Wayfnding Systems

Wayfinding serves many essential functions:

• Accessibility – Wayfinding ensures people can navigate safely and access needed services and amenities. This is especially critical for those with disabilities.
• Supporting goals – Healthcare facilities use wayfinding to direct patients and visitors to different departments and services efficiently.
• Promoting commerce– Retail wayfinding guides shoppers to merchandise displays and advertised promotions.
• Building understanding – Museums design wayfinding to enrich visitor learning by mapping exhibit content and layouts.
• Enhancing experience – Hotels and airports use wayfinding to help travelers quickly reach their next destination.
• Creating ambiance – Thematic wayfinding adds to the environment and experience of destinations like zoos, resorts and casinos.
• Promoting brands– Corporate wayfinding expresses branded messaging and values.

The costs of poor wayfinding include reduced revenue and productivity, safety risks, and user frustration and confusion. Proper wayfinding is a wise investment.

Effective wayfinding applies key design principles:

• Intuitive – Information should be placed where users expect and structured how they think.
• Contextual – Content and design should match the location and needs.
• Layered – Wayfinding should provide overview information first, then more detail as users move closer.
• Consistent – Layout, symbols, fonts and colors should be standardized.
• Accessible – Wayfinding must meet ADA and local access requirements.
• Durable – Materials should stand up to traffic and cleaning without degrading.

Ongoing user testing ensures wayfinding responds to actual behavior. We also study architectural plans and traffic flows to strategically place wayfinding touchpoints.

Comprehensive wayfinding encompasses:

• Signage – Directional, identification and informational signs guide movement.
• Maps and directories – Tactile maps provide overviews of layout and key resources.
• Room numbers/names – Identifying spaces aids understanding and communication.
• Landmarks – Art, interior design, and architectural features make spaces distinctive.
• Flooring – Floors can direct traffic and define spaces through color-coding or patterns.
• Lighting – Illumination attracts attention and identifies paths and destinations.
• Technology – Digital displays and touchscreens enrich wayfinding.

Each component enhances the others into an integrated system. Wayfinding should also coordinate with branding and environmental graphics.

Wayfinding design differs across industries:

• Retail – Store wayfinding highlights key products and departments via directories, signage, and floor decals.
• Hospitality – Hotels utilize wayfinding to highlight amenities and make sites like meeting rooms easy to find.
• Healthcare – Color coding departments plus signage helps patients navigate large hospitals and clinics.
• Transportation – Airports, mass transit, and roadway wayfinding aid complex navigation and identify services.
• Corporate – Offices use branded wayfinding for meeting rooms, departments, and essential services.
• Education – Campus wayfinding orients students and visitors to buildings, departments, parking, and services.

In every case, the aim is enabling users to effortlessly traverse the environment.

With decades of experience in environmental design, JAS Advertising applies research and best practices to create wayfinding systems tailored for your space and users. Our full-service approach includes:

• Site audits and user studies to identify wayfinding needs
• Mapping traffic flows and decision points
• Designing branded, consistent visual systems
• Producing durable, compliant signage and components
• Installation, testing, and adjustments
• Supporting maintenance and updates

The result is an intuitive environment that better serves its users. Visitors appreciate the ease of navigation. Employees and students gain a stronger spatial understanding. Shoppers spend more time (and money) when they can readily find their way.

For environments both large and small, wayfinding systems make navigation easier, quicker, and accessible for all users. The benefits range from improved safety to higher revenues. By applying the latest research with a tailored design process, JAS Advertising creates smart wayfinding that seamlessly integrates into your space. Contact us today to learn more!”