News.

RSM Design is honored to announce that we are part of a winning team to reimagine Old Sacramento Waterfront. Alongside a world-class team that includes LPA and Hargreaves Associates, RSM Design will serve as a signage, wayfinding and placemaking design consultant for the ‘Waterfront Ideamakers’ competition. The goal of the $10-30 million dollar revitalization and repositioning project is three fold, based on the directive from the City’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development:

1. Create a national, regional and local draw to increase visitation
2. Improve quality of life for all those who experience the waterfront
3. Encourage revitalization through urban mixed-use development

Our Ideamakers team will engage in a series of design and key stakeholder work sessions including a team of design students from UC Davis to create a World-Class, iconic waterfront destination. The challenges are definitely ahead of us as we look to create opportunities out of obstacles!

Our series of design goals are:

ACTIVATION

INCREASE THE ATTRACTION OF THE OLD SACRAMENTO WATERFRONT AS A REGIONAL DESTINATION.

RECONNECTION

ENHANCE THE DISTRICT’S CONNECTIONS TO THE SURROUNDING AMENITIES.

LEGACY

CONNECT THE ENERGY AND RELEVANCE OF SACRAMENTO’S HISTORY WITH TODAY’S AUDIENCES.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

IMPROVE AND ENHANCE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE TO THE OLD SACRAMENTO WATERFRONT.

INTERPRETIVE VALUE

MAKE OUR RIVER’S HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT MORE MEANINGFUL, RELEVANT, AND TRANSFORMATIVE.

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For further information on the project and the teams involved, read more at the Sacramento City Express, the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement, and CBS Sacramento.

RSM Design believes that every project is unique, but certain core needs weave through all projects. We have recently explored how the signage and placemaking needs on university and college campuses are a microcosm of this broader context and that a few key ideas about the role of signage builds stronger brands and positive student experiences.

As our team approaches the wayfinding and signage needs within the world of higher education, we start by identifying what connections are most important to the design problem at hand. Prospective students want clarity, while returning students, faculty, and staff value an integrated approach in tune with the campus culture. This might seem like a balancing act, but by remaining true to the core brand both goals can be met simultaneously. With placemaking on campus, as with many other wayfinding challenges, the key is to give students the right information at the right time.

CERTAINTY AT ARRIVAL

When visitors step onto the campus for the first time, they are building important early impressions of that branded experience. Signs are the metaphorical front door of the campus— naming the place, and linking the mental image to the physical reality of the space. Based on the clarity and quality of that message, expectations are met and new expectations are created.

RSM Design’s work in campus signage master plans and student unions best illustrate this approach. Signs should amplify the existing brand, architecture and values of the campus. For example, when RSM Design first arrived on the Santa Ana College campus to begin a new wayfinding program there was no signage on the campus exterior. The subsequent design of the sign program became an expression of community and campus pride— an invitation to the campus that spoke to the city at large. The design brought the voice of the campus out in a visible way, reaching out to the neighborhood, while respecting the Spanish revival style of the campus architecture. The addition of high contrast letters and brightly colored mosaics act as an invitation to the community with a clear sense of the brand and roots of the campus.

Another example, the College of the Desert’s sign program started with the modernist roots of the campus, complementing a diverse set of applications through its simplicity. RSM Design created a cohesive approach, to visually connect a campus built over time. Sign materials were selected to withstand the harsh desert climate and the consistent font and size standards allow for flexibility as the campus grows.

LAYERED AND BALANCED EXPERIENCE

The social and emotional connections to campuses run deep and are built over time. For the students, faculty, and staff, there is a sense of pride and community that defines higher education as a special place. RSM Design’s work on the University of California Riverside campus and its Highlander Union Building shows the power of signage to symbolize community. One  of the first evolutions we suggested was an acronym for the union building (HUB) and a large iconic statement of the UCR identity. The new HUB letters wrap the architectural tower, optimizing sight lines and expressing the vibrant nature of the building within the overall campus.

