The Wayfinding Challenge.
Wayfinding at Northern Westchester Hospital
In 1960 architect Kevin Lynch coined the term “Wayfinding”. Webster’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English defines wayfinding as “signs, maps, and other graphic or audible methods used to convey location and directions to travelers”. As companies and facilities grow and become more complex, the need for accurate wayfinding increases. Many factors affect the ease with which a person can navigate a complex space. Color cues, changes in decor, visual landmarks and of course signage, all play an important role in providing information that people need to get from point A to point B.
Changes to the physical layout of a building can be practically impossible to correct in most cases. Radical changes to the decor can be cost prohibitive. However, small changes such as a new sign system can help reduce confusion. Often the wayfinding is a subtractive process. In older facilities we find that by removing older, outdated signs and consolidating information on a single, readable, and well placed sign can solve many issues.
Another simple way to reduce confusion is to ensure that the department or destination naming on all of the signage in your facility is consistent. Equally important is that staff refer to these destinations in a manner consistent with the signs. This is often the case in health care facility where the same department is referred to by different names by different staff members. For example, the Radiology Department may be the official name but the technicians refer to it as Medical Imaging and the public arrives looking to get an MRI. You can quickly see the potential confusion this visitor could face in getting to the appointment.
The professionals at Timely Signs can assist in evaluating your particular needs and provide a path forward. Contact us for a complimentary evaluation.
For additional information on the subject of wayfinding, download the “Showing The Way” by Frank Douglas, architect and principal of Douglas/Gallagher, an international design firm.
Large Format Display Checks!
One of the things I bet you don’t know about us, is that we can provide you and your business with large format display presentation checks. These are custom printed and are available for one-time use or even a multi-use format using a Vandal Guard dry erase laminate. Using a large format display check when presenting an organization with your donation provides you with a great photo opportunity.You can then use the photo for press releases, social media campaigns and customer newsletters.
Don’t just give a gift or a donation – Make an impact.
Our custom checks are offered in 2 standard sizes and can be customized with your organization’s logo at no
extra cost (when you provide the logo in digital format). We also offer 3 different color options, but we will be happy to use your companies PMS color as well.
Custom sizes are available, simply request a quote. Call or contact us today for pricing!
ROI on Signage
There are many reasons why a sign is beneficial. However, one of the most import reasons is return on investment, or it’s ROI. What is ROI? Short for Return On Investment, ROI is an accounting formula used to obtain an actual or perceived future value of an expense or investment.
How does that work with a commercial sign?
Basically, a good sign should be one of your best salespersons. Why? Because an on-premise sign is a permanent asset. Your sign doesn’t sleep, never takes vacations and says whatever you want.
Effective signs are revenue generators. More than simply an announcement of your physical location, it is your most responsive and cost-effective advertising option. Also, In today’s mobile society, the average driver spends some 540 hours per year on the road, which makes passing motorists a repeat, captive audience for your marketing message.
Consistency is the key to brand awareness.
Probably the single most important aspect of operating a successful business is brand awareness. The public likes to invest their money in companies and products that they recognize and trust. Your customers associate your brand with a few things, including your logo and signage. When these are drastically different there can be a disconnection in the minds of your customers about the identity of your brand. It is vital to create a unified identity across all of your different marketing platforms.
If you have multiple signs, it is important that they all have the same look and feel. When you have multiple signs that look completely different, you create confusion. The same goes with the use of colors. If you use different colors for your signs, logos, and other promotional materials, there would be no way that your customer can recognize you amongst everyone else, or know what you fully represent.
For example, you are walking through a mall to get a birthday present for a friend. You walk up to a store that has bright yellow sign with black letters shaped like a gift tag. Then you walk inside and are surrounded by yellow and blue interior signage shaped like gift tags, the employees are wearing tan slacks with blue polo shirts, and the carpeting and tiles all have the yellow and blue accents. Where are you? That’s right. Best Buy. And each and every Best Buy store looks exactly the same from Boston to San Francisco. That’s what we call Brand Consistency! You can know where you are and why you are there, just by looking around.
By having consistent messaging across all mediums, you show credibility and reliability to your customers. If you are having issues with the consistency of your sign in conjunction with your other marketing materials, it may be time to make some changes.
Feel free to browse our portfolio galleries to see what other clients have done to master the art of brand awareness and consistency.
As always, we’re always here to help if you have questions.
Brand Awareness through Vehicle Graphics
In order of importance for your company, what comes after increasing your customer base? Gaining visibility!
Increased exposure often leads to more customers, and vehicle graphics are a great approach. Wrapping a car, truck, or any large vehicle, with vehicle graphics will get seen by thousands of eyes per day – and leave distinct impressions on just as many possible customers.
Just how effective are vehicle graphics for your business? 91 percent of people notice words and images on vehicles and coupled with distinct lettering and images, your vehicle graphics will make your brand memorable to these important consumers.
Vehicle wraps have been dramatically growing in popularity for one reason…they work. In fact, vehicle wraps represent your best advertising value. Companies can spend thousands of dollars each and every month on billboard advertising. With a vehicle wrap, your car, truck, or large vehicle will achieve year round exposure without the high monthly costs of traditional billboards. Essentially, it’s your own moving billboard.
Here are some great tips on how to make your vehicle wrap most effective:
First off, and most important, be clear and direct with your message.
- Images are great, but if there is no mention of what goods or services you provide or you don’t have enough brand awareness, you won’t make that instant connection with a person. Make sure your design conveys exactly what you do.
Use the 5-second rule.
- A motorist has 3 to 6 seconds to read your signage, otherwise known as the 5-second rule of advertising. Designs should control where people look first — and leave a lasting impression. Because of the limited time span a person has to view your truck or car graphic, you need to be direct and clear with your message. Essentially, you only have 5 seconds to catch a persons attention as they drive by to convey an understanding of your goods/services and, ultimately, a call to action such as visiting your website.
Utilize the Back of the Vehicle
- The back of your vehicle is where traffic behind you will spend longer amounts of time than drivers passing by the sides. Use the sides of the vehicle to brand your company’s logo, phone number, web address and/or imagery. Use the back of the vehicle to spell out your complex messaging to the people that will have the time to absorb it. Look at every traffic jam as a marketing opportunity.
Ultimately, one of the hardest parts of vehicle graphics is maintaining a balance between an aesthetic appeal and the need for a sense of minimalism. One cannot just throw a bunch of information up on a car because it simply is impractical. There has to be a definitive cut-off in terms of what is necessary information you should have on a truck, car or vehicle fleet.
Click here for our full image gallery of vehicle wraps.
Here are some examples of some funny wraps that we found…
Sometimes, a good sense of humor can attract the attention of a prospective customer, particularly if you’re in an overcrowded services industry.
This is an interesting approach to a funeral service….
A bus wrap for National Geographic. This particular bus is very hungry…
