Why Does Effective Wayfinding Signage Need That Expert Touch?

Wayfinding signage presents us with a paradox – if it’s doing its job effectively, it shouldn’t even be noticed by those who use it. Effective signage, therefore, is conspicuous only by its absence, when people realise how much they depend upon wayfinding systems in order to orient and traverse urban spaces. Despite the fact that we rely on signage every day, we remain largely unconscious of the impact that it has on our daily lives.

It would be a mistake to fall into a false sense of security, however. Like many things in the modern world such as smartphones or the internet, it may appear effortless and seamless on the surface, but there’s a huge amount of research, expertise and creativity occurring behind the scenes that goes into producing effective wayfinding systems.

Here we take an expert in-depth look at what wayfinding is, how it’s used and what constitutes an effective wayfinding system. Given the widespread applications of wayfinding in contexts as diverse as airports, hospitals, city centres, universities and shopping malls, the answers to these questions are of note to relevant officials across the public, private and third sectors.

What is Wayfinding?

Wayfinding involves the process of traversing through a given space to a final destination. This process involves a series of steps in order for the traveller to get from where they are to where they want to be. The first step is to work out where one is; this orientation is then used to guide oneself through the space to one’s destination. Wayfinding systems and signage are employed to enhance this experience by providing a series of cues, both subconscious and overt.

These cues act to create nodes throughout the journey to streamline the passage through the space. As a result, the traveller can navigate from node to node with ease until they reach their final destination. For example, a person enters a shopping mall. They want to get to a store on the third floor in the left-hand wing of the building. The first node could be a sign indicating the direction of the stairs or lifts. The second node will be placed outside the lift on the third floor, and additional nodes may be required depending on the length and complexity of the remaining journey.

How is Wayfinding Signage Used?

We’ve all encountered simple directional signage before, but modern wayfinding systems frequently include other elements that play a supporting role to these directional signs. It makes sense that, in response to the growing complexity of the urban environment and the array of functions that particular buildings play within that environment, wayfinding systems should adjust to respond to these additional demands.

These other components that constitute a modern wayfinding system most commonly include ‘you are here’-style maps to assist travellers with orientation and to help them plan their next steps. These cartographic maps tend to be highly simplified, presenting only the minimum amount of information required to avoid information overload. This is a central principle of wayfinding signage – too much information can be just as harmful as not enough info.

Other Applications

As well as helping people to get to their chosen destinations, wayfinding can be used to encourage travellers to take particular paths that they may not have taken otherwise. This has applications in museums and galleries, for example, where exhibitions are curated to be viewed in a particular order. Wayfinding can be employed in these contexts to ensure that no exhibits are missed – a vital function considering the often circuitous layout of these buildings.

The same principle can be applied to urban centres or historic towns to guide visitors to ‘hidden gems’ that may be out of the way. An increase in local business footfall can also be encouraged via strategic use of wayfinding systems.

How do Experts Create a Truly Effective Wayfinding System?

There are also other ancillary components designed for use in specific contexts alongside ‘you are here’ maps and common directional signs. These tend to be highly innovative, and include examples such as the use of coloured lines that run along the corridors of hospitals, where each colour refers to a particular ward. The same principle has even been applied in large corporate headquarters using brand-specific colours.

Indeed, including elements of branding across all aspects of the wayfinding system is a great and highly effective way to boost brand visibility. This has the corollary effect of ensuring that the positive customer experience that occurs as a result of using the wayfinding system is associated with your brand, leading to a boost in favourable customer perceptions of the given brand, as well as the space itself.

Providing this kind of innovation and creativity is vital to the effectiveness of a wayfinding system. Wayfinding signs, perhaps more than any other type of sign, are integrated conceptually with the environment in which they are placed due to their purpose of directing people through that environment. To be truly effective, then, they should also be integrated aesthetically. An expert can do away with simple arrow signs and create innovative directional cues, including use of lighting, colour and symbols to steer people to where they want to go.

