OUGD405 - Study Task 02 - Symbols

Using Otl Aicher's 45° pictogram grid we were asked to redesign one of the iconic pictograms for the olympics events, considering audience, scale, contrast, impact and clarity. Looking at past examples, the olympic symbols vary greatly, with some very simplified  literal icons to more realistic figures.

 

However, in my own designs I wanted to move away from the more standardised use of human figures and try something more conceptual. I selected a range of sports and attempted to simplify them down to only one or two lines. Anticlockwise: swimming, synchronised swimming, diving, weight lifting, triathlon, pentathlon, fencing and archery. 

   

I mocked up these symbols on coloured backgrounds depending on the categories - blue for water sports, red for strength sports, green for outdoor sports, brown for martial arts, and purple for multi-sports.

swimming, synchronised swimming, diving

weightlifting, archery, fencing 

triathlon, pentathlon

Feedback from the critique indicated that the simplified design was more innovative and futuristic than the standard figures, and the more muted shades of the colours worked contrasted well and created impact. However the point was raised that these symbols might not translate well to an older audience and so would need an additional title indicating the sport. 

OUGD405 - Studio Brief 01 - Liberty Park Symbols

In order to enhance the wayfinding system at Liberty Park the introduction of symbols and pictograms are a key element. There are currently no symbols incorporated into the signage, but symbols are important when navigating a large building as they give key areas a quick visual identity and allow for fast recognition of the facilities available. They are also important for international students and students whose first language is not English, as universal symbols are easier to identify than words.

Symbols I will introduce include:

• Arrows (left, right, up, down, diagonals)
• Lift (up and down arrows in a box)
• Stairs
• Washing Machine
• Postbox
• Bike shed
• Bin area

Signs that will need to be created:

• Levels 1 - 13
• Blocks 1-5
• Lift
• Stairs
• Reception
• Bike shed
• Bin area

I looked into other common versions of similar symbols and created my own designs, keeping in mind that they should be minimal but detailed enough to still convey a universal message.

Laundry Room:

Bin Area:

Postboxes:

Bicycle Shed:

The final designs are shown below. All signage within the courtyard and the ground floor will be in the signature purple colour of Liberty Living's new logo. This includes big signage in the courtyard and symbol signage for the bin area, bicycle shed, postboxes, and laundry room.

OUGD405 - Studio Brief 01 - Self Initiated Critique of Ideas

During the first self initiated critique for this brief the group discussed the possible locations for which a new wayfinding system would be the most appropriate. After looking into Leeds Train Station, the Trinity Shopping Centre and Liberty Park Accommodation, I concluded that Liberty Park's wayfinding system was the least coherent and would benefit the most from a redesign, as there are many inconsistencies between designs and there are limited uses for the existing signs. What's more the company itself is currently undergoing a rebrand, changing both the typeface and colour scheme for their logo; many parts of their branding are now outdated, which provides me with the opportunity to continue with the updating of their wayfinding system.

OUGD405 - Study Task 01 - Extended Research

Broadly researching other forms of wayfinding I looked at a variety of signage systems, looking particularly at placement, scale and colour:

The use of colour to create an identity for different floors within a building is one of the most used but most effective methods of wayfinding - it can vary greatly between scales, from just the colour of the writing on a sign to a full block colour wall. The most common placement for signage is on walls but extending signs onto the floor or ceiling can also be highly effective, although this is specific to the environment as floor signs will be obscured in places with heavy footfall, and ceiling mounted signage would be impractical in an environment with tall structures. The use of large signage, typically stretching from floor to ceiling, is increasingly common as it shifts the function of the sign from a simple piece of wayfinding to an architectural and design statement. There is also an increasing trend for signage to be applied directly to a surface rather than mounting it on a board of plaque, and mounting a sign on a contrasting or complementary material can be highly effective in terms of visibility, clarity and cohesion.

Within Liberty Park it would be most appropriate for the signage to be situated on the walls, as the floor is subject to continual heavy footfall, and placing signs either on or hanging from the ceiling could prove complicated and confusing for new tenants and or/international students. Although there is a greater potential for the signage to be damaged when places on the walls, it is the clearest and most simple placement for signs that need to be found, recognised and understood quickly and by a large number of people.

OUGD405 - Study Task 01 - Leeds Train Station Research

The train station in Leeds is owned by Network Rail, one of eighteen run and maintained by this company. It is one of the most well signposted public areas in the city and contains some of the most recognisably designed signs.

There are only three types of signs within the station: wall signs, ceiling signs and free-standing signs on the platforms. All signage throughout every station under Network Rail follows are a strict design strategy - white type, arrows and symbols on a navy blue background with a coloured stripe at the bottom of each sign. The signs in Leeds have a green stripe, whereas Edinburgh Waverley, Liverpool Lime Street and Reading are blue, Glasgow Central is yellow and Manchester Piccadilly is purple, each relating to it's position in the country. All text, arrows and symbols on signs that indicate an exit are highlighted in yellow. 

One of the only exceptions to the signage is the banner for the self service ticket machines. In Leeds Station it contains black text on a white background, but this can differ from station to station as these machines are run by different companies. 

There are also a specific set range of symbols and pictograms used within all Network Rail stations. There are a total of eight different arrows used on signage to indicate the direction of both platforms and other facilities - up, down, left, right, and each of the four diagonals in between. There are standard symbols used to indicate toilets, lifts, bicycle gates, and disabled, family and pushchair entrances and exits. Also within the main concourse is a central meeting symbol. Information points are indicated with an 'i' enclosed in a white circle, and parking is indicated with a 'p' enclosed in a white square.

The signage extends beyond the station itself, to Metro bus stations which are indicated with its red circle symbol, and taxi ranks and luggage racks.

Visible even over large crowds, the signage at Leeds Station's is recognisable almost to the point of being iconic. It is minimal while still being as clear and concise as possible, and the consistency of the green banding provides a link between all signage, making it highly effective for both navigation and recognisability. 

OUGD405 - Study Task 01 - Liberty Park Research

Liberty Park is one of the many student accommodation sites within Leeds and is run by Liberty Living. Despite providing housing to many hundreds of students every year, both new to the city and to the accommodation, there is a distinct lack of signage within the buildings. Each floor has one sign indicating the level, although this is missing on the ground floor (bottom picture).

There are a small range of signs within the main reception area and central courtyard but there are inconsistencies between them as some display an updated version of the Liberty Park logo (top image) and some display on older or potentially outdated logo (bottom images).

The only other signage in the complex is on the laundry room door, but again this is inconsistent with the previous signs - the machines in the laundry room are provided the company Circuit and the sign is designed to match the typeface and colour of the Circuit logo rather than Liberty Park's. There is no other signage within the laundry room itself.

The wayfinding within Liberty Park is virtually non-existent - what signage there is does little to direct or guide a person through the building or to certain location - and the multitude of designs for each sign creates confusion.

OUGD405 - Study Task 01 - Trinity Research

Trinity is the biggest shopping centre in Leeds, with over 120 shops, bars and restaurants; spreading across three floors there is a multitude of signage deployed within the building. At regular intervals across the ceiling and at important junctions there are hanging signs indicating exit routes, car parks and access point to other floors.

Next to each entrance and at the top and bottom of each escalator are more detailed free standing signs with a floor map for each level and a key of shops, and a list of streets that are accessible from each floor. Each free standing sign is marked with an 'information' symbol.

Each level is colour coded (green for lower ground, yellow for ground and blue for level 1), making navigation quicker and simpler.

On the lower ground level there are large vinyl letters in the window of one of the main entrances, clearly defining what floor customers are on. However there is an inconsistency as this is the only floor to display these letters.