Across the plaza are the eight foot tall UCR identity letters. These heroic letters have become an important icon on the campus, with countless photos taken every year by student clubs, teams, graduates, and their families. This installation has become a place to express campus pride, making that intangible emotional connection tangible. At graduation, the letters are so popular that the campus sets up a rope to contain the lines of students waiting to have their photos taken. These photos and the sharing of them has become an important part of the UCR student experience.

At the opposite end of this spectrum another project, the Mesa Court Towers at the University of California Irvine –  an on-campus undergraduate residential district with housing, dining, student services, mail, and lounge spaces. Working closely with Mithun Architects, RSM Design carefully wove signage into the development, matching architectural finishes and a softer sensibility in line with the crafted nature of the building. Wayfinding elements link students to important locations and amenities, as well as the campus at large without dominating the spaces. Large-scale super graphics illustrate the building names on colors derived from the architectural palette.

Looking at these two very different solutions shows RSM Design’s principle of layering and balance. Each set of graphics is tailored to the problem at hand and thoughtful enough to withstand the test of time.

TOWN AND GOWN

An additional topic to address with campus wayfinding are solutions that bridge the gap with the surrounding community. At the University of the Pacific’s Dugoni School of Dentistry, the challenge was to create an inviting interior space for a diverse international and local community for their dental work. The client originally wanted orange to reflect the campus branded colors, but the dental school recognized the need for a calming, cool color palette. To find common ground, the orange was used on the exterior identity signs to connect to the university brand, while on the interior more cool colors are used as graphic accents.

Dental work can be a stressful time for many patients, especially when navigating across language and cultural barriers. RSM Design worked closely with the campus to use a light and open approach to signage with a hint of color. The color makes the space inviting and non-threatening wherever possible. Crisp type and clean lines communicate the world class cutting edge nature of the institution and the precise work done there by students. International icons replace type, creating directionals to communicate more universally to the users. The campus is a serious location doing important work, but must also reach a hand out to the community invite first time users.

The solution to all of these RSM Design graphics projects centers around the premise of remaining true to the campus while working to provide necessary information. Much like the college experience itself, the secret is all about knowing who you are and expressing that unique personality to the world.

This is Part 4 in a 4 part series called What is Wayfinding? You can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.

Although we are seeing great strides in the application of technology to wayfinding, it is clear today that there is much room for expansion and improvement in this field. The emergence of the smartphone and the Global Positioning System (GPS) have put powerful wayfinding tools into the hands of almost every person on the planet. Companies like Google have given us incredibly informative maps and images for use in navigation. In vehicular wayfinding, these tools are very competent; one can enter a destination in an app like WAZE and seconds later be given a choice of routes and an ETA. The technology updates in real time, making route and ETA adjustments on the fly. What was once a process of using a printed map, knowledge of past experiences and a series of educated guesses has been replaced by the Certainty brought on by technology. In the past, the most stressful part of vehicular wayfinding was the unknown: What time will I arrive? Will an issue arise causing a delay?

For the pedestrian, these type of tools are comparably slow to arrive. Virtual and augmented reality have teased with prototype examples of wayfinding information layered onto live images of the built environment. The observer is led, in real time, through a sequence of decision points along the path to a destination. Real working examples of this type of technology are difficult to find, however. The implementation of these systems presents project teams with major obstacles to overcome in both planning and cost. The foundation required for this type of system lies outside the boundaries of most real estate development projects. Software development is seldom budgeted for in the beginning stages of a project and the long term maintenance of these types of systems creates uncertainty in financial planning. Additionally, software designers are not likely to be part of the architectural project team which creates more uncertainty. But here too, Google is making an impact. Google Indoor maps presents the opportunity for owners to partner with Google in creating maps and diagrams for the indoor environment.

