Empowering People
by making sense of the places they visit
Wayfinding Consultancy
We develop integrated wayfinding strategies that use a range of tools to enable people to navigate and route plan.
Sign Design
We design content and sign forms that communicate all there is to see, do or learn in a place and guide people on their journey.
Experiential Graphics
We design graphics and products for buildings and places that capture the essence and character of the brand or experience.
Latest News & Views
Sustainable Wayfinding Design: Taking a Whole Lifecycle Approach
A key sustainability challenge for anyone involved in commissioning, designing or manufacturing wayfinding signs, is to think well beyond day one. To future -proof and lengthen the operational life of the information, by really exploring what the likely requirements will be in 2, 5 or 10 years’ time and factoring these into the design. All the while recognising that at some point, the scheme will have outlived its useful life and designing sign forms so that component materials can be easily recovered to be recycled or repurposed.
Wayfinding Scheme Maintenance
When specifying a new wayfinding system, it’s important to factor in the ongoing maintenance costs. Beyond ensuring the physical infrastructure is safe and kept in good order, you need to think about how frequently the information may need updating; the extent of likely changes; how critical the response time will be and budget. Feeding these into the design process will help ensure that the scheme is affordable over the long-term.
Importance of Graphics in Urban Design
Why graphic design is a key component of urban design. It’s the graphic objects that give a place its colour; encourages us to explore; keep us safe; communicates its purpose and why we should be interested. It helps us to connect with a place and can inspire just as much passion as the architectural or landscape design.
Sustainable Materials in Wayfinding
Selecting truly sustainable materials for wayfinding signs is challenging. It’s rarely a clear-cut choice – with low carbon products or processes often having a negative impact on some other aspect of the environment. A holistic, whole life view is needed, where designers and fabricators work closely to reduce waste; explore latest materials; consider end of life disposal and focus on improving the environmental performance of processes.
Sustainable Wayfinding Design: It’s all down to the Strategy
When it comes to sustainable wayfinding design – material selection and dematerialisation strategies are an obvious focus. However, to ensure that the end result is fit for purpose, future proofed and contributes positively to the overall aesthetic and enjoyment of a place, the most important factors are the underpinning strategy and design.
Wayfinding Signage for the Fire Service
In November 2020, amendments to The Building Regulations 2010 came into force. Responding to the recommendations from the Independent Review of Building, following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, these new regulations cover wayfinding signage requirements for the fire service for all apartment buildings over 11m in height with specifications for location, position, typeface and nomenclature.
Contact Us
Tel. No: +44 20 8744 9283
Email: info@thevelvetprinciple.com