Olympic Fever
On a recent walk from Clerkenwell to Kings Cross I came across a number of Olympic themed graphics ranging from banners to floor graphics. They seem to be everywhere I look at the moment. If anyone has pictures of their own feel free to post them here!
Olympic fever in Camden
Wayfinding in Retail
Looking for a challenge I thought 2012 could be the year where I expand my brain a little and explore an area of wayfinding I have little working knowledge of. I have worked as a Wayfinding consultant for almost 5 years now and I’ve worked in areas including airports, rail stations, urban environments and hospitals, but the closest I have ever got to retail is a project in a large shopping centre.
When I hit the large department stores on Oxford Street or pop to my local supermarket, I often wonder who devised the Wayfinding system (especially if I’m totally lost) and most importantly who keeps the system up to date, monitors it’s success and ensures it is doing it’s job? I also wonder how advanced the area of wayfinding is within the retail sector compared to areas like healthcare or aviation? For example:
Many stores commission designers to create beautiful new systems, but once the designers have left the building, who is left to ensure the well thought out designs adapt and grow appropriately as the store evolves? How much effort is put into the strategy behind the system and its upkeep in comparison the the physical appearance?
Selfridges London designed by Cartlidge Levene
M&S cardboard signage by Grafic Thought Facility and yellow vertical circulation at M&S Bluewater
Sainsbury’s at Welwyn Garden City has a complete refresh of its instore brand look and feel by Twelve Studio
Do all department stores, large supermarkets and flagship stores have a signage manager or a team of people looking after wayfinding? If so what background do these people typically have? Are they designers, store planners, interior designers, visual merchandisers or faciltity/estate managers?
In many environments wayfinding is about getting from A to B as quickly and as efficiently as possible, but with retail there seems to be an element of wanting customers to explore or stumble across things they were not looking for and sending them on strategic routes encouraging them to stray off their original path without feeling lost. In some stores like Ikea the tactic is for you to spend as much town wandering around as you can!
Alan Penn from Space Syntax looks at the shopping experience at Ikea
My own assumption of what retail signage aims to achieve is:
I also believe that much of the above could be achieved through good store planning, interior design and visual merchandising, rather than just signage and directories. This again leads me to the question of who takes responsibility for it?
So my first task in attempting to learn a little more about the retail sector will be to confirm wether my assumptions on the role of wayfinding are actually correct. Secondly I want to find out how much retail has acknowledged the value good wayfinding brings to the business and how those who have embraced it have achieved their goals through excellence in wayfinding. Finally armed with all this new found knowledge I want to form opinions on what is currently out there and explore wether there might be room for improvement? Watch this space…
If anybody has any useful links, examples of information on existing research, works in this sector or has their own opinion on the subject please feel free to post a comment or contact me directly.
Point the finger
On a trip back home this Easter I came across these interesting graphic devices near the new Kings Cross Station entrance. They were everywhere from the floor to large banners. @karmatsky also tweeted a photograph on the day of the opening showing staff wearing giant novelty hands!
This way please!
Ways of seeing
Moving on from my previous musing I started to read John Berger’s Ways of Seeing. He believes that what we see is processed based on what we already know and that perception can be manipulated by external factors. His television series on this subject can be found here.
Ways of seeing: How does the eye work with the brain to interpret what we see?
I predict…a sign!
On a recent trip to Cambridge I came across a rather amusing sign, but some of the people I was was couldn’t see anything wrong at first. See how long it takes you to spot the blunder!
If only we could see into the future…? (Image courtesy of Google Streetview)
Exploring the Differences in Airport Wayfinding Systems
An article by guest writer Tom Barden.
Airports are some of the busiest places on the planet, with hundreds of thousands of people passing through them every day, it is therefore essential to provide the best navigational systems to ease people through these stressful environments in the quickest and calmest way possible. This study looks towards airports to understand how wayfinding has evolved over the last 5 decades, and continues to evolve, to provide the clearest navigational solutions.
In 1967 interior architect Kho Liang Le and graphic designer Benno Wissing were commissioned to design a system at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport which would greatly aid the navigation around the airport. According to Paul Mijksenaar in his book Wayfinding at Schiphol, both Wissing and Le “laid the foundation for [one of the world’s first] information systems”.
This system was so effective that it stayed active from 1967 through to 1990, consistently scoring high on user satisfaction ratings. In 1990 Mijksenaar Design Agency was asked to conduct a two year study of the wayfinding system and locate any areas that may need improving. Following the company slogan of ‘preserving what is good and improving what is weak’ one of the changes that came from the study was adjusting the lettering from all lower case to title case, this change was aided by an increased understanding of how we read words or sentences.
After the 1996 Dusseldorf airport disaster in which many people lost their lives a number of airports recognised the need for much clearer fire exit signs. As a result of this Mijksenaar changed the amenities colour from green to grey so the fire exit signs had little visual competition.
With more people passing through its five terminals each year than any other, BAA Heathrow is the world’s leading international Airport. It is therefore essential that it supplies an easy to understand and clear navigational system, however, after conducting some on site research it appears this has not yet been fully achieved. A staff member mentioned to me in conversation “people are always asking for directions despite the signs around them.”
