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In the constantly evolving environment we find ourselves working within, one key factor RSM Design remains hyper-aware of is the importance of the specific context that influences a project and its development. This context takes form in a multitude of ways, yielding an array of creative opportunities that are distinctive to each individual project. Taking into consideration the scale, location, culture, demographics, and emotion, each projects’ unique context helps us to articulate the importance of history, culture, and community that come together to make that a project uniquely relevant. The following four recent collaborations further translate the principles of CONTEXT through independent lenses: historical context, urban context, community context, and cultural context.

FIFTH + BROADWAY / NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

OUR FRESH TAKE ON A LEGACY THROUGH HISTORICAL CONTEXT

RSM Design developed the signage, graphics, and placemaking design for Fifth + Broadway, a 1 million square foot mixed-use development just steps from the lower Broadway music mecca and Honky-Tonk row, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Bridgestone Arena. Collaborating with Gensler, our team envisioned a new twist on the iconic music and art scene of Nashville. RSM Design was inspired to create a fresh design character that felt rooted in the past but moved the needle towards a reinvention, developing signage and environmental graphics that paid homage to vintage neon, music event posters, and the layered signage spirit of this environment.

Learn more about Fifth + Broadway >

ADEX / DALLAS, TEXAS

CREATING A CONVERSATION WITH URBAN CONTEXT

RSM Design was invited to be a participant with the collaborative design team to craft a new home for the Architecture and Design Exchange and the American Institute of Architects in Dallas (AIA-Dallas). Our team crafted a shared vision that embraced the ADEX mission and this historic urban street level context by using signage and environmental graphics to stir attention, instigate conversation, and inform interaction. The use of bold, texturally rich pops of color accentuated the architectural context which allowed ADEX to take a more retail approach to redefine its place within the center of downtown.

Learn more about Architecture and Design Exchange >

Oxígeno – JERDE’s First Project in Costa Rica from The Jerde Partnership on Vimeo.

OXÍGENO / SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA

COMMUNITY CONTEXT CREATES CONNECTIONS IN A HUMAN PLAYGROUND

RSM Design collaborated with Jerde Partnership to create Oxígeno, a new concept in community inspired context guided by the vision of creating a “Human Playground.” RSM’s branded signage and environmental graphics supported the bold, playful and inclusive spirit of the Costa Rican culture by reflecting the values of ‘Pura Vida’ within every step of the way. The graphic strategy supported not only the diversity of uses and destinations but also the poetics of the community spaces within the project.

Learn more about Oxígeno >

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AEROCITY / NEW DELHI, INDIA

CREATING THE NEW GATEWAY TO INDIA VIA CULTURAL CONTEXT

Aerocity is a 45-acre aerotropolis, mixed-use project, adjacent to Indira Gandhi International Airport. Envisioned as the “gateway to India,” this new international destination embraces cultural roots and localism while reimagining a modern shared future. RSM Design has collaborated with Kritzinger + Rao to create a culturally rich foundation where art, food, technology, innovation and well-being offer simultaneous opportunities for visitors to engage their senses. The collective team created not only pragmatic urban wayfinding systems, but also engaging and artful cultural walks that provide processions of inspiration throughout the project streetscape. The team also developed a modern brand and signage system that celebrated the ever-changing spirit of the Indian mandala and the unique cultural lens that Aerocity offers its visitors.

Learn more about Aerocity >

The neighborhood… the town center… the park… the school… the museum. These are destinations that we return to again and again. They are the soul of our community, the anchors for our memories, and the spaces for inspiration and learning. Creating these unique places requires a vision which combines an appreciation of the human experience, a clear understanding of the built environment, and the relationship between the two.

There are no templates in creating places that people truly engage with and appreciate, as every place is uniquely different. Each place offers insights into varied cultures, uses, or perspectives that require their own original recipe for design. It is essential for experiential graphic designers to translate the unique character and qualities of a place with relevance, resonance, and inspiration.