The Mall of America in Minnesota has done just that. With over 42 million annual visitors, the facility is Minnesota’s biggest tourist attraction. Forty percent of those visitors come from out of the area so navigating the 4.2 million square feet of retail, restaurants and attractions for the first time presents real wayfinding challenges. Lisa Grimm, MOA’s Digital Brand Manager says “We are interested in providing enhanced layers of usability for guests, and guest experiences are of primary importance. With the visitor numbers and square footage we have, there are several different problems we try to solve and address for our guests–and there are different fluency levels for them.” In this case, an existing facility is able to get over the technology gap through the partnership with Google which eliminates many of the uncertainties in both implementation and maintenance. For now, the use of the digital solution acts as a layer in addition to the traditional signage wayfinding system. As Grimm points out, today there are varying levels of fluency for this type of solution so both are required.

Will we see the traditional signage system fall away as the digital solution gains more traction – both in implementation and adoption? How, where and why will the next revolution in wayfinding take place? Three sectors seem likely to incubate the movement: Retail, Health Care, and Transportation. Retail brings the promise of sponsorship dollars which addresses the issue of cost in the development of digital solutions. The Health Care sector is undergoing rapid expansion as the baby boomers arrive in their golden years but will they, as a group, value the addition of digital wayfinding solutions? Will Transportation give us the next big leap in digital wayfinding? In the past, transportation has pushed boundaries of wayfinding but the pollination of government and digital solutions rarely yields optimal results. It seems highly likely that digital solutions for wayfinding will become more ubiquitous over time. The questions lie in how and when.

Wayfinding is a critical part of our everyday modern experience. In built environments, layers of wayfinding systems occur simultaneously – sometimes overlapping and at other times leaving big frustrating gaps. And while many people use the terms wayfinding and signage interchangeably, wayfinding systems are actually aggregates of architecture, lighting, landscape, art, and yes, signage systems. The consistent cues identified by Lynch as the lifeblood of wayfinding can be planned and designed into many aspects of the environment and environments that rely on signage alone for wayfinding are bypassing many of the most effective wayfinding tools available.

The environments in which we find ourselves are communicating on many levels. As wayfinders we’ve learned to filter the cues from the environment; to listen to the architecture, the landscape, the lighting and the sign systems. We’ve learned to see the relationships between these elements and to understand their cumulative message. As wayfinding design evolves further and becomes more intentionally woven into the environment, we may actually begin to see traditional wayfinding cues – the signage system – become less significant as other features begin to take on more responsibility.

This is Part 3 in a 4 part series called What is Wayfinding? You can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and check the blog next week for Part 4: What’s Next In Wayfinding?

If wayfinding is more than just signage, where else can we find it? Architecture, landscaping, lighting, art, and technology all play a significant role in a wayfinding system. As an example, let’s use a mixed-use project (retail plus residential) in an urban core. The project’s first wayfinding decision happens way upstream when a developer evaluates and selects the project site. The site’s proximity to transit, adjacent retail, parks and services begin to define its wayfinding profile. How easy is it to get to the site? How easy is is to get from the site to major transportation routes? Later, the architectural design team begins to add to the project’s wayfinding profile in siting the building(s). How will the architecture respond to the city around it? Will it close itself off from the street or open up to it? Because our example is a mixture of retail and residential components it will likely attempt to do both – to expose the retail while partially obfuscating the residential.

This split personality begins to drive wayfinding decisions – will the retail and residential parking be separated? Will they share a common entrance? How will motorists and pedestrians access the site? How will they exit the site? The design of the building and the relationship of the building relative to its surroundings establish the foundation for wayfinding – sometimes the site and building are so well designed to support intuitive navigation that very little else is needed. If the architecture is communicating Certainty then navigation though the space becomes intuitive. With too little Certainty the wayfinding is hampered and must be supported by signage. Too much Certainty and there’s no intrigue – no Variety or Delight. Of course, various project types will require appropriate amounts of Certainty. In our mixed-use project there’s a need to draw customers to the retail as well as to the residential leasing office, but there’s an equal amount of need for privacy for the residents. How can design in architecture, landscape, lighting, and signage work to meet these simultaneous needs?