Through my own research and visits to Heathrow it is clear that, although BAA has made steps towards standardising the signage within the airport, it has not fully succeeded. Some signs differ in colour (from yellow to orange) and others use serif typefaces while the majority are sans-serif. One particular observation I have made about Heathrow’s signage is that the symbols and type do not work together as one unit. The black strip that surrounds the icons splits the sign into three sections; firstly the type, secondly the icons and thirdly the directional arrows. For a wayfinding system to work successfully all elements must complement one another, rather than competing for visual dominance.
Heathrow Airport Sign, London
To investigate how wayfinding systems differ over a worldwide basis we must investigate a smaller airport. A perfect example would be Slovenia’s Ljubljana Jože Pučnik, which handles around 1.5 million annual passengers. In comparison BAA Heathrow serves an average of 67 milllion annual passengers and Schiphol handled 47 million in 2008.
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik makes use of a standardised library of airport symbols designed by AIGA and the typography adopted is VAG Rounded. The system in place is quite successful; the clear contrast between the black and white avoids any colour clash with safety signs, while the large symbols and arrows are clear to see and on the most part recognisable. The text itself follows the rounded borders of the icons providing a considered wayfinding system that, unlike Heathrow airport does not have elements competing against one another.
Slovenian Airport Sign
If we compare the three airports studied it could be possible to conclude that wayfinding evolves in areas that need to compete to greater heights to survive. Schiphol airport, although attracting 47 million people in 2008 gets most of that number from transfer flights, it is therefore essential that it tries to provide the clearest navigational systems to the international public. Heathrow is London’s main international airport, and has the potential to provide a modern and effective wayfinding system for public spaces. However, the signage does not appear to be as polished as Schiphol airport. This may be due to the increased local competition faced by Schiphol which, in order to continue to attract a high amount of business, needs to provide a clear navigational system. Finally, due to the size of Slovenia’s Ljubljana Jože Pučnik it is unlikely to have the capital available to produce its own unique set of symbols therefore relying on an international standard. It has, however, provided a clear navigational system that can only help the flow of passengers through the airport, and in today’s world of inexpensive international travel and merging languages is an international standard of airport wayfinding systems such a bad thing?
Calling all students!
Written or researching an essay on wayfinding and information design or just want your say on a particular topic you’re passionate about?
I’m looking to publish an article from a guest writer next month and I’m calling on the student community in the hope of finding some fresh views and new perspectives. The topic can be anything from hieroglyphics to augmented reality and all that lies between.
All you have to do is send me an email with the subject ‘Guest Article’, attach your article (approx 500 words), a short bio and any links to accompanying images to wayfindinguk@googlemail.com before Sunday 6th November.
Any questions feel free to get in touch.
Case Study – The Work of Lance Wyman continued…
The 1970 World Cup was also held in Mexico. Design principles that were adopted for the 68 Olympics were applied to the World Cup. Not only was the same typography used, but a similar system was applied to seat finding on the tickets. Wyman could have designed something totally new, but he knew that the existing system worked, and using it again would not make the design any less of a success. By tweaking his designs he created a system of symbols that were recognizable, worked well and were as easy as ever to use.
Mexico 70 football tickets.
Wyman’s symbol project for the Mexican metro is the first example of pictograms in such a daily public facility as the subway. Yukio Ota explains in his book on Pictogram Design it was very significant that they were not designed by law as in the case of road signs. They were not restricted to a given period such as a world exposition and were provided for use by everyone. Unlike the Olympic designs, these symbols were going to be in use for a significant period of time. Wyman wrote that the signs he designed were effective even in the case of illiterate people or foreign tourists. The main reason that the system was so effective was that pictograms were used to represent each station.
“The icons are designed to represent an important aspect of the sta- tion neighbourhood, a reference to history, an important landmark or an activity in the station area. The icons are wayfinding helpers on station signs and system maps.”
Mexico City subway icons
Like his previous designs, Wyman used Mexican history and culture to inspire and inform his designs. In this example, it was crucial that the pictograms accurately depicted the connection with the individual stations. Wyman took advantage of the culture and used reference points to represent stations and their neighboring area. These pictograms demonstrate how surroundings and context can greatly affect the design and meanings of the symbols. Wyman suggests that if you can describe a pictogram it will work. All off the station symbols do this and these descriptions link to the station and its immediate environment. The duck itself cannot single handedly represent the station, but in the right context it communicates clearly and efficiently. The way in which Wyman used the history, culture and surroundings to create the pictograms has not only given the signs a lease of life, but has greatly aided communication.
“Wayfinding offers the designer an opportunity to reference the history, culture, and essence of place in an immediate way that will be seen and used on a daily basis. An effective wayfinding system can be a visual ambassador…”
Wyman’s work for Mexico did exactly that. The pictograms he designed throughout the 1960’s and 70’s not only created great international communication devices, but told a story about Mexico. Using pictures alone, a piece of history was depicted and element of Mexican culture was revealed. The pictograms not only represented the object/facility, but embodied what Mexico was about. Wyman’s pictograms ultimately showed that pictograms can have personality or display cultural characteristics and communicate across language barriers.
