In May 2025 The Velvet Principle celebrate its 15th birthday. Leaving the comfort of paid employment to go it alone is probably one of the scariest and most rewarding things both founders have ever done. None of it would have been possible without the amazing clients and people we’ve had the great privilege to work with along the way. We heartily thank you for all your support and for putting your trust in us.
How many times have you been in a briefing meeting for a new wayfinding project, only to discover there’s a significant gap between the client’s vision and the budget allocated to the signs package? In this post we discuss a number of things (beyond sq. ft. of the building and number of floors) to consider when putting together a budget.
Tasked with designing a pedestrian map or plan as part of a wayfinding scheme? Here’s some of the key things you need to consider to ensure that it can be easily understood and interpreted
Seeking feedback from a range of different perspectives is an important part of the design review process. However, when you’re busy juggling competing priorities, or up against deadlines that could have financial consequences if missed, it can be difficult to allocate sufficient time. For those of us involved in the design of physical wayfinding signs, it’s not something we should short circuit. After all a well-considered signage system could last decades. This means addressing the wayfinding requirements during the early stages of a development project and ensuring design reviews are fully accounted for in plans and proposals.
Last week The Velvet Principle attended a symposium hosted by the SDS and SEGD London Chapter focussing on inclusive design for wayfinding information. The event featured a series of thought-provoking presentations exploring the ‘what, why, when and how’ of inclusive design. Distilling what was a packed agenda into a few takeaways, is a challenge, but these were some of the highlights and key reminders for any wayfinding consultant and designer.
The design of the wayfinding signs needed to align with the client’s sustainability and wellness targets – BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Core Gold. To meet these challenges the design minimised the volume of material by applying the information as individual characters directly to the building surfaces
With the emphasis in design consultancy tending to be on the new and innovative, we’ve come to expect detailed design reports and strategies; multi-component product specifications and manufacturing lead times spanning several months. But sometimes low tech solutions, that just use whatever is to hand can work so well – like this low tech wayfinding design at Orford Ness.
Cost-effective and pragmatic sign design implemented across five apartment buildings within the Phoenix Community Housing estate, to comply with Fire Safety Regulations
Beyond the aesthetics, colour has an important functional role in wayfinding design. Colour is often used to distinguish between floor levels, routes and different activity zones. For many people, colour offers a very clear and easy to follow intuitive cue to assist with navigation.
With an estimated 8% of the male population and 0.5% of the female population worldwide having some degree of colour vision deficiency, here’s some guidance on how to ensure the information is accessible
The Government has launched a £200m fund to help Local Authorities make improvements and upgrade pedestrian and cycle routes and paths. Clearly creating safe and attractive routes is critical if we’re to be persuaded to ditch cars in favour of cycling and walking. Importantly, we also need to know where these car free, safe or green route options are and where they can get us to.