News.
Transformative Healthcare Environments
Healthcare and wellness environments are evolving and becoming more focused on the holistic user experience. Healers and caretakers are increasingly recognizing the impact of nature on the body and mind. As designers of the built environment we explore how to intertwine the places we visit regularly and the benefits we receive from nature.
Most of us experience transformative moments through travel, art, music, human relationships, nature, cultural and spiritual enrichment and we emerge as better people with the desire to recreate them. A truly transformative experience prompts a meaningful and lasting change in one's life. We’ve all had them to some degree and they occur mostly at the subconscious level yet have profound impacts on us. Can we even really articulate what we felt during or after that awe inspiring moment or do we just feel imprinted in some way that resets our perspective and the lens through which we experience life? At RSM Design, we are continually exploring the intersection of human behavior and design to ensure that we create emotionally resonant experiences through our work.
There is actually a neurological process taking place in the brain, specifically as it relates to our experiences in the natural and built environment, the places and spaces we inhabit each day. For this reason, healers and caretakers in healthcare are increasingly recognizing the impact and benefits of nature. According to, A Prescription for Nature, PaRx, an evidence-based nature prescription program that allows doctors to prescribe annual national park passes and weekly time in nature:
"People who spend at least two hours in nature each week report significantly better health and wellbeing."
"Backed by hundreds of studies over several decades, research suggests that connecting to nature is one of the best things you can do to improve your health." - A Prescription for Nature
Similarly, the concept of neuromorphic architecture explores how the built environment affects human emotions, behavioral, physiological responses and social relationships. We think, we feel and the body responds with a cascade of chemical and physiological responses. As part of our shared effort to improve human health and inspire healing, there is increasing momentum to design architectural features around and within buildings that support this process. An increasing amount of research establishes links between health outcomes and one’s experience of the built environment. As experiential designers, we can support elevated emotions through spaces filled with sensory rich features such as nature, art, music, intuitive wayfinding, communal space and human connection. At RSM Design, we connect people to places through branded environments, placemaking, wayfinding and signage. Our goal is to move from transactional environments to transformative experiences.
Re-Making the Human Healthcare Experience
An inspiring example of a transformative approach to healthcare design is the new UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights in San Francisco designed by Herzog de Meuron and HDR.
“The Hospital of the Future must be a new kind of hospital. A more human experience. A natural environment. It’s a place that invites people in—patients, providers, and learners—and reflects the culture and diversity of its community.”
UCSF underwent a visioning process to support a more imaginative based approach unencumbered by the boundaries of current day practices. Experience guidelines were created and emotional benchmarks established throughout all transition points from arrival through recovery.
Identifying how we want an environment to emotionally impact people is a powerful starting point for meeting the human needs of those we are designing for. To be effective, RSM Design applies a Principle Centered Design approach to engage at every human level—the body, the mind, the heart and the spirit. It’s a whole-person approach that radically defines the work we do.
The new hospital is envisioned to be a “Healing Habitat”, a holistic experience and environment that fosters wellness for all. It will bring the outdoors inside with nature filled spaces, open and filled with natural light, views of outside, comfortable rooms that inspire healing, well thought out amenities and events for the community.
“The new hospital will provide an optimal healing environment that addresses social, psychological, spiritual, and behavioral components of health in one place” - UCSF
Transactional Environments to Transformative Experiences
The significant impact we can make as environmental graphic designers is to create transformative experiences. Architectural graphic design creates a strong sense of place, fulfills human needs, helps users find their way, and communicates a building’s narrative, fostering a strong connection between the person and place. To be effective, our work has to engage at every human level—the body, the mind, the heart, and the spirit.
The ultimate aim of these places is to encourage visitors to stay longer, enjoy the journey and feel connected and ultimately transformed after they have visited. Visitors gain a sense of place and community and identify with the environment as their own. They then want to share memories with others and encourage them to visit as well.
Cultural institutions are a good example of spaces that create resonance and memorable experiences. They instill reflection and quiet interaction. We often feel engaged mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically when located within a park setting that allows for movement and gathering spaces.