Coming soon…the conclusion to the Pictograms, International Communication and Cultural Diversity series!
Case Study – The Work of Lance Wyman
It is arguable that the set of Mexico 68 Olympic pictograms are one of the best there has ever been. Created by Lance Wyman along with Manuel Villazón and Matthias Goeritz, these pictograms were much more than great pieces of information design. They did not just point visitors in the right direction. They told a story of Mexican history and of art culture popular at that time. They demonstrate how pictograms aimed at an international audience can also have cultural identity injected into their design and that pictogram design does not have be governed by strict rules.
Mexico 68 Olympic Pictograms
The graphic system for the Mexico 1968 Olympic games is cited as one of the most successful in the evolution of visual identification. The work Lance Wyman continued to create in and around Mexico after the Olympics of 1968 demonstrates how pictograms have the potential to break free from standardisation and become a little more exciting. In in D&AD lecture I attended in November 2006, Wyman suggested that bringing culture into pictograms is always tricky. You have to be very sensitive to that culture, but it can be so enriching and rewarding if it works. He also described how he took a different approach to the pictograms from the very start.
“The sports icons focused on an expressive detail, a part of the athletes body or a piece of equipment…”
According to Abdullah in his book Pictograms, Icons and Signs, the Mexico 68 pictograms used a very different pictorial language to their predecessors, subsequently making a more striking impact. Less detail was required, making the symbols more compact and closed. The pictograms, unlike many other Olympic pictograms, were very colourful. The bright vibrancy became a characteristic of the marketing for the Olympics of 1968. Lance Wyman, of course, did not come up with these ideas by chance. Inspiration came from several sources.
“The Mexico 1968 logotype, based on traditional forms from Mexican culture as well as being 60’s Op-art kinetic typography, set the tone for the entire graphics system.”
Op Art Inspired Designs (left) Work of Bridget Riley (right)
Mexico 68 Pre-Hispanic Inspired Designs (left) Pre-Hispanic Art and Glyphs(right)
Op-art, although not so prominent in the pictograms, was clearly influential in many areas of the games, especially the logotype. At a lecture I attended back in 2006 Wyman clearly stated that the work of Bridget Riley was extremely influential to him at the time. Inspiration can also be seen from Mexican history in the form of Pre-Hispanic culture and Huichol Indian art. This carries through to the design of the pictograms, where Pre Hispanic glyphs show close similarities to the designs. Wyman also described how he spent a lot of time in the Museum of Anthropology and that he found early Mexican cultures extremely captivating. It was his intention to inject this Mexican culture into the design of the pictograms and the whole Olympic Games.
Wyman used pictograms extensively in the design of the games. He not only created pictograms for the individual sports, but also constructed cultural and service symbols and pictogram designs for tickets.
“A visual language was used in place of words to communicate effectively with the international participants of the Olympics. Icons identified services, literal silhouettes…identified seating accommodations and the competition areas for the athletes in the arenas.”
Mexico 68 Tickets (left) Stadium Pictograms for Seating (right)
Sign systems and street furniture were created to guide people around the city. The way in which some of the three dimensional elements were designed was also linked to artifacts found in Tula. Almost like a totem pole, elements of street furniture were stacked and pieced together like a jigsaw. A unique system of pictograms was devised to guide people to their seats in Olympic stadiums. The time was indicated using a analogue clock face and the sporting event using the relevant pictogram. Symbols withing the arena’s environment matched up with symbols on the tickets, to create a visual language that made sense to people from all backgrounds.
Statues at Tula (left) Frame Units for Directional SIgns (right)
This system was so simple that even the illiterate would be able to understand its commands. Wyman went to great lengths to ensure all his designs would not only be a great representation of Mexico, but would also be accessible to everyone, regardless of sex, age, race or education. The Mexico 1968 pictograms successfully showed that pictograms can display cultural identity and communicate to an international audience. The work that Wyman did was so successful that he used similar tactics in other work he created for Mexico.
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health. Thanks to everyone who has visited this site.
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.
A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by my stats.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 10,000 times in 2010. That’s about 24 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 20 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 12 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 3mb. That’s about a picture per month.
The busiest day of the year was September 7th with 134 views. The most popular post that day was Pictograms, International Communication and Cultural Diversity (Part 3).
The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, arrowsandicons.com , and digg.com .
Some visitors came searching, mostly for pictograms, pictogram, toxic symbol, piktogramme, and airport pictogram.
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Pictograms, International Communication and Cultural Diversity (Part 3) July 2010
Pictograms, International Communication and Cultural Diversity (Part 1) June 2010
Pictograms, International Communication and Cultural Diversity (Part 2) June 2010
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Pictograms, International Communication and Cultural Diversity (Part 4) September 2010
Place identity and architectural signage – the best from the UK May 2010
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