Wayfinding – the Art of Urban Planning

Wayfinding…the art and design of finding your way aroundMany of us find our way in unfamiliar spaces with the help of Wayfinding Design.  Wayfinding is essentially how people orient themselves in space and navigate from place to place.  It’s finding the bathroom at a restaurant, the exit of a parking garage or your way through an amusement park.  We take a lot of this for granted but it wasn’t also so. One of the major contributors to this simple notion of Wayfinding design and signage was the prominent American urban planner and theorist, Kevin A. Lynch. 

Wayfinding design isn’t always done well, but when it is you’ll take notice (and know where you’re going to).   The use of color tends to be bright with bold graphics to create a functional yet memorable space for the user.  Sometimes the simplest design can be the most effective.  Innovation, ingenuity and even psychology are all elements that go into producing exceptional wayfinding.