In order for this to be successful the eyes of an expert are vital, particularly one with a background in manufacturing or implementation. These experts will possess intrinsic knowledge on the possibilities of fabrication and a clear understanding of what is viable and realistic.

Let’s Work Together

At The Sussex Sign Company we have decades of experience in the signage industry. In this time, our highly qualified team has accrued invaluable conceptual knowledge and had the opportunity to sharpen and finely hone our practical skills. We’d love to put our expertise to work to create an unparalleled wayfinding signage solution for your business, organisation or institution, so get in touch today to learn about the things we could achieve together. Call us on 01273 417057

Why use The Sussex Sign Company for corporate signage.

Corporate Signage:

When thinking of a company or a brand, what comes to mind? Perhaps the last experience that you had with the company flashes in front of your eyes, or maybe an advert that you saw which referenced the brand in question. When we consider our encounters and relationships with businesses and brands, we experience an emotional response. Depending on the nature of the experience, that emotional response can be positive or negative.

These emotional responses, founded on actual experiences, are highly significant to consumers when it comes to making purchase decisions. Naturally, if you’ve recently had a positive encounter with a company that led to your needs being met in a timely and efficient fashion, then the positive emotional response that you experience when considering whether to purchase from them again is likely to tip the scales in that company’s favour. A negative emotional response due to a bad experience, however, means that you are likely to remain wary of that company, even if they offer a special deal or particularly low prices.

Given that the associations that consumers have with your brand could literally make or break your business, it’s clear how crucial it is to do everything you can, as a business owner, to make sure that your customers leave your store with a smile on their face. This includes all of the things that you should be doing anyway, such as providing outstanding customer service.

However, your levels of customer service, for example, are determined by your corporate culture, your attitude and that of your employees. There is a far easier way to influence customer perceptions of your business, boost your brand visibility and improve consumer brand recognition. This is done via the clever and strategic use of corporate signage to create an integrated and unified brand image.

The Power of Corporate Signage

Whether you’re about to open your doors for the first time or you’ve been operating for decades, signage remains one of the most critical considerations for bricks-and-mortar businesses. First and foremost, an attractive and creative sign is vital to indicate your presence. If your customers and any opportunistic wanderers can’t find your business, then they can’t buy from you.

But besides marking out where your store is located, signage also plays an important role in distinguishing your business from the competition. The high street is a cut-throat environment and this doesn’t look set to change. Every town in the country has a number of pet shops, bakeries, repair shops and so on. Signage gives you an opportunity to indicate why yours is different and why consumers should come to you instead of your competitors.

Of course, only a small minority of the people walking past your shop are likely to come in, but signage helps to plant the seed for sales further down the line as well. Market research indicates that consumers are more likely to buy from a company whose brand they are already familiar with. So, make sure your signage is memorable and appealing, and your business will enjoy the effects of a boost in brand recognition.

The Medium is the Message

The power of corporate signage to serve as a kind of silent salesperson for your business, brand and products is clear. A well designed and eye-catching piece of signage can help to make a favourable first impression on potential customers before they’ve even set foot in your business. Getting this right is vital, though, because if you get your signage wrong, your business not only wastes the investment of time and money put into the signage, but actively loses additional income in the form of earnings from customers put off by the inappropriate signage.

Inappropriate in this context needn’t mean ‘offensive’. Signage can be inappropriate simply by not speaking to your target group of consumers in their language and thus communicating to them a message that you didn’t intend to send.

For example, imagine a sign made up of built-up lettering that is initially poorly installed. The faces of some of the letters slip slightly, a couple drop away totally. This sign communicates certain messages to any would-be customers in no more than a split second.

Firstly it gives the impression that you don’t care about the appearance of your business, and thus probably don’t care about other areas of your operations such as customer service or product quality, either. Secondly is the suggestion that health and safety isn’t on your radar as a business owner, as the lettering could easily fall and hurt someone.