At RSM Design, we work to design for health and wellbeing across all projects, including the hospital environment. In our Health & Wellness Practice, our focus is to reimagine and redefine the patient experience through our collaborative planning and design process to create a truly transformational experience. What better place than where we go to heal, to infuse a sense of elevated emotions, connection and possibility through the use of nature inspired forms, graphics, art and interactive moments to share personal healing stories and encourage community.
Landmarks become intuitive visual cues that serve as wayfinding elements reducing the amount of traditional signage and visual overload. Clear and cohesive wayfinding that is effective and planned strategically can significantly lower the level of stress a visitor brings to an appointment and increase satisfaction with the overall experience.
Wayfinding can be approachable and empowering when we think outside of the box while still designing for certainty and orientation. Engaging and welcoming signage supports a life affirming experience and a sense of possibility.
Places have the power to become part of a person’s identity, particularly when they are authentic, when they stand for something. Making that connection requires a deeper level of sensitivity and understanding. The relationship of architecture and graphic design is a symbiotic alliance that orients, informs, and delights. It’s a whole-person approach that radically defines the work we do at RSM Design.
Enhancing the Fan Experience through Environmental Graphic Design
Over the years, the fan experience has expanded to be much more than a parking lot tailgate and the stadium hot dog (does anyone really like relish…?). Sports fans are desiring a holistic and elevated experience, often to keep them entertained for days at a time.
We are all fans of something. Sports teams, whether professional or local, have pulled heart-string connections from adolescence to adulthood. Memories are created from big wins, crunching on peanuts, and singing, “We are the champions…”. These moments have brought a sense of belonging to spectators all over the world.
Over the years, the fan experience has expanded to be much more than a parking lot tailgate and the stadium hot dog (does anyone really like relish…?). Sports fans are desiring a holistic and elevated experience, often to keep them entertained for days at a time.
First and foremost, fans want a team to call their own and a stadium to visit. But these days they’re also looking for more: craft beers, shopping, easy transportation, music and entertainment, and a destination for a pre-game meet-up and a post-game celebration. These spaces have brought a refreshing energy to the sports stadium design itself and the surrounding real estate.
The fan experience is something that RSM Design is striving to improve while enhancing the navigation and placemaking attitude of sports stadiums and adjacent mixed-use developments. Our portfolio of signage design projects have touched a number of professional sports teams and additionally our studio has now expanded with experts in the fan experience realm.
Elevating the Sporting Experience at The Star
Many can agree that the Dallas Cowboys have made a legendary name for themselves in the overall sports industry. From star quarterbacks to iconic playbooks to an elevated game-day experience, the Dallas Cowboys are essentially leading the pack on the fan experience.
The Star, in Frisco, Texas, is a 91-acre property that the Dallas Cowboys call home. A featured destination during the recent season of “Hard Knocks,” which premiered on HBO, highlighted the dynamic sports facility created for America’s Team. A true Texas destination, the project draws visitors from Dallas and beyond. RSM Design worked closely with the Jones family and a number of consultant teams to design an unforgettable fan experience that explores the legendary sports team’s history and future endeavors.
Digital signage integration, sponsorship and donor recognition, sculptural art installations, hall of fame walks, arena wayfinding, graphics for plaza spaces, and wayfinding to Omni Hotel and a nearby sports medicine facility, combine to create multiple destinations throughout the project. Each of these pieces fit the puzzle we’re referring to as the fan experience: elevating spectators' experiences and encouraging them to return again, while also remaining authentically Cowboys inspired.
Guiding Fans from the Stadium to Dining + Entertainment at Hollywood Park
A state-of-the-art NFL stadium, home to the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, and host to the 2022 Super Bowl, SoFi stadium is adjacent to an entertainment destination known as Hollywood Park. Attending a sports game at SoFi is an experience in and of itself, while the nearby retail and restaurant district creates the ideal location for a post-game celebration. This holistic destination offers opportunities for fans to create memories inside and outside of the arena.
