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.

It’s one of those conundrums – you’re going out to tender because you don’t have the internal expertise to fulfil an identified need. Yet for cost surety and ensure you hire the best person for the job, you need to be sufficiently knowledgeable to define exactly what you want. Leave anything open to interpretation and you’ll end up comparing apples with pears in your tender responses.

Whether it’s your first time, or you’re a seasoned procurer, this is intended as a checklist to assist in framing the scope for a wayfinding project.

If you’re about to procure or project manage a wayfinding project for the first time, this article will help you understand what to expect during the development process.

To maintain the integrity of the investment, it is important that your wayfinding information is updated to reflect any changes to building structures, brand identities and use of space. Rather than introduce another layer of information or limit attention to the affected area, these changes should be integrated seamlessly within the existing wayfinding. Otherwise, you risk creating unnecessary visual clutter, confusion and achieving lower than expected footfall. To do this successfully you need to know exactly what information is currently provided, in what form and where. In other words a wayfinding audit that catalogues the location, content and design parameters of your existing signs.

Successful delivery of large complex building projects requires an extensive team of specialist providers. To avoid costly contract variations and make sure the project remains on track, the timing of these appointments is critical. As signs tend to be installed towards the end of the build, you’d be forgiven for thinking you don’t need to worry about the wayfinding until the latter stages. Do so at your peril – here we explain why you should consider appointing a wayfinding consultant during the concept design stage.

For most significant property development projects, sooner or later wayfinding or signage will come up on the to do list.  If it’s something you’ve not had to deal with recently or ever – trying to identify suitable suppliers could prove a little baffling.
Here’s a little guidance on how and where to find suitable suppliers for the job.