London

 V&A Internal Signage Analysis

This is one example of a piece of internal signage at the V&A Museum, which is designed to guide people to the galleries they want to visit. The colours used help with this, with black type on a white background providing excellent visibility, while the colour coding for each gallery makes them very distinguished from each other and sharply defined. Also, the colours that have been chosen for each gallery fit in with the look of the museum, as they use darker and understated shades that do not seem too obtrusive when next to the exhibits. The type used is not too bold or too fine, and the sans-serif style is easy to read from a distance. The shape of the sign is interesting, the tall glass structure looks like an exhibit in its own right and the transparency means that it doesn't obstruct any views, while the important information is the perfect height with my eye level being about halfway down the sign itself. This does mean, however, that this sign is not as easily used by children or wheelchair users as the information would be too high up to be read well.

This is a simple map, showing where certain galleries and exhibitions can be found nearby to the user. Again, the colours used are unobtrusive in the space, with the off-white and beige on the map soft on the viewer's eyes. The shapes are as simplified as possible and use the minimum of text, in order to deliver the information in the clearest way available. The height of this map means that it is accessible by any user and the information is understandable. In some areas they would require a larger sign with more information but for the section where this was found I feel it works perfectly.

Applied Studio

While in London we were lucky enough to be able to visit the Applied studio where the Legible London wayfinding system was designed and receive a talk. A lot of wayfinding considerations were discussed, many of which I had managed to include in my designs and so that gave me a lot of confidence that I was along the right lines with my ideas. One idea I liked was 'People 1.0', the theory that we as people have never changed, and so neither has the way we find our way around. It touched on the idea that we use 'safe places' to navigate, and that we need constant reassurance that we are walking in the right direction.