Project: 222 2nd Ave | Fabricator: Image Manufacturing Group | Designer/Architect: ASD-Sky Design | Project Manager: Wahidah Sheba Fowler
When I started working in the signage industry, I was totally unaware of the vast impact signage had on our lives. But after seeing many cases of ineffective wayfinding and lack of signs, it was clear to me that signs play an intrinsic role in our daily activities and it amazes me how most people take signs for granted.
Let’s think for a moment: without interstate signs, building identifier signs and room identification signs we would constantly be lost, frustrated and literally scrambling to get anywhere to complete simple tasks.
Imagine frantically arriving at the hospital, then realizing there is no interior or exterior wayfinding signage. How would you find the emergency room or get your loved one admitted to the hospital? Quality signage and efficient wayfinding should be the least of your worries at the hospital. Tensions are already high when patients and visitors arrive, as they are in search of medical care or they’re visiting someone who did. Clear signage in healthcare is mandatory, lessening the stress of visitors and patients, creating a more pleasant customer experience.
Or what if you wanted to go to a football game at the Mercedes Benz sta
dium to see your favorite team play? Upon your arrival you are greeted with a beautifully-designed dome but there is no signage…no illuminated emblems, parking signage or area identification signs. How would vehicular and foot traffic flow in an environment without visual aids to guide? You would have no clue if you were in the right place or even be able to find your seat!
Lastly, imagine going to an amusement park and seeing signs that weren’t aligned or leveled correctly. You notice discoloration, jagged edges, unwarranted bends, and worn brand staples – would you still get on their rides? Or would the lack of quality signs and brand identifiers influence how trustworthy the amusement park was? As a society, we are well aware that experiences go hand and hand with presentation and presentation plays a tremendous role in perception.
Proper experiential graphics and signage is paramount. We need signage to get from point A to point B with ease. We also need signage to reassure us that the person we are doing business with takes their brand and customer experience seriously. I ask that each reader share how you would imagine a world without quality signs to be. In doing so, we can all witness how much these fabricated instruments are fundamental to our lives.