Wayfinding / Directional Signage

Wayfinding is the process of finding your way or navigating through a building, environment or space. Wayfinding is comprised of the steps you take to reach your destination, following the best route, recognising your destination and finding your way back to the starting point using clear and logical signs, graphics and symbols that help you remember your route.

The history of wayfinding dates back to the labyrinths and mazes of ancient times over 3,500 years ago. The term wayfinding was first used by architect Kevin Lynch in 1960 to describe the role of maps, street numbers, directional signs and other devices in cities. In our modern world, wayfinding and directional tools and technologies provide orientation and location awareness to help people navigate to landmarks, places and spaces.

Wayfinding and directional signage is most helpful for people visiting cities, hospitals, buildings, campuses and other public spaces that they are unfamiliar with or have limited occasions to visit such as airports, museums and parks. Directional wayfinding signs can help companies and organisations with naming, numbering and overall organisation of a building, campus or facility and is a critical part of a wayfinding plan.

Wayfinding and directional signage can be used indoors and outdoors in, on and around corporate buildings, manufacturing facilities, hospitals, retail locations, campus facilities and construction sites. In any place people gather or visit,directional wayfinding is helpful for the purposes of informing people, reinforcing architecture and improving traffic flow. Wayfinding and directional signage is not only for new buildings and locations; it can also be used to improve the functionality of existing buildings.

Digital wayfinding is a powerful solution for providing directions and in-depth information that resolves many of the challenges of using a folded, printed map to find the way. Digital wayfinding helps visitors explore facilities and campuses by looking at messaging and graphics on interactive digital kiosks, digital displays, video walls, outdoor digital LED, flat panel displays, message signs or digital marquee signs. Digital wayfinding and directional signs not only guide people through a building, but they also enhance an environment by showing starting and ending points, visually depicting and drawing the paths and providing directions.

Interactive wayfinding is an experience using a touchscreen display interface. Interactive wayfinding can integrate custom mapping and navigation software to help people get where they need to be and provide directions. Interactive wayfinding kiosks are designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind. Interactive touchscreen wayfinding can be used to inform and communicate information using motion graphics that capture attention.

To bring your building or facility into compliance with the UK's Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requirements, wayfinding and directional signs should identify accessible environments. Wayfinding signs should mark wheelchair accessible entrances and exits, rooms, parking spaces, restrooms and can be used to point the way to lifts and hoist ways.

SIGNWAVE can perform the installation for wayfinding and directional signage. Our team can ensure that directional wayfinding signs are safely and properly installed.

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