Spanning nearly 300 acres, a clear and cohesive wayfinding signage plan was critical in the destination’s curated experience. Our design team crafted a wayfinding strategy that clearly guides guests from SoFi to restaurants, shopping, and other entertainment at Hollywood Park. Through placemaking graphics and identity signage, the overall goal was to bring excitement from the guest’s initial arrival to their entire journey around the space.
As planning begins for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the destination anticipates to expand from approximately 70,000 capacity to over 100,000 for major events! Where are all of those people going to hang out pre- and post-events? Adjacent dining, retail, entertainment space seem like a great place to be.
Brand Activation at OC VIBE
A new destination in progress, situated near the Honda Center (home of the NHL Anaheim Ducks), Angel’s Stadium (home of the MLB Los Angeles Angels), and halfway between Los Angeles and Orange County, OC VIBE brings a bold entertainment-style living. This world class destination adjacent to MLB and NHL stadiums, as well as Disneyland, is set to become 95-acres of vibrant entertainment, retail, and mixed-use amenities.
Tasked with crafting the overall brand vision and narrative, the design team studied entertainment culture and lifestyle of the surrounding area. Intended to bring hype and attraction to the development, the branding and identity design is inspired by movement and bold patterning. The vision sets an energetic tone, and a layered and kinetic motion expresses a passionate voice for people to come together and live boldly.
The project is utilizing the brand created by RSM Design to activate the space and bring awareness to the surrounding area. Branded collateral and marketing materials allow your audience to feel a part of something, as well as get your name out there and start building brand recognition.
As we head into the future of development, the team at RSM Design is working to reimagine and redefine the fan experience. This new vision will encourage guests to interact and engage with sport venues and entertainment districts in new and exciting ways.
At its core, the fan experience integrates sports and entertainment into the lifestyle and everyday encounters of the guests and cities they visit. It is centered around memories that go beyond the walls of the arena and leave fans feeling a part of something greater. Our team is focusing on the power of connection and bringing people together through the joy of big wins.
Arkadia Wins Silver Global Design Award
RSM Design is excited to share that Arkadia, a mixed-use development in Medellin, Columbia has been recognized with a Silver Global Design and Development Award. Presented by ICSC at the recent Centerbuild conference, the award recognizes outstanding retail and mixed-use developments globally.
RSM Design is excited to share that Arkadia, a mixed-use development in Medellin, Columbia has been recognized with a Silver Global Design and Development Award. Presented by ICSC at the recent Centerbuild conference, the award recognizes outstanding retail and mixed-use developments globally.
We want to congratulate the design and development team, led by Spectrum in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and the Gensler team in New York City. ICSC also recognized the project with a "Sustainable Commendation", as this unique project prioritizes sustainable initiatives as design drivers, as well as crafting an aesthetic authentic to the natural landscape of Medellin.
View our Work at Arkadia
Finding Your Voice in the Crowd
From Miami to Morocco, RSM Design has adapted our branding process as the world refocused its lens in the commercial real estate markets. The pandemic continues to shape shift our relationship with one another and the spaces we share, and because of this, communities, retailers, and developers are responding to a new paradigm. These changes are seen through a shift in community values, meaningful person to person connections, and carefully considered spaces. Ultimately, people are the soul, the vitality, and the purpose for environments in which we thrive.
EXPLORING REDEVELOPMENT VS. REPOSITIONING VS. REBRANDING
From Miami to Morocco, RSM Design has adapted our branding process as the world refocused its lens in the commercial real estate markets. The pandemic continues to shape shift our relationship with one another and the spaces we share, and because of this, communities, retailers, and developers are responding to a new paradigm. These changes are seen through a shift in community values, meaningful person to person connections, and carefully considered spaces. Ultimately, people are the soul, the vitality, and the purpose for environments in which we thrive.
