The briefing led me to try explore different types of way-finding examples throughout Leeds. In a small group we set out to visit museums such as the Henry Moore, Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds train station and Trinity. These places showed varied responses to way finding so helped with expanding my knowledge of different methods.
After looking at various examples of both successful and unsuccessful signage around Leeds I found that the way-finder examples that worked best were those where directions were clear and easy to use rather than those that tried to cram in too much information. Because of this I decided it was important to use a minimalist style where function has priority over form to produce a more successful project. Despite this, the end result must still be aesthetically pleasing and appropriate for the environment I choose to re-design. It is therefor important I find the right research to help push me in the right direction.
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I combined research from looking around Leeds and what I found on the internet and in books and decided to re-design the way finding methods in and around iQ student accommodation. As this is my halls of residence so my research and understanding of the environment is already of a high level. This will be beneficial to me later in the project when trying to appropriately experiment with the location in mind.
IQ is one of the largest student complexes in Leeds with over 200 flats however there are 3 blocks that separate the premises. Each block has a different layout that comprises of a mixture of long straight corridors and tight corners which makes it extremely difficult to navigate especially when you haven't been before or if you are intoxicated. Being student halls, there are often drunk people present trying to guide themselves around the complicated layout after a night out. I hope to create way finders that are legible day and night and whether intoxicated or not. Other features include the reoccurring colours of purple and green and their bold and striking logo. These are important features I feel I must include within my designs to accompany it's running theme. iQ also has a main gate with passage for both by car and on foot however there is little clear signage towards reception or blocks. I feel this needs to be improved when redesigning its way finding ideas.I looked to designspiration.net to find inspiration and contemporary designs. There were a large number of way-finding methods that display the minimalist styles I had hoped to find. The designs that worked best were those with clear, legible type. This would lead to an easier experience for the user with little effort needed to understand the way-finder. The research I looked for included ideas that would work within iQ as well as more general way finding designs that worked well within their own environment.
Designs spread across corners work well with iQ's similar architecture. The visibility of some type may be obscured by the viewers position however, when stood in the right place, way finding methods such as this are successful and are aesthetically pleasing within context.Recently I have visited Headrow house. A bar, restaurant and event venue situated in the centre of Leeds. The first thing that struck me when entering the venue was the well designed way finding techniques used throughout the venue. This was a design by Leeds based design company alphabet.Their use of minimal and monochrome signage works well within its dimly lit surroundings. The designs are placed onto light boxes which helps with legibility and are a modern example of good way finding techniques. Some of the design features around Headrow House should be taken into consideration within my own project as will help complete a more modern approach to the brief.
Light boxes such as those seen within headrow house could illuminate the dark hallways of my own accommodation. This can be seen within the above design example. The thin strip used for way finding condenses the type making it almost illegible especially from a distance. This is something I have to avoid within my own design as the clarity of type and ease of use is something I have identified as being an important aspect. Despite this, I like how the way finding makes the most of the negative space with information of various things such as floor number and room number (also things I must show) separated from each other to avoid confusion.
I have found an example of successful way finding for Hotel Voskresenskoe in Russia. The way the designers have used way finding to show off the building's long hallways is something I would like to replicate within my own work. The building uses only pictograms and lines to direct the user through the area with the only type being shown all in one place on the key. This simplistic method means it is universally understandable with any guest from any country being to walk around the building with ease.
I found a number of way finding ideas where designers have displayed directions on the floor. Although aesthetically looking good, these methods of signage can sometime go missed due to the lack of interactivity with users and the floor. This method can often be costly due to the need to print designs onto carpet or other less used materials. Despite this, I like the idea shown in the image below where way finding may start on a wall and move onto the floor as a guide to follow. I hope to experiment with using the floor as a way fining technique as finding your way through iQ may be difficult with the use of arrows on a wall.
A large amount of research found used colour to differentiate areas of a building. Often these colour codes make it easier to get around such places. I feel this is something I could look at for my chosen environment due to the three different blocks, and large amount of floors in each building. The examples I have found use colour in different ways whether it be to single out a particular piece of information on a board using negative space or direct someone to a specific platform within the New York subway system.
_______________________________________________________________________________I took photos around iQ of signs and way finders on display of which I found there to be very few. Those that I did find were often hard to read especially late at night due to types places on a black background.
The lift lacks any successful design features with the only information being a laminated A4 sign.
All signs are small and can be hard to see and read which is something I wish to improve on as is not appropriate for this chosen environment.
With a visually similar sign being shown as you exit the lift or staircase on each floor, the only place to see the currant screen is the small lift display. The use of floor signs is common in such places as hotels and carparks so find it to be unusual within such a complex setting.
Numbering on flat doors is hard to read due to its small size. Although not a priority as these are still legible I feel that they could be changed to better work with the target audience.
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I found there to be a large amount of signage at iQ containing type. Through lectures and research I now understand that this can be simplified using pictograms. Such places as the laundry room, lift, gym, reception and study room could be signified by a simple illustration which universally communicates what it is across any language due to general knowledge of the place or activity. This in turn makes way finding easier and so may be a solution to the idea of getting lost within iQ.
I found a number of examples of way finding pictograms on the internet and when exploring the college. These (shown below) demonstrate how they can be used within an active environment. I hope to reproduce a series of design experimentations as an idea for my project.
