Knowing our way around an unknown place isn’t always easy. Even though modern technology allows us to explore even the farthest points of the planet with a few clicks, sometimes we still get lost in a simple building. No matter where we are – at a busy station, an airport, a giant office building, in a museum, a hospital or a park –, the only way we can find the destination we are looking for is if we become part of the given object or area, that is, if we put ourselves on the map. The map and the compass are given to the lost wayfarers by designers. They are the ones who offer guidance in the form of visual signs. We can immerse ourselves into the coordinate system of the spaces, building complexes and streets surrounding us with their help, while we look for easily recognizable signs and we follow unambiguous instructions to finally get from the “You are here” sign to the desired destination, may it be the restroom, the conference room or the fire pit. How can a well-designed system, a map facilitating navigation be exciting also in a visual sense? Here are some fine examples, from Poland to Peru.
Kitti Mayer
design theorist
IN THE CITY
Rutes Saludables Carlet, València | Carlet, Spain
Craig Robèrt
IN A HOTEL
OVO Wrocław by Hilton – Pictograms | Wroclaw, Poland
Wojciech Zasina
Kolektyf com
AT THE AIRPORT
Trieste Airport – Signage & Wayfinding | Trieste, Italy
Fabio Bertozzi
AT THE UNIVERSITY
UTEC | Lima, Peru
Brandlab™
Andrés Nakamatsu
Jhesse Franco
Romina De’ Luise
IN A PUBLIC BUILDING
Wayfinding Bodø City Hall | Bodø, Norway
by north™
AT THE PARK
Normafa Park identity design and signage system | Budapest, Hungary
Agnes Herr
Andrea Csuport
Interactive experimental sound spaces | Ejtech
On the edge of the virtual world