We believe that change is rooted in innovative ideas that work to make peoples’ lives better. RSM Design is committed to changing our communities by designing brands and spaces that reflect stories of the human experience. Our role, now more than ever, is to explore how we are able to creatively communicate these narratives in unique and memorable ways to build the brands of the future.
As we shift further towards a people-centric future, redevelopment has triggered a conversation on how new ideas in programming, leasing, events, and artful moments can create delightful experiences. People are craving shared, authentic moments, and a common branded voice is essential in communicating these messages. Ultimately, a brand must deliver at every level of a project to successfully capture the hearts and loyalty of a market. Delivering an honest and truthful story is critical to the initial buy-in.
Today, we are collaborating with architects, developers, and communities to ask the big question: how will this project be meaningful, competitive, and innovative in our market?
At RSM Design, our team is developing brands that are redefining their markets across all sectors, from mixed-use communities to innovation districts and everything in between. In our brand tool-kit we see the following directives that are driving design conversations with our clients:
- Redevelop
- Reposition
- Rebrand
A new story that needs to be told.
Redevelopment of a neighborhood mixed-use icon
In the years leading up to the pandemic, RREEF (a unit of the German Deutsche Bank) and managing partner of JLL underwent a $180 million dollar redevelopment project at Manhattan Village. In order to compete with newly built outdoor boutique competitors, the mixed-use hub needed a comprehensive revamp. Seated on 44 acres, the site would be remodeled to create a central green coined “the living room” that would bring the heart of the project outdoors. In addition to a new leasing strategy and renovations to the existing buildings, the project was poised to reposition itself as the casual luxe, social hub with a soul for the region.
A revised vision and brand was critical in telling the new story of Manhattan Village. RSM Design evolved the existing vision (originally begun by CallisonRTKL), brand, and signage design (while collaborating with AO) to give the space a voice uniquely its own.
Since the project renovation straddled pre- and post-pandemic, the brand process required innovative ideas that embraced new conversations. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the discovery of simple pleasures, of a life that values community, and our sense of belonging in the world is what inspired our tone for the brand. We stripped it down, lightened the character, and reimagined a palette and voice that reflects a serene and coastal destination. The architectural details as well as marketing and leasing narrative also mirror the brand voice– telling a unified story that resonates with the attitude of surrounding beach cities.
Building an Innovative Brand.
Repositioning of a campus to celebrate science & nature
What happens when your market no longer aligns with your brand’s promise, mission, or values? That’s when a repositioning is needed.
Repositioning a project focuses on redefining the brand promise, character, values, and intended brand message. It’s not only about how the brand appears from the outside, but also what it communicates from the inside– how it makes us “feel”.
In San Diego, our design team is working alongside Longfellow Real Estate Partners, LLC on the repositioning of Biovista. Longfellow acquired a two-building project in the Sorrento Mesa region– a booming district for science and technology. A former office site lacking modern amenities, the team saw an opportunity to transform the space into a life science campus to reflect where the market is heading.
The process behind the brand positioning included a new name, redefining the mission and values, creating a visual brand mark, and integrating modern amenities and programming.
The repositioning was successful for Biovista because it refocused the project on the market’s current needs. The transformation lent itself to attracting a new and vibrant tenant mix. Ultimately, the new vision positions Biovista as a premier life science campus in the competitive San Diego region.
A Brand that Captivates Our Senses.
Rebranding of a Los Angeles social hub
Rebranding is the concept of changing the visual look of a brand. This strategy includes altering elements of the brand kit of parts, such as a logo. Organizations may choose to rebrand themselves after their graphics become outdated or the brand no longer aligns with a specific message or project goal. A brand mark, whether it's a symbol or typographic logo, is the visual display of what a brand stands for. It’s critical that the brand image holds meaning and relevance to the desired market.
Formerly known as The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center, an acclaimed retail destination at its opening but over time lost popularity due to neighboring retail competitors, recently underwent a rebrand and our design team was invited to rebrand this Los Angeles center. The first step of the brand strategy was to rename the site to HHLA, a shorter and catchier name, then provide a contemporary aesthetic through a brand kit of parts.