Landscape and lighting elements play important roles in providing cues to the observer. They work effortlessly, both individually and in unison, to define paths, identify nodes, and give character to districts. The landscape design can literally show the way by channeling traffic and the presence (or absence) of light in an environment can communicate the message. Both landscape and lighting are excellent sources of Certainty, Variety, and Delight as they use color, shape, and texture to provide cues to the observer – they help translate the architecture in a non-verbal language spoken fluently by humans around the world.

The signage and graphics system is also a vital part of the wayfinding system. In many cases, signage is the lifeline of a wayfinding system. Buildings gesture, lighting and landscape enhance and direct, but in complex situations it is usually the signage people look to when uncertainty emerges. This dynamic likely adds to the misconception that the term wayfinding is referring explicitly to the signage in an environment. In fact, the more an environment is designed to facilitate wayfinding, the fewer number of signs are required. The signage system merely decodes the environment for the observer. If the environment decodes itself for the observer then the need for signs is decreased.

Signage can be broken down into four classifications: Directional, Informational, Identification, and Regulatory. Directional signs typically point the observer towards one or more destinations. If it has an arrow then it’s probably a directional sign. Informational signs work directly with Directional signs to communicate the bulk of wayfinding messages. Maps, diagrams, and indices are the heroes of the informational signs. When paired with the directional signs, they can answer the two most vital wayfinding questions: “Where am I in relation to my destination?” and “Which way do I go to reach my destination?” Occasionally, directional and informational signs are combined into a single unit, but they are also effective as individual distinct elements.

Identification signs label things: the range in scale and use of these is vast – a modest electrical closet sign is an identification sign but so is a set of twenty foot tall channel letters bolted to the side of a building. Identification signs are generally inviting. Or helpful at least. They say “here’s your destination – you’ve arrived!” Regulatory signs, however, are the lawmakers – “No Parking. No Exit. Don’t do that.” Regulatory signs do the least work in wayfinding. They add to the Certainty by establishing rules and order but do little else in showing the way.

In signage systems like Legible London, maps are used in both macro and micro scales to aid observers in locating themselves in and navigating through neighborhoods of twisting streets. The consolidation of information and the consistent and clear delivery of the information made Legible London the benchmark for wayfinding signage systems. Tim Fendley, the creative director of Legible London makes the point that Legible London had a special ingredient; “Most importantly, from a practical point of view, Legible London has something that the Islington maps do not, an index. It is what millions of visitors ask of the map immediately upon reading it – “Where is this street?” “Where is this landmark?” An index is a quick and easy method of decoding a map for those people.” Legible London presented beautifully designed signs and maps but it went further to help the observer understand the information. In doing so, they encouraged Londoners to walk more which not only eased the pressure on the transit system but additionally increased healthy habits and public safety (an increase to the number of people on the sidewalks deters crime).

One of Kevin Lynch’s five elements, Landmarks, is an often overlooked wayfinding system element. Not quite architecture, not really a sign, landmarks sometimes occur by design and other times by chance. Maybe some driving need of the architecture creates an abnormality that stands apart visually and by doing so is memorable. Or a piece of public art is placed in the project making that location special, and thus memorable. Lynch cites several characteristics of effective landmarks and notes, “Since the use of landmarks involves the singling out of one element from a host of possibilities, the key characteristic of this class is singularity, some aspect that unique or memorable in the context. Landmarks become more easily identifiable, more likely to be chosen as significant, if they have a clear form, if they contrast with the background, and if there is some prominence of spatial location.” Some landmarks, like a tower or a spire, can be seen from many vantage points making them especially useful in helping to orient the observer. The effect of Landmarks is powerful, especially to those repeat users of space. Lynch notes “There seemed to be a tendency for those more familiar with a city to rely increasingly on systems of landmarks for their guides – to enjoy uniqueness and specialization, in place of the continuities used earlier.” Navigation through the use of past experiences and visible landmarks becomes the fastest of wayfinding strategies as the observer no longer must stop or even slow down to read and understand messages on signs.

In the next and final chapter of the series we will look at the future of wayfinding design.

