Creating a wayfinding system is more than just throwing a few signs together. Wayfinding systems are thoughtful, methodical, and can completely alter the way that someone experiences your business. Design, copy, and the quality of signs play a key role in creating effective wayfinding systems. 

What is Wayfinding?

Wayfinding is how people navigate spaces using intuitive and informational signage. A well-designed and thoughtful wayfinding system guides people through physical environments that can be unfamiliar to minimize confusion. 

Why Brands Should Invest in Wayfinding Systems

Wayfinding signs do more than just help people find their way through your building(s), it can also help build brand recognition and trust with your customers. Wayfinding signs often catch people’s attention and embed your brand’s identity, location, service, and products in their minds making wayfinding systems a smart investment for all businesses, regardless of size or industry.

How to Create an Effective Wayfinding System for Your Business

At Signarama, our local sign experts have found that there are some key choices to make in the process of designing an effective wayfinding system. 

Set realistic and attainable goals

The first step to creating a wayfinding system is to determine your goals for the system. Wayfinding systems can solve many challenges for businesses and consumers. Setting goals for your wayfinding system before you start designing is an important step because it helps you determine what type of signage you need to create to achieve it.

Identify the challenges employees, visitors, etc. face today

At their core, wayfinding signs aim to eliminate confusion. Often employees can identify what confusion points fellow employees or guests have based on the questions they answer. For example, your visitors may ask where they can find something or a particular space or what action they need to take to achieve something within your business. These questions can be answered by thoughtfully planned wayfinding signage. 

Create a priority list of what you’ll need

Once you know what challenges your employees, visitors, guests, and others face with navigating your business, you can start identifying what signs you will need to help solve them. 

Keep navigation simple

We often feel that more choices are better but in reality, too many signs may lead to more confusion. When creating your path or navigation, keep your choices straightforward. 

Add directional queues in spaces that will require attention

When navigating an unfamiliar place, people will often look for signage to help them find their way. The first place that consumers often get confused is when hallways open up and they need to navigate down a new area. Without proper signage, they can end up down the wrong path and end up lost. When determining the signage you will be adding, it may be helpful to walk through the space yourself and consult your local Signarama sign adviser.

Establish an identity for each location

To avoid causing disorientation for your customers, give each place of your business its own identity. One way that you can do this is by adding iconography or a color scheme as an identifying marker. Your sign adviser can help with ideas and examples to ensure the system works well as a whole.

Keep these tips in mind when planning your wayfinding signs:

·         Stay on brand from copy to design

·         Keep the copy simple 

·         Use your signs to communicate in a friendly way

·         Select materials that are unique to your business

·         Choose inviting colors for your sign that align with your brand’s identity

·         Select a font that is legible and meets the needs of everyone (i.e., braille, larger font, etc.)

Every wayfinding sign in your business is part of a story. Each sign must be similar in design to the others, which helps minimize confusion and build recognition with your brand while creating a cohesive and professional look for your wayfinding signage system.

Want help with your wayfinding system? Reach out to your local Signarama to learn how we can help bring your wayfinding system to life.