The successful repositioning captures the spirit of both Howard Hughes’ legendary status, and the modern Los Angeles collective in a fresh new way. Through vibrant graphics and a modern and ever-changing logo the brand exemplifies a recognizable brand that’s inspired by the thriving life and culture of the City of Los Angeles. The visual brand is uniquely integrated into the physical environment due to its flexible nature and we designed a variety of signage with different scales and materials, all while keeping a consistent brand language.
At the end of the day, redeveloping, repositioning, and rebranding, are critical stages in the reimaging of a community or project and its program. Projects that focus on how to maintain relevance will always have the power to drive change, and we are excited to partner with brands who offer the best tools for that change to happen.
San Diego and Tijuana Announced as the World Design Capital 2024
Recently, the World Design Organization (WDO)® designated San Diego (USA) and Tijuana (Mexico) as the first binational region for the World Design Capital 2024. These cities are recognized for their commitment to human-centered design and a legacy of cross-border collaboration.
Recently, the World Design Organization (WDO)® designated San Diego (USA) and Tijuana (Mexico) as the first binational region for the World Design Capital 2024. These cities are recognized for their commitment to human-centered design and a legacy of cross-border collaboration.
World Design Organization (WDO)® is an international non-governmental organization and the international voice for industrial design. Every two years, the WDO selects a place to be named the World Design Capital. The destination must effectively use design to drive economic, social, cultural, and environmental development. It is an honorable recognition that embodies how design is a powerful tool in communities and the built environment.
The recent announcement of the WDO’s selection of San Diego and Tijuana as the World Design Capital has sparked a great amount of excitement and inspiration in our studio. For decades now, RSM Design has collaborated on a multitude of environmental graphic design projects in the San Diego region, including the San Ysidro Border Crossing which connects southern San Diego to Tijuana, Mexico. We are humbled to contribute to the success of design in San Diego and are extremely excited that the World Design Organization has placed such a remarkable honor on the destination.
Here are a few of the past, present, and up and coming projects that RSM Design has had the joy to be involved with in San Diego:
San Ysidro Port of Entry
As the largest land border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, and the fourth-busiest land crossing in the world, it was critical for RSM Design to approach the San Ysidro Port of Entry project with a human-centered design approach. The design team worked to develop a color-coded set of icons and bilingual information to create a legible and consistent layout for wayfinding at the site. A key aspect of the design process was several stakeholder workshops in which the designers engaged with community leaders and members of the public to address the needs at the border crossing. During those guided conversations, the team studied the overall feelings towards the former destination. Attributes such as confusing and unsafe bubbled to the surface, making it clear to the team that the wayfinding signage would need to create clarity at the site– ultimately leading to a safer overall environment.
Balboa Park Signage Masterplan
In 1835, Balboa Park in San Diego was designated as one of the country’s oldest historical sites for public recreational use. Today, the destination draws over 10 million visitors a year, and with a large number of guests, there was a strong need for a comprehensive signage and wayfinding system. RSM Design collaborated with several stakeholders for Balboa Park to conduct a full site analysis of existing signage, identify areas for improvement, and craft new design guidelines for signage and wayfinding at the park. The messaging is simple yet modern, historically inspired, and overall contributes to providing an enhanced guest experience.
UC San Diego Dining Hall at Sixth College
UC San Diego is nestled in the seaside town of La Jolla and just 15 miles from downtown San Diego. The four-year university is one of the world’s leading public research universities and has rapidly grown in number of students over the past few years. RSM Design was invited to craft several new brands– including logo designs and signage for the built environment– for a new dining hall located on campus. The ultimate goal was for each dining venue to feel like its own uniquely branded restaurant, while also paying close attention to an aesthetic appealing to a diversity of students and faculty.