Then come other messages, some occurring subconsciously in the mind of the consumer, that the business clearly isn’t doing very well, as they can’t afford the time or money to repair and replace the sign. This sets off other alarm bells – why aren’t they doing well? This acts to reinforce the initial negative impression obtained at first sight. Purchase decisions like these are made in a matter of seconds and very often, as with all first impressions, they cannot be undone.

Why Use The Sussex Sign Company?

Getting signage right the first time is evidently vital to your future as a business. To do this, you need to use a signage company capable of meeting your needs. At The Sussex Signs Company, we offer holistic corporate signage solutions where we take care of everything from design to installation.

We are able to do this effectively because of our in-house teams and preferred partners with a wealth of experience, qualifications and ability that gives you peace of mind in knowing that an expert will be working on your project every step of the way.

We also believe that installation is not the end of the job – it is simply a transformation of our working relationship into one where we manage the maintenance of your signs to ensure that they keep turning heads and providing maximal return on your investment far into the future. Call us today on 01273 417057

Safe Contractor Award

Top Safety Accreditation for The Sussex Sign Company

The Sussex Sign Company has been awarded accreditation from Safecontractor for its commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety.

Safecontractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.

Employing 24 people, The Sussex Sign Company is principally involved in the manufacturing sector, specialising in the sign and graphics industries and with a £1.2 million turnover. The Sussex Sign Companies most recent clients have included major players such as Wilmott Dixon and the TUC.

The company’s application for Safecontractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the business.

Norman Mayhew Managing Director of The Sussex Sign Company said “gaining Safecontractor is a milestone for The Sussex Sign Company and demonstrates our commitment to first class health and safety along with excellent customer service we our extremely proud of this award”

Safecontractor accreditation will enhance the company’s ability to attract new contracts and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.

Safecontractor is applicable to most sectors although it is particularly relevant to food manufacture, property, facilities management, retail and leisure sectors, all of which are big users of contracted services.

John Kinge, technical director of Safecontractor said, “Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.”

“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that The Sussex Sign Company has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.

Safecontractor plays a vital role in supporting our clients in meeting their compliance needs, whilst working with their contractors as they progress through the accreditation process.”

Under the Safecontractor scheme, businesses undergo a vetting process which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website.

Client-organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, enabling them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site. These clients agree that, as users of the scheme, they will engage only those who have received accreditation.

Over 210 major, nation-wide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as building, cleaning, maintenance, refurbishment or electrical and mechanical work.

Call us today on 01273 417057 or Email us from here

A list of the towns we work in throughout East and West Sussex is listed below.

CHAS certificated for your safety

The Sussex Sign Company is delighted to announce that we are CHAS approved for the second year running.

Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) is dedicated to completing health and safety pre-qualification assessments to a nationally recognized and accepted standard. Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme is established as the market leader for health and safety pre-qualification in the United Kingdom.

It is available to suppliers (those who provide goods and services) and to organisations (buyers) looking for suitably competent suppliers.

With 720 buyer members, over 62,000 suppliers on its database and 130 freelance assessors, CHAS is not only the largest but also the fastest growing health and safety assessment scheme in the UK.

Every day hundreds of contractors and consultants apply for work with public and private sector organisations including sign company’s, To win work, they must meet the buyer’s health and safety standards.

Assessing suppliers health and safety competence is usually a lengthy and time consuming process. Suppliers can sometimes meet one buyer’s Health and Safety standards but not another. Being CHAS approved reduces duplication as suppliers compliance is accepted by all CHAS buyers.

CHAS assesses applicants on

Health and safety policy statement;
Their organisation for health and safety;
Their specific health and safety arrangements to a standard acceptable to our buyers and to others.

Call us today on 01273417057 or Email us from here

A list of the towns we work in throughout East and West Sussex is listed below.

Fitting signs all across Sussex

Fitting signs all across East and West Sussex.

