How Wayfinding Works
Work in wayfinding and signage?
Whether you're a designer, builder, or manager of sign programs for the built environment, you've no doubt experienced the struggle of explaining what you do and why you do it.
It's simple and it's complicated all at the same time.
Fortunately there's now a great resource to help you share why you're so passionate about this field in a fun and accessible way.
The good folks over at DNCO — Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson — have just published Straight Forward: How Wayfinding Works and Why Strategy Matters.
They've been kind enough to allow us to publish their brief chapter summaries right here on our website as a way to offer our visitors some valuable content, and maybe pique your interest enough to order your very own copy.
1. Wayfinding: Why it’s More Than Just Signs
A guest contribution by Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson. When we think about sense of place, we don’t often think about wayfinding. We might think…
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2. Theory: How We Find Our Way
A guest contribution by Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson. Compared to the Arctic Tern, a migratory bird that flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic…
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3. Strategy: How to Put the Right Sign in the Right Place
A guest contribution by Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson. When you’re devising a wayfinding scheme, it’s the strategic framework upfront that plays the most crucial…
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4. The Golden Rules: Clear, Coherent and Consistent
A guest contribution by Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson. The deeper you get into the art of wayfinding, the more hats you need to wear.…
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5. Longevity: Wayfinding That Lasts
A guest contribution by Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson. Good wayfinding systems shouldn’t come with an expiration date. Instead, they should be resilient to the…
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6. Accessibility: Wayfinding for Everyone
A guest contribution by Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson. What’s the point of a wayfinding system if not everyone can use it? People need to…
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7. Cartography: How Maps Help Us Understand Place
A guest contribution by Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson. One of the most common side effects of working in wayfinding is being really, really into…
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8. The Future: A Digital Work in Progress
A guest contribution by Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson. The smartphone in your pocket or the Sat Nav in your car has replaced the need…
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9. The Process: How Wayfinding Projects Come Together
A guest contribution by Patrick Eley and Alan Stevenson. No part of the place creation process happens in isolation and wayfinding, an extremely collaborative practice,…
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