48   Sign Update      ISSUE 190 MARCH 2020

WAYFINDING   Feature

help guide people to the right location and keep choices to a minimum where possible which will reduce confusion. It is crucial that signage is in the ‘line of sight’; this will make it easier to view from a distance and help ensure quicker navigation. A further significant factor is lighting; in areas of low light or outdoor signage you need to factor in how they will be illuminated to ensure they can be read at any time of day or night.

Essential in complex building environments like universities and hospitals and beneficial in less challenging locations, we receive regular orders from sign installers, local authorities, university maintenance departments, hotels and facilities management companies. The initial design and installation of the signage will usually fall to a design or sign company with any updates, repairs and replacement under the remit of internal maintenance or the FM. It is important to ensure the initial concept takes expansion and change into account as it can often lead to confusion when a new or updated location is sandwiched into an existing wayfinding plan. We often take directional signs for granted but let’s be honest, without them we would all be wandering around asking for directions. Several vital factors are crucial when planning wayfinding signage and should be upmost in your customer’s mind when mapping their project. Visual icons The key is creating a common identity throughout the signage with variations of colour or symbols for different departments. This visual difference helps alleviate the need for overly wordy signs or language variations. Use visual icons of buildings or landmarks and recognised symbols to provide orientation clues to

Creating a common identity

Wayfinding is defined as spatial problem-solving using information systems to guide people through a physical environment and help their understanding and experience of the space, writes Stephen Ferrie, director of iSpi Trade .  

Use visual icons of buildings or landmarks and recognised symbols to provide orientation clues to help guide people to the right location and keep choices to a minimum

LED sign fixings are perfect for low light hallways and an RGB variant will soon be introsduced by i-Spi Trade.

Safety signage Employers have a legal duty to maintain safety signage in their buildings and campuses, explain unfamiliar signs to their employees and tell them what they need to do when they see a particular safety sign. There are various categories of signage which all have different legal requirements. Prohibition signs, ‘Do Not’ commands, No Smoking, for example, may be part of legal legislation but can be used to help enforce building or company policy. Signs including Warning, Mandatory, Fire and Supplementary Safe Condition Signs indicate exit routes in the event of a fire or emergency and form part of the illuminated signage legislation. For full details of signage legislation visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l64.ht m to download HSE guide to Safety Sign and Signals. Most products in the iSpi Trade online shop are used in wayfinding; these include sign standoff fixings used throughout offices, shops, hotels and hospitals. Sign fixings provide the perfect finish to any wall-mounted signage. I’m sure you have been asked: can we get them in gold to match the handles? Well you can at iSpi Trade; our range of sign fixings and screw head covers come in a wide range of finishes to match any colour scheme.