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DESIGN ACTS AS A BRIDGE FOR UNCONSCIOUS CONNECTIONS

The psychology of design is an essential ingredient in connecting people to place. More than simply decorating a space, environmental graphic design is critical to establishing the purpose of a space, the visitor’s place within it, and helping to shape the overall experience. While a visitor may never recognize that design is at play, the work environmental graphic designers do, is essential to establishing that unconscious connection.

Environmental graphic design is about creating a vocabulary of design elements that reinforce the architecture and help define the context for a place that people will connect with. Subtleties in design can have a huge impact. A different typeface can completely change the vibe of a place. A well-placed bench can bring moments of comfort and joy. A cool mural or graphic can inspire selfies to share with others. These are the emotional connections that drive people, the unconscious aspects that create resonance and transform a simple visit into a dynamic and memorable experience. This is the art of environmental graphic design at its most powerful.

ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHIC DESIGN TRANSFORMS BRICKS, GLASS AND CONCRETE INTO A PLACE WITH SOUL AND STYLE

We create places for people to linger, we guide them to new destinations, and we facilitate shared experiences. The design is clearly more than an aesthetic overlay, going beyond making environmental elements look good, to express the essence of a place. The infusion of design profoundly connects the space to the people that will inhabit and visit the place.

Designers of experiential environments have a broad palette to work with—identity, typography, symbols, materials, colors, wayfinding, public art, for example—all the tools needed to root the environment in its place and make it meaningful to each person. A subconscious connection in forged by building an immersive experience that resonates more deeply than words.

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The creative work of RSM Design lives at the intersection of architecture and the human spirit. It is this unique blend that poses the best opportunities and inspires thoughtful and creative design solutions.

Stay tuned for parts 2-4 of this blog series

RSM Design partnered with Savino & Miller Design Studio to complete the Miami Baywalk & Riverwalk Design Guidelines and Brand Development this month following an extensive public outreach and review process in 2018 that included residents, business owners, the Miami Downtown Development Authority, and City of Miami Planning Department. In June 2019, the Urban Land Institute Advisory Board made a recommendation to the City of Miami to adopt the guidelines, which are now in the process of being adopted into the Miami 21 code.

The first initiative to incorporate the Guidelines, with the installation of 34 customized light poles in time for the 2020 Super Bowl, is moving forward thanks to the coordinated efforts of the City of Miami Commission, Miami DDA, National Football League and Bayfront Park Trust.

The Guidelines address macro-scale issues such as resiliency, creating linkage along the waterfront and placemaking, down to the micro-scale components such as planting, site furniture, lighting, paving, wayfinding, signage and "mangrove trellises". The Guidelines also establish a unique brand and logo inspired by the mangrove and the colors of Miami's water and sky for the Baywalk & Riverwalk.

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The City of Miami, in partnership with the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA), recently hosted a panel of ten experts organized by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to gain new insight into how Miami can make its downtown waterfront more resilient. The ULI is a highly-respected global, multidisciplinary organization dedicated to smart land use and creating sustainable communities. The panel was comprised of independent land use, engineering, resilience and real estate experts from across the United States.

The ULI panelists toured relevant sites along Miami’s urban waterfront – including Biscayne Bay and the Miami River – and interviewed a total of 80 local stakeholders from the private and public sectors. Based on their site visits and interviews, the panelists then developed a set of strategic recommendations to provide a roadmap to mitigate the effects of sea level rise along Biscayne Bay and the Miami River.

On Friday, June 7, the ULI expert panelists presented their preliminary recommendations to the City of Miami and the DDA at a public meeting held at Miami City Hall and streamed live on the City’s social media channels.  The panel focused on three geographical areas that create a more united approach to resilience efforts: the Bay, the River and the Ridge.

For more details:

ULI Panel Shares Ideas for Strengthening Miami’s Waterfront
‍Watch the Urban Land Institute Visit Recap
Watch the Urban Land Institute Advisory Panel Recommendations

RSM Design partnered with SMDS for the brand, logo and signage development, Coastal Systems International for resiliency and civil engineering consultation, and HLB Lighting for lighting design consultation.