Due to my environment being a student accommodation there were a number of places in need of pictograms. I decided to list these to make it easier to experiment with. I created this list by walking around iQ and finding signage that could be adapted into my own pictograms.
These places are:
The gym;
The laundry room;
Reception;
The lifts within blocks;
stairs;
games room and
car-park.
I first experimented in sketch form. This meant I was able to generate a large number of concepts quickly giving me more ideas to work with when finalising the designs. These were often very basic and sometimes included only a few lines when mark making. Due to iQ only having a small amount of places available to pictogram I was able to experiment more with the ideas for each single environment creating more successful final designs.
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Before starting my design process I wanted to decide what typeface would be most appropriate for my project. The typeface must be clear, modern and legible. As well as these common features, it must work well with the current design of iQ as to work cohesively and not be harsh on the eye. To do this I decided it was important to choose a san serif typeface due to their legible traits. I also noticed that serif typefaces were less common with way finding design.
I looked at a number of modern san serif typefaces I thought would best suit iQ's current branding and my ideas for the way finding. I felt most worked well however I decided quicksand's rounded lettering created more playful and child-like ideas so wasn't suitable. Some other typefaces didn't work so well also such as helvetica and arial as they are commonly and so regularly used. Despite these decisions I did find some of the fonts successful. I hope to experiment with some others within my work to see which will work best.
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I started to experiment with some way finding ideas focusing on creating designs that are clear and legible but also informative. These were some of my original sketches. I was first inspired by the light boxes of Headrow House and their minimalist approaches. This can be seen within the monochrome designs. I wanted signs to look spacious and easy to read and feel this has been accomplished.
Although contemporary and clear I don't feel these designs fit with the overall theme of iQ. It's dimly lit and doesn't comply with the currant branding using the colours black, purple and green. I also feel the designs are similar to the currant signage which I had already decided didn't work. Because of this I decided to look at other ideas.
I created these designs to signify the floor when navigating the student complex. They show a large block of colour with large type. This stands out and works well with the importance of legibility. I played with the positioning of type around the coloured shape and found it is at its clearest when expanded from the top to the bottom of the graphic and so this is the idea I have decided to pursue. I added more of the block colour the the right of the text. The extension caused fits in well with the idea of linking to iQ's long corridors. As the numbers stretch across the whole design they appear to be attached and at one with the block colour. This caused me to experiment with taking away sections of lettering such as the outline and inner sections of '5'. These examples can be seen below.
At this stage I was still unsure which typeface would be most appropriate so these original designs often use different variations. One typeface I feel works well for this project is Alte Haas Grotesk. The aesthetics of its rounded numbers work well with iQ's continuing themes however I don't feel its letters work so prominently within the designs I have created. Because of this I have decided to use the typeface Futura in further ideas with type. I feel like this typeface is more appropriate than Alte Haas Grotesk due to its thicker strokes creating a lighter contrast between type and colour block. The more condensed type creates a more flowing design by linking design features together however I will use Alte Haas Grotesk for numbers as works better on this hand.
As mentioned previously, iQ has a number of common features such as long hallways and a large number of corners. I have already included the long hotel-like corridors within my design ideas. The addition of added rectangles to my currant design gives the idea of corners within hallways. The corners on each design are different to one another and contradict the previous designs where all graphics were the same size and shape. This is a concept I asked my fellow course mates during a critique and received positive feedback about. An example of my first experimentation of this can be seen below. I feel this is a successful attempt to combine the features of iQ within my design. Despite this there are areas I would like to address with the help from my upcoming critique.
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The feedback I received during this crit answered more of my own questions about my project such as how I could expand ideas such as using corners and expanding on the use of pictograms. I was given the idea to work even more with colour and different shades of the purple, green and black I am already using. I wanted to do this over more way finding pieces to work along side and cooperate with the target audience.
I have created another piece of way finding in conjunction. I have created a poster to work inside the lift. It is to replace the currant A4 laminated piece that tries to navigate which floor takes you to where. I tried to design the piece with the map design in mind. Using the same style will connect all elements of my design together and link with its currant branding which is what will add to a more successful way finding design.
Now my ideas had been constructed onto illustrator I must create mock ups of my designs. Within professional practice this will show the client how my work will look within the actual environment so is an important procedure. With some past experience in the Adobe creative suite and additional workshops at the college I am able to complete the task. Despite this I find it difficult for my designs to look realistic when placed onto photos. This is something I must work on. I hope continuing experiments will help to add to my progress so my finals are more professional looking than they currently are.
Examples of my current experimentation with mock ups can be seen above. Although I am working on improving realist qualities I feel the wrapping of designs around corners is something I can take from these examples. With this and the addition of added rectangles showing the corners all features of iQ link up creating more cohesive way finding designs.
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I think my final mock up designs of iQ student accommodation's way finding replacement would work well in the the environment they were designed for. The large type that spans across the walls show how the dark corridors can be brightened up by colour. Better way finding has also resulted in easier navigation of the premises with a more clear route seen from gate to flat. As well as this, it is now clear where the reception, bike shed and gym are. With a clear way finding final, I feel I have successfully accomplished this brief. I have adhered to the issue raised about the current design and produced a solution that also solved problems I have noticed.
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