Many people ask us where we work, well right across the South East of England is the real answer, however we must admit that whilst we do carry out a tremendous amount of work in London, most of our work is completed in Sussex, both East and West. After all we are The Sussex Sign Company and over the last twenty years we have completed over five thousand different orders for our clients, from parish councils to corporate conglomerates, The Sussex Sign Company can look after all your signage and vehicle signwriting requirements.

A small list of the major towns we work in throughout the county is listed below.

Increased Use Of Soft Signage

Flags and banners have long been a popular choice, especially amongst retailers and the events sector. However, other areas are now starting to see the benefits, increasing their spread across the industry. This type of soft signage is extremely versatile and cost effective, making it easy to transport and install. The number of applications they are used for has seen considerable growth over the past few years. The public sector and local authorities are increasingly using flags and banners for their temporary or short-term signage needs. They can be used on lamp posts to publicise local festivals and initiatives. Businesses and council departments are seeing the advantages that using a wider range of temporary signage can offer them. They are an excellent way of attracting attention, as consumers are more likely to notice something that?s new and different. This increase in the use of soft signage has largely been made possible due to improvements in the manufacturing process. They can now be produced from a range of different materials, meaning their use isn?t restricted to indoor signage. Here at The Sussex Sign Company we work closely with all our customers to create the right signage for their requirements, whether they require a long-term solution or something temporary.

Signage made easy with Snap and Fix

A new product launched by Eurobond Adhesives has been designed to make attaching signage to surfaces, either on a temporary or permanent basis, much easier.

Snap and Fix can be used with a range of different materials to attach two items together. The product uses a system of mushroom heads that interlock with one another. This creates a secure connection when the two sides are pushed together. One of the main benefits of the Snap and Fix system is that it can be used again and again without impacting on the strength of the connection. The heads can be unfastened and then reattached as and when required, both crossways and lengthways.

The product has an acrylic self-adhesive back that is pressure sensitive, making it quick and easy to attach or remove. It can be used to mount signage to walls and other hard surfaces. It works with a number of different types of signage, without having an impact on the quality of the design.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company we are constantly looking at new products on the market. This enables us to come up with the most appropriate signage solutions for our customers.

Create new effects with blackboard film

If you want to have the effect of a blackboard, without having to install one, then the new product from ASLAN is perfect for you. Their ASLAN CR 62 is a blackboard film that can be used with chalk in the same way as a traditional board. The writing or designs used on the blackboard film can easily be removed by using a damp cloth, making it perfect for applications where information needs to be changed on a regular basis. The surface is scratch-resistant and there will be no damage to the surface, even when used over a long period. This new film is an ideal solution for menu boards in cafes and restaurants or for use within offices and schools ASLAN is a specialist manufacturer, which already supplies a range of self-adhesive films that are designed for different applications. This new blackboard film has been designed to complement its existing memo board film range. It makes it simple to turn any type of flat surface into an instant blackboard. Here at The Sussex Sign Company we are constantly monitoring the signage market for new and interesting product launches that we can use to enhance the work we do for all our customers.

SignClip sees increase in sales

SignClip, the fixing solution for temporary signage, has seen a significant increase in sales since it was first launched almost two years ago. The company behind the innovative product will now have the ability to increase production speeds, which will reduce the overall cost to their customers.

SignClip was manufactured specifically for use with temporary signs, which had previously been difficult to attach to poles and railings. The only other viable alternative was the use of cable-ties, which were not ideal. The clip is used to attach signs produced from corrugated plastic, making them much easier to put up and take down.

The product was first shown to the market at the Sign and Digital UK event in 2012 and, since then, it has gone from strength to strength. The company is looking to increase its reach further, showcasing it as the perfect choice for customers and sign-makers involved in the temporary or disposable signage market. As sales continue to increase, the company aims to keep unit prices as low as they can.

Here at Sussex SignsThe Sussex Sign Company, we can produce a wide range of different signage options for our customers. We can work around your individual requirements, to create a style and design that?s just right.

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