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Human-Centered Design (HCD) is a creative approach to problem-solving that involves understanding the needs of the people using the system and developing solutions that are tailored to them. At RSM Design, the principles of Human-Centered Design are at the core of the environments and wayfinding systems we create. We are not alone in this design methodology as many design firms and creative fields use HCD to enhance the user’s experiences.

AT A RECENT WAYFINDING CONFERENCE, HERBERT SEEVINCK POSED THE QUESTION, “CAN A CHILD USE THE SYSTEM?” THIS SIMPLE QUESTION LED TO AN IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DESIGNER AND USER.

Inspired by this seemingly simple yet profound question regarding child-focused design, we began to explore the importance of the user experience. We explored the idea of design solutions by involving the child’s perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process, as children will exhibit the most naive and uninfluenced characteristics of exploration and navigation.

There are a few immediate principles when designing for children: providing information that is lower to the ground to compensate for height; using icons, pictures, and pictograms to substitute for vocabulary; and using strong colors to evoke emotions and express hierarchy. Most of these principles are incorporated into wayfinding design systems, to bridge the gap across languages and cultures, and to create a strong visual connection to aid in location and directions.

So what is missing? What makes the way a child navigates so different that exploring how they interact with the environment will teach us new ways to enhance and elevate our wayfinding systems and environmental experiences?

While presenting a design on a new system for airport wayfinding, Herbert Seevinck discussed the idea of creating a “kid-friendly airport.” We’ve all seen stressed families during our travels, managing anything from wailing babies to rogue children running the wrong way on a people mover, knocking into innocent travelers and causing minor havoc.

TO DETER BEHAVIOR LIKE THIS, WHAT IF WE INCORPORATED MORE PLAY ELEMENTS INTO AIRPORTS FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS?

There have been many explorations of airport corridors with art installations. Some are enhanced with artistic lighting and sculptural installations, such as Atlanta’s “Flight Path”, while others may have adjacent yoga rooms or colored “mood” lighting in the main terminal areas. These are all intended to distract from travel stress and evoke calm emotions. By subtly engaging travelers with the environment around them, these small moments help lower the stress of travelers and provide an opportunity to explore and learn.

Children love to touch and by using texture we can influence emotions to help guide behavior. Sharp, rough, and pointy textures seem unsafe or unwelcoming. Soft, fuzzy, or shaggy textures appear warm, comfortable and invite engagement. John deWolf from Form:Media discussed a wayfinding system in use at Lunenburg Library that utilized felt as a central material. Signs made with textured materials are calling to be touched and enjoyed and ultimately, remembered. Tactile signage provides children a more effective way to identify, recall, and communicate their location with ease. “I’m by the fuzzy blue sign,” is much easier for a child to understand and communicate than “Floor 2 Room 128.”

Mijksenaar Amsterdam Airport also presented ideas to help visitors remember their location by adding sound to the standard use of icons, color, and language. They demonstrated this with a video of a family exiting a parking garage when suddenly, a loud “MOO!” is emitted from the overhead speakers. To enhance memory recall they had not only assigned each level in the parking garage a color and an animal but added the audio cue of the animal’s call in the elevator lobbies of the level. Imagine asking a child where the family parked their car – they may remember the color of the floor or even the animal assigned to the level, but they would almost certainly remember “MOO!”

OUR SENSE OF HEARING IS NOT COMMONLY STIMULATED IN WAYFINDING SYSTEMS, YET WHEN REMEMBERING IT IS AN ASPECT MANY PEOPLE RECALL WITH EASE.

Sound evokes strong emotions and can be used in wayfinding in the same way that color is used. Children are still learning language, playing with sounds, and regularly updating their internal identification library. Incorporating sounds into an environment promotes both curiosity with new noises and pride through positive recognition. Additionally, as wayfinding experiences become more digitally interactive the incorporation of sound into designs as a tool for navigation will become more important.

The success of a project’s wayfinding design and execution is magnified when considering the experience from the perspective of a child by utilizing Human-Centered Design. Asking yourself the question “can a child use this?” will always lead to stimulating solutions that engage all users and multiple senses, creating a memorable and successful way to experience complex spaces and places.

– Kate Gilman, RSM Design