PhotoShop Mockups

These are the final mockups, showing each sign in its intended environment. I feel the dark grey slate doesn't ruin the look of the landscape too much, and the simple colour scheme is easy on the eye. I chose slate and an understated design in order to blend in as much as possible to the surroundings, as I live in an area similar to Malvern and feel that bright colours and synthetic materials ruin the landscape, whereas woods and stone compliment it. 

Final Illustrator Work

These are the final Illustrator designs, incorporating the slate texture. Now that it can be seen as intended, I feel that I was right to change the materials and colour scheme. All the elements are linked by their typography, simplified icons and 'Route to the Hills' logo and it would be clear in their environment that they are part of the same signage family. I opted to just focus on the early history of the Malvern Theatres for this prototype as there was a lot of information to fit in and I didn't want the text to be obscured. I chose not to include colour photographs or illustrations as it would detract from the white-on-dark theme, and instead chose a more textual approach.

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.

Prototype in situ

This is a very rough first draft showing the sign in its intended environment. I feel the dark slate compliments the natural greens and browns well, and stands out from the sky, while the white text and images are legible. Even in the dark when the slate blends into the night sky, the white would still be slightly visible against it, especially if there is a form of backlight in the construction. If not, it wouldn't matter so much as people would probably not choose to walk the route at night.

Prototype Changes

While waiting for the clients to look over my work, I began to experiment with my design, changing the material of the signs from a brushed steel effect to a slate grey. I did this for several reasons, one just being to give the clients the opportunity to choose the direction I should take in terms of my work, but also for visibility issues. On a sunny day the metal would give off quite a glare, which could prove dangerous when used on the road, while the slate would not be such a hazard.

This is a comparison which I showed the clients, and the white-on-slate design was far more popular as it provides greater clarity as well as less chance of causing an accident. This was the reaction I was hoping for as I was able to proceed with the redesign in that slate style.

It also gave me different ideas in terms of illuminating the sign. Before, I was to have spotlights on the floor in front of the sign providing a soft light but with the change in colour scheme I thought about incorporating the lighting into the structure. One product that uses a similar lighting style is the Apple Macbook, the Apple logo lighting up when the laptop is on, a technique that could be transferred to my signage designs.

 This is the outcome of the redesign of all of the signage elements, and I believe the white on dark grey provides greater clarity and visibility from distance. All of the signs use a tall freestanding structure similar to the Legible London examples (except the interpretation boards) so that they are easily recognisable as part of a set, and the branding adds to this too.


The typography of the signs is also uniform, using Helvetica Light which is kerned to make the text tighter, with different sizes to show the hierarchy of information. Lower case is used to remain in keeping with the logo design, and it provides an equal text layout.


All the icons used on the signs are as simple as possible, with the arrows just being triangles pointing in the certain directions and a basic walking man icon. This is to avoid the confusions that could arise from more pictorial elements.


The traffic signs are slightly different from the pedestrian signs and fingerposts, as I felt it was important for them to be visible from a greater distance and portray the necessary information in a shorter amount of time. It also has to introduce people to the Route to the Hills project and guide people into Malvern so I felt it was important that the brand identity was very strong which is why I chose to use the icon from the logo as the main part of the sign.

Client Presentation

Contemporary Signage

My style of design has always followed the idea that the most simple solution is often the best. Once I received the brief and attended the client meeting it was apparent that they were open to any ideas, and there was a lot of freedom to experiment.

Therefore I decided to look at examples of simple, modern and effective signage designs to inspire my initial thoughts.

Legible London

Legible London

 The Legible London project is an example of a modern wayfinding alternative that has proven to be very effectual, simplifying peoples' journeys through London and providing a uniform signage system.

I like the freestanding structures as they are large enough to display plenty of information and collate it all in one place. Their use of branding and colour makes their signs instantly recognisable, the simple silhouetted man on a yellow background easy to spot. The information is arranged in a clean and uncluttered fashion, using readable modern type with directional arrows and London Underground icons, and maps are also used if a more detailed route plan is required.

Hospital sign

This is another example of a contemporary signage installation, using legible type on a modern construction but I do not think it is as effective as the Legible London solution. The signs look tacky due to the base used and the materials appear cheap, although the information is very clear and eye-catching because of the clarity of white on red.

Museum sign

This is another example of a signage system using white on red, which seems a very effective colour scheme and stands out against the pale background of the wall. The typography seems too narrow for the design, and would not be visible from a distance which is a big drawback for a wayfinding system, and they could make better use of the space available in that respect.

Glass/perspex

 This sign is interesting because of its materials, combining the simple and modern approaches of the other examples with a glass or perspex base. This would be an interesting idea for a signage system like the Route to the Hills project as it wouldn't disrupt the view of the countryside too much.

In terms of the brief, I feel that bright colours would not be suitable for the location. Being a historic and rural town I don't think artificial shades such as neon pink would suit the area, and growing up in the countryside myself I have an insight into what materials complement the landscape the most. To this end, I will concentrate on modern metal or glass styles or more traditional materials such as wrought iron, wood or stone.

I like the size and shape of the Legible London signs, as they are able to give a lot of information without seeming cluttered, as well as the simplicity of the text and icons used and will take these elements forward as I look to my own designs.

Bibliography
Slate (no date). Legible London: Can better signs help people understand an extremely disorienting city? [Online]. Available from: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/signs/2010/03/legible_london.html [Accessed 4th April 2012]
Fitzrovia News (no date). Legible London is heading in the wrong direction, again. [Online]. Available from: http://news.fitzrovia.org.uk/2011/03/09/legible-london-is-heading-in-the-wrong-direction/ [Accessed 4th April 2012]
Arrows and Icons Magazine (no date). Environmental Graphic Design in the City of Trees [Online]. Available from: http://www.arrowsandicons.com/articles/environmental-graphic-design-in-the-city-of-trees/ [Accessed 4th April 2012]
Obsessively Observed (no date). Cartlidge Levene for Bristol Museum [Online]. Available from: http://www.obsessivelyobserved.com/2011/03/cartlidge-levene-for-bristol-museum/ [Accessed 4th April 2012]
Sign Update (no date). Wayfinding - Jan 2010 [Online]. Available from: http://www.signupdate.co.uk/Wayfinding-Jan-2010/ [Accessed 4th April 2012]