The RaDD
One of the studio’s latest San Diego based projects is RaDD: The Research and Development District located in downtown San Diego. Once built, the space will have panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and feature a life science campus, lab spaces, retail, dining, and places for the community. The project comes out of a booming need for science and technology spaces in San Diego, as the region welcomes a large number of biotech brands. Currently, the design team is crafting a brand and logo design for The RaDD as well as future wayfinding and environmental graphics. The design character is inspired by science and nature while also implementing ideas about community and connectivity.
In addition to these four projects, see our complete list of San Diego projects.
Innovation in Architectural Graphics Today
Architecture can be seen as both a canvas and an opportunity for storytelling. The synergistic relationship and importance of graphic design in architecture gives a building and its users the chance to connect with the context of a community by weaving in a unique graphic language. Architectural graphics express meaning and purpose in an immersive and engaging way, the focus is consistently on the relationship of architectural graphics to community, culture, history, and emotion. In this article, we look at what is happening today with environmental graphics, retail experience design, and the importance of placemaking design. People want to see architecture as a reflection of their community and it is often times through this layering of graphics where these feelings manifest. Here we will examine some of the ways communities around the world are using graphics in architecture to express their unique personalities.
Architecture can be seen as both a canvas and an opportunity for storytelling. The synergistic relationship and importance of graphic design in architecture gives a building and its users the chance to connect with the context of a community by weaving in a unique graphic language. Architectural graphics and their interdependence with two- and three-dimensional designs express meaning and purpose in an immersive and engaging way.
RSM Design’s current series of articles, as well as our new book (Graphic Connections in Architecture), focus on the relationship of architecture and graphics, and how our team works at the intersection that weaves both together. Our focus is consistently on the relationship of architectural graphics to community, culture, history, and emotion.
In our last article, we talked about the origins of architectural graphics throughout history, beginning with a survey of graphics interventions from antiquity. In this article, we look at what is happening today with environmental graphics, retail experience design, and the importance of placemaking design.
Check out On the Origins of Architectural Graphics
A Look at Graphics in Architecture Today
Today, many graphic installations into architecture focus on context, culture, and emotion. People want to see architecture as a reflection of their community and it is often times through this layering of graphics where these feelings manifest. Here we will examine some of the ways communities around the world are using graphics in architecture to express their unique personalities.
Fifth + Broadway
In the very heart of Nashville, across from the renowned Ryman Auditorium, is Fifth + Broadway... the epitome of a true mixed-use development and microcosm of the city. Rooted in heritage, influenced by culture, and designed for the people, Fifth + Broadway both preserves what makes Nashville great and looks towards its future. Boldness is a key word to describe this community and the graphic layer seen there. Dynamic neon signage and other original installations speak to the seamless relationship of graphics to architecture.
Fifth + Broadway uses landmarking elements that help people get where they need to go, but they’re strategically layered into the architecture to tell a story and represent the community.
The wayfinding and signage are all in the context of the culture. The graphics originated with music posters, offset printing, and block printing—all the origins were derived from a sense of place, history, and community. These bold signage graphics guide visitors, tell stories, and serve in functionality.
Moscow Riviera
The Moscow Riviera is a two-million square foot mixed-use development that has become a high value destination within central Moscow. Working with the interior and exterior signage graphics, the RSM Design team echoed the bold elegance of the people, nature, and surrounding area.
This development is an ideal example of how architectural graphics as pattern becomes an integral part of the architectural expression. In our first article in this series, we revealed how pattern is not just ornamentation, but is a traditional technique of experiential design. At Moscow Riviera, you’ll notice the same elements being used in the architectural graphics to create a similar synergy, but it’s completely modern and a reflection of this progressive community and location.
Rosemary Square
When you look at Rosemary Square in West Palm Beach, Florida, you’ll see a diverse area of experiential retail and culinary offerings. You will also notice the robust arts and cultural programs, making this a truly exceptional new district to live, work, and visit in south Florida.
Through the use of architectural façade graphics, the buildings were enhanced to be more engaging and reflective of the vibrant local arts culture. What adds to the soul of this place are the layered patterns and cultural references that provide contextual vibrancy to the guest experience. These economically produced and impactful façade patterns and mural installations transformed the district into a new dynamic environment.
