December 11, 2019
4 Urban Wayfinding Trends Changing The Way We Experience Cities
Most people don’t realize it, but urban wayfinding plays a major role in how we experience a city.
Most people don’t realize it, but urban wayfinding plays a major role in how we experience a city.
We are mobile. From our phones to our travel, we as a society are on the move and that mobility – and the demand for increased mobility – shows no sign of waning.
While signage may not come to mind as a top priority for these initiatives, hear us out. In our experience, interior and exterior signage can greatly enhance a commercial space in ways you can’t imagine when you are in the weeds of business growth planning. Here are five ways for you to reimagine signage in your growth initiatives in the coming year.
We like to think that we keep our fingers on the pulse of the latest and greatest in signage and wayfinding. It is, after all, our thing. And one such trend in signage and wayfinding is actually in lighting. Hear us out. Photoluminescent egress lighting is changing the way we see wayfinding – literally – and we couldn’t be more excited about this partnership.
As global sustainability and environmental awareness grows, its reach has gone far beyond home recycling bins and reusable water bottles. In fact, sustainability has been a key issue in sign fabrication for a few years.
First, there was nature. Reading water, a crescent moon, tree growth patterns, and bird migrations, constellations that point to the North Star. Then, there was signage. ‘You are here.’ ‘Go this way to get to your destination.’ ‘This is the name of this business and these are the goods and services they provide.’ Next, digital signage. Interactive kiosks. Mobile accessibility. Real-time updates and customization. Time-sensitive emergency messaging. So, that’s it, right? From natural to analog to digital, the evolution of signage and wayfinding is now complete, right? Well, not quite so fast.
Though the downtown areas in many established American cities have experienced years, decades or even centuries of wear-and-tear and neglect, the last two decades have shown a promising shift, with more and more urban centers revitalizing, regrowing, and reinventing their downtowns.
The G2 Learning Hub recently wrote a great article about environmental graphic design and how it impacts a user’s (or guest’s) experience.
While signage and wayfinding can certainly engage people with their everyday surroundings by making the space more informative and easier to navigate, environmental graphics can make the space more memorable for its visitors. Or think about the cultural and social phenomenon of exterior wall murals as a means for businesses to increase their brand awareness and engagement – all with a beautiful statement piece begging to be shared on the ‘Gram.
Parking. Love it or hate, it’s a necessary evil. As we’ve previously discussed, there are more than 105 million commercial parking spaces in the U.S. And those numbers show no signs of waning as cities and suburbs welcome new residents and businesses every day, increasing the demand for more – and more and still more – parking facilities.
Achieving a custom, branded aesthetic while enhancing the form and function of a space is the end goal of any signage project but with so many signs to consider, there are some instances when it’s necessary to streamline the process.
With a sign system – essentially serving as a blueprint – that streamlines your custom interior sign solution, you can simplify the entire process, from ideation to execution, with expert consideration paid to the nuances of ADA, wayfinding, and décor to make sure you get your signs right the first time.
And it all starts with compliance.
We have two locations in Florida featuring more than 50,000 square feet of our product offerings. In Tampa and Orlando, we provide a glimpse into the endless possibilities in the sign world. We have created a whole new concept in signage, one that incorporates high-tech design and top-of-the-line construction.
12801 Commodity Place
Tampa , FL 33626
Toll Free: 800-804-4809
Fax: 813-818-7200
285 National Place
Unit 127
Longwood, FL 32750
Toll Free: 800-804-4809
Fax: 813-818-7200
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