This is Part 2 in a 4 part series called What is Wayfinding? You can read Part 1 here, and check the blog next week for Part 3: Wayfinding Is More Than Just Signage.

In the 1960s an educator and urban planner named Kevin Lynch first used the term “wayfinding” in his book “The Image of the City” where he describes the city in terms of its physical forms which he said can be “conveniently classified into five types of elements: paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks.” In the context of wayfinding these elements control and facilitate all movement throughout the city for both people and vehicles. While this  model is organized around the context and features of a city, it can be applied to most built environments – for example a shopping mall also has paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks.

Paths, Lynch tells us, are “the channels along which the observer customarily, occasionally, or potentially moves. They may be streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads.” These channels provide the framework for wayfinding as they directly facilitate movement. The success of the design of the paths in a given city heavily affects the overall wayfinding profile – Manhattan is an easy to decipher grid. One can easily infer the route necessary to get from 53rd Street to 61st Street. The design of the paths in London is not easily decipherable as the layout grew organically without an underlying principle and thus it has a more difficult wayfinding profile.

Edges act in many ways as the counterpoint to paths. The edges of a city are not confined to the perimeter according to Lynch, but instead “are the boundaries between two phases, linear breaks in continuity; shores, railroad cuts, edges of development, walls.” (Lynch p.47) Edges restrict movement rather than facilitate, but they find their purpose as organizing elements.

Lynch calls Districts “medium-to-large sections of the city, conceived of as having two-dimensional extent, which the observer mentally enters “inside of,” and which are recognizable as having some common, identifying character.” (Lynch p.47) Districts break the city down into smaller, more digestible pieces which aids the observer in gaining better understanding of both the relationship between the pieces and the details within each piece. Districts provide variety – one part of the city just feels different from the other parts and the transition from one part to the next provides clues to the observer that can then be used to navigate.

Nodes are essentially intersections or the hubs of a city. Paths lead to nodes and thus they are intrinsically linked to one another. But nodes can also be more than simply the overlap of paths – they can be the concentration of some use or physical character. Some of them, Lynch says can be “the focus and epitome of a district, over which their influence radiates and of which they stand as a symbol.” Times Square in Manhattan is a node of the city in which the use has come to define the district. A concentration of theaters created a very competitive environment in which marquees, signs, and now screens vie for the attention of the observer. There’s no sign defining the beginning or end of Times Square, but you know whether or not you’re in it.

Lynch’s  fifth type of element is Landmarks. Like districts, Landmarks are a point-reference, according to Lynch – “but in this case the observer does not enter within them, they are external.” They may be grand in scale (a mountain or a building) or smaller, like a park or a statue. These consistent clues provide the observer with a reference point from which direction or position may be established.

The Lynch model provides us with an excellent framework on which to build – and the concept can be applied to most types of environments. Airports, lifestyle centers, stadiums, and campuses alike each have their own paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks. RSM Design uses the application of both the Lynch model and Certainty, Variety, and Delight to identify opportunities to intentionally foster and highlight not only the core wayfinding strategies but all layers of the experience through the use of color, pattern, texture, language, materiality, signage systems, murals, and sculpture. The clarification of paths, the definition of districts, and the introduction of landmarks are all potential contributions to the overall experience.

Wayfinding is everywhere in the built environment and acts at multiple scales at once. At the city level it exists in the design of the transit systems, signage, streets and sidewalks, to name a few. A large entertainment complex has its own ecosystem of wayfinding. Airports are notorious for their wayfinding. Everything from campuses to train stations to retail centers are each maintaining their own ecosystem while playing a role in the larger context of the district or city. At some point the scale shifts from the vehicular to the pedestrian level. Libraries get very specific about their wayfinding and supermarkets get somewhat deceptive about theirs. Layered experiences of wayfinding occur right up to your front door. Those experiences may be good and imageable, and thus useful for wayfinding design, or they may be poorly planned or executed and not useful at all.

In the next chapter of the series we will look at the all of the different components beyond physical signage that come together to communicate a cohesive wayfinding system.

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