Hofgarten Shopping Center
The city of Solingen, Germany, is known for its knife and cutlery production—it’s even called the City of Blades.
The Hofgarten Center celebrates Solingen’s knife and cutlery production, among other unique elements that reflect the region by inspiring the origins of the graphic language. The graphics also weave comfortably with the modern architecture, utilizing themes of nature, industry, and fashion, to blur the lines between what is architecture and what is graphic enhancement. The relationship between the graphics and architectural patterns makes the façade, for example, feel bold and impactful. Additionally, throughout the building, visitors encounter playful surprises that make walls look like they disappear, skylights with interesting dynamic and ever-changing light features, and bold unexpected patterning in the parking areas.
From the front door to the parking lot, Hofgarten Center uses architectural graphics as wayfinding tools to turn a building into a surprisingly strong representation of the community.
LBX: Long Beach Exchange
Long Beach Exchange is all about the engaging the guest with specialty graphics.
The custom graphics help to create many different expressions of the site’s origins and culture. It complements the architecture in a positive way, making a statement about the community: It’s okay to be original and stand out here. Inspired by the local culture and laid back vibes of the community, the architectural graphics have turned into Insta-worthy moments of surprise and whimsy.
Pacific City
Did you know that Pacific City was the original name of what is now Huntington Beach, CA? That’s what makes it such a perfect name for this city’s shopping and dining epicenter. And the Pacific City narrative is inspired by and overtly reflects the culture of the community—Surf City, USA.
When the project was being built, the property installed temporary barricade graphics to give visitors something engaging to look at while the stores prepared to open. These murals reflected the local surf culture and history, and they quickly became popular with the community. However, when the stores were ready to open, the murals came down. And the community questioned what had happened. Visitors had identified with the artwork so strongly that they asked the developer to bring them back. Shortly after, the murals became permanent installations.
What was intended to be a temporary expression of Huntington Beach’s culture was embraced and permanently adopted by the community. The murals used graphics in architecture to communicate the area’s history and spirit. What seemed like a temporary fix turned out to be something completely beloved.
Looking Forward: The Evolutions of Digital Experience Design
Given how today’s graphics in architecture and wayfinding design trend toward community-focused context, culture, and emotion, what does that tell us about where things are going? Can we accurately predict the future of architectural graphics and wayfinding?
No, but it sure is fun to speculate.
It all comes down to the individual. Many people seem to be attached to their smartphones—it’s how they navigate. Will “traditional” forms of wayfinding be as critical in the future with our reliance on the digital expansion?
Digital components in signage are not new…they have been around for quite some time, so that’s not what we’re talking about. It’s more about how wayfinding and graphics will become greater user focused. We will be exploring how wayfinding will become more intuitive and less reliant on traditional signage methods, instead turning to virtual engagement of the space.
We’re seeing how signage technology is shifting. For example, we're using technology that produces LED glass or digital nodes to transform any surface...into a sign, an image, a pattern, another façade. We're seeing digital graphic façades that generate their own power or other sustainable initiatives, becoming more multi-functional and more inherent with the architectural expression.
Will all of this outdo traditional models of wayfinding? Most likely not. Instead, it will enhance them. As buildings become digitally smarter, they will inherently evolve to do more, but we will always use the graphic layer of buildings to convey culture, community, and context.
Next: The Future of Environmental Graphic Design
Right now, culturally, it feels like we’re in a similar spot when compared to the country after the 1918 flu pandemic, which ushered in the roaring 20s. With the anticipation of a reopening and return to normalcy, people are looking for comfort and confidence, while also craving new experiences. How will this change the impact of environmental graphics and experience design?
It starts by blending smart technology with wayfinding in a way that helps people feel comfortable about getting back and learning how to experience travel, dining out, and being with the community again. We’ll get back to digging into the future of graphics in architecture in the third installment of this series. For more information, check out our companion book, Graphic Connections in Architecture, to this article series.