In our May enewsltter we discussed how wayfinding extends beyond architectural boundaries, and the flip side of this is how wayfinding, branding, and placemaking intersect to define a location. Read the feature article below and read the full newsletter here.
Often used interchangeably, wayfinding, branding, and placemaking have different purposes and all contribute to a strong sense of place. An organization’s brand is how they are perceived in the world, the expression by which they are associated and identified. This image is formed through recognizable visual and verbal attributes of the brand, including logo(s), color, typography, and message. Brand elements can be used in wayfinding to connect visitors to the location, create a sense of boundary, and reinforce the identity of the organization.
Placemaking, a large-scale execution of the brand across physical space — connects people, place, and identity; it is not reliant on architectural boundaries but architecture often plays a critical role. Branding and wayfinding contribute to placemaking as they provide a unifying graphic language that shows visitors that disparate locations are still connected.
LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Between 2015 and 2016, Via Collective worked with LaGuardia Community College (LGCC) to create a wayfinding program that drew on their strong brand identity. Using information gathered from stakeholder interviews, user research, and a sign type audit, we developed recommendations that not only met the wayfinding goals but also visually unified their open campus. The result was a comprehensive set of signage guidelines that we aligned graphically with the brand and contributed to creating a sense of place in their Queens neighborhood. Though the architectural boundaries of this project were not contained in a single structure, a cohesive visitor experience was achieved through the branding and wayfinding elements that were applied across multiple LGCC buildings dispersed amongst the urban fabric.
C2SMART @ NYU TANDON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
In 2017, Via Collective develop a brand identity package for NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering C2Smart, a new grant-funded transportation technology lab. This package included a color palette, logo, and a bespoke set of icons that represented the different research areas. These elements were then translated to environmental graphics and directional wayfinding so that a visitor to C2Smart experienced the lab as a unique location with its own graphic language, related but distinct from the other departments which shared the floor. For this project, environmental graphics and wayfinding were used to highlight the distinct boundaries of the lab, reinforcing a sense of arrival when visitors crossed the physical threshold.