Firstly the College does use a consistent wayfinding system in terms of colour combinations and typefaces. The grey on white typography has a high contrast that has clear legibility for the reader. By doing this colour scheme it also acts as a neutral viewpoint much like the design of the wayfinding system of adidas Laces 2011. There is also information hierarchy within this system as well, grouping the facilities into directions and then prioritising the classrooms over amenities. The issue with this design however is that there is too much information for the reader to take in. The wayfinding system is very text heavy and leaves the reader scanning through the sign to find their desired route. For example, there is no need for that many arrows if they all point the same direction because it adds to the visual clutter. A larger, singular arrow could be used to generalise each facility. Furthermore the placement of the signage does not help the reader in way finding, more often than not the signage is placed slightly out of view from general traffic.
The grey colour scheme extends to the floor level signage, the room numbers and the doors in the college, maintaining consistency. There are however problems with this system, namely the size of the room numbers.
From this angle, the room numbers are illegible due to their size and lighting of the environment. It causes further inconvenience for the reader and lowers the efficiency of the wayfinding system.
What I found interesting though was the use of coloured lighting within the college. The coloured lighting can pose as a way finder. Each floor or department could have a designated colour scheme that corresponds to a colour identifier on the level boards. The reader can then see that colour from afar which helps reach their destination.
Then I went to look at examples of wayfinding in other universities. To investigate how they approached creating a wayfinding system for a similar audience.
This system was done by Frost*collective and BrandCulture in the University of Technology, Sydney. Their aim with this design was to create a visual presence in the ever increasing development of the urban landscape that surrounds the university. They focused on creating a unified and comprehensive wayfinding system. Their use of bright yellow stands out from the visual background, engaging the reader from a distance and providing information legibly. Their signage incorporates a modular system which allows for interchangeable panel, such a need to change in information. This too can be seen in Leeds College of Art's signage where the panels are clearly divided. So despite a visually busy environment, colour can still be used successfully for wayfinding despite the system used in adidas Laces. The colour scheme used in LCoA is neutral and does not engage the reader unlike the system in University of Technology, Sydney. The signage at LCoA blends in with its environment and does not effectively help the reader. Adidas Laces is successful despite using a neutral colour palette because of the typography design and scale of the signs. The scale and design is not of a typical printed typeface, it jumps out at the reader and because of its unique design requires inquire from the reader thus engaging with them more successfully.
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