Our Process

DESIGN

We follow a simple four-step process based on the Design Council’s Double Diamond model:

WAYFINDING STRATEGY

1. Discover

We plan the project and get to know the place – expectations; communication and practical/structural considerations; what is special and characteristic about the place. The stage includes:

Kick-off meeting to plan and agree the scope, budgets and timings for the project.
Site visits(s) to walk and photograph the site, check sightlines, potential signage siting, ground conditions, visitor flows, traffic (vehicle and pedestrian), sense of place.
Audits of current signage, identities, messages, visitors, place characteristics.
Incorporation of findings into presentation and documentation.
Liaising with client to gather all required content, including placenames, maps, text.

2. Define

Based on the finding of the previous stage, we design the graphic and structural elements. This stage includes:

Design of all graphic elements including a consistent and coherent visual design language, including logo mark, logotype, headline and other fonts, colour palette, iconography, map styles and other graphic devices.
Design of sign structures including a consistent and coherent physical language, with a clear hierarchy of signage types, and accounting for physical and ground conditions (e.g. sightlines, flooding).
Commissioning any third-party elements (e.g. copywriting, photography, illustration)

2. Define

Based on the finding of the previous stage, we design the graphic and structural elements. This stage includes:

Design of all graphic elements including a consistent and coherent visual design language, including logo mark, logotype, headline and other fonts, colour palette, iconography, map styles and other graphic devices.
Design of sign structures including a consistent and coherent physical language, with a clear hierarchy of signage types, and accounting for physical and ground conditions (e.g. sightlines, flooding).
Commissioning any third-party elements (e.g. copywriting, photography, illustration)

3. Develop

We develop and revise elements to approval. This stage includes:

Development of content; copywriting, maps, illustrations, photography.
Develop and refine all graphic elements.
Design and refine all sign structural elements.
Propose and agree locations of all signs, based on hierarchy and visitor journeys.
Test builds and checks in workshop to test viability of proposed structures, refine if necessary.