Designer's Choice: Wayfinding

 

Wayfinding

Have you ever been in a building that has colors that represent a certain area or lights at desk to check you in at an office? 

This is called wayfinding; it is a design that brings people to a certain area where you want them to go. In airports they do this to help people quickly find where they need to go, even if they don't speak the language there, they can look at labels and colors to find their way. Even how places are laid out, for example Food City has their registers at the entrance to deter theft and also let people know where the checkout is instead of people wondering around trying to find it. It is really cool how this works! 

They also use arrows, like on a hike or at a park they have arrows to show you which way you need to go to get to where you need to go. Doctors' offices and hospitals use this tactic as well to make it easy to find a place. Bathroom symbols are wayfinding tools also because no matter what language you speak you understand that it is the bathroom, and you can tell which is the men's from the women's. Parks use the bathroom symbols on their maps to find your way around and we all instantly know what the symbol means. 

Restroom sign

Wayfinding is everywhere but we just never really pay attention because it's a natural reaction. Places also draw a lot of attention to the doors they want you to go to and paint the doors they want you to avoid being the same colors as the walls because we are less likely to notice them. 

photo of blending in door

We can make anything disappear that we don't want others to see. If there's a big wire going down the wall all you have to do it paint it the color of the wall and instantly no one will notice it. 

Knowing all this it makes you really pay attention to your surroundings and notice the small details that places try to hide, or the labels and signage places use to help you navigate through your everyday moves. 

Sources:

Office Space. Brina Martens. November 3, 2021. What is Wayfinding and why is it Important? 

What is wayfinding and why is it important? - OfficeSpace Software

Travel Wayfinding. Dr. Paul Symonds. July 19, 2019. What is Wayfinding Signage? 

What is Wayfinding Signage? Explantion and definition. (travelwayfinding.com)