're talking about...
Exploring Manchester's university campuses with new eyes
Making sense of the university campus through wayfinding
From sheds to spaces: rethinking industrial estates for people
