OUGD405 - Studio Brief 01 / Wayfinding / Information and Interpretation

Way finding is a form of spatial problem solving. It is the practice of knowing where you are in a building or environment, knowing where your desired location is, and knowing how to get there from your present location.

Way finding systems are most commonly constructed via an amalgamation of pictograms, semiotics (semantics, syntactics and pragmatics), and basic signs, symbols and shapes, such as the square, circle and triangle.

Pictograms

Pictograms are graphic symbols used to convey particular messages and ideologies through associative imagery to objects and beings. They are used in the warning, guidance and protection of society, and therefore must be immediately decipherable, easily understood and recognisable on an international level - regardless of language, culture and identity.

Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of sign-making and meaningful communication. This subject area is concerned with three major contributing sectors of logical factors: semantics, syntactics and pragmatics.

Semantics:

Semantics are sign and meaning, dependant on context, knowledge, society and culture. There are two fields of semantics, these being - Logical semantics, being the concern of sense, reference, presupposition and implication. Lexical semantics are the  analytical view of words and meanings, and the relationships between them.

Syntactics:

Syntactics is the arrangement of a visual language. These are generally formal, unambiguous and succinct. In design, these are concerned with:

• Form 
• Brightness
• Colour
• Movement
• Material
• Scale
• Position
• Shape

Pragmatics

Pragmatics is the study of how context contributes to meanings and the human understanding of them. Pragmatics can be divided into three sectors of communication, these being:

Indicative

Indicative pragmatics leave it to the receiver to decide what they do within particular environments. For example, this symbol denotes that the receive may smoke if they so desire, but of course do not have to.

Imperative

Imperative pragmatics attempt to influence the behaviour of the receiver in particular environments. This symbol notifies that smoking is prohibited via the use of red and the strikethrough of the circle. This information tells the receiver that smoking in this environment is not condoned, even if they wish to.

Suggestive

 Suggestive pragmatics appeal to the emotions of the receiver in an attempt to influence their decision regardless of their particular environment. This symbol shows a cigarette within lungs. This visual information attempts to appeal to the health of the viewer, independent of location or environment.

Basic Signs

The square, the triangle, the circle and the arrow.

Square

Morphological study reveals the square to be identified as a symbolic object representing boundaries in its basic form. When rotated 45 degrees, oblique lines produce an alternate visual language that is "disquieting," demanding attention via indication of intention. This form is used prominently throughout the U.S. on traffic signs.

Triangle

When placed vertically on its apex, the triangle evokes a sense of direction via the suggestion of movement, most commonly left / right or up / down dependant on rotation and communicated form.

Triangles with a horizontal top or bottom make for ideal signal signs due to their symmetry. Triangles with a horizontal base in particular communicate a message of permanence and stability.

Circle

The human relationship with the circle is that of a more spontaneous kind as a result of its deviation from the horizontal and vertical lines experienced more abundantly through out daily life. The curve of this form creates a greater connection the senses, rather than the mind.

The circle is also representative of a space within which people are able to see themselves either in or outside of. The shape is viewed more subjectively dependant on the viewer(s).

Arrow

Similarly to the triangle, the oblique lines of an arrow are suggestive of movement and direction. Arrows pointing left or right tend to have greater impact as a result of human movement majoritively taking place on level ground.

Way finding Systems

The style of a way finding system should be entirely dependent on the specific requirements of a particular environment, taking into considering volume of traffic and usage of the space. The system should become a part of the location, integrated into the dynamics of the place itself and considerate of the interaction that takes place within the space. 

The Brief

Studio Brief 01 requires the development of a way finding/navigational system for a selected environment using developing understanding of typography and visual communication.

The system should guide and aid a user through the selected environment considering legibility, clarity, consistency, and coherence. This will enable the network to guide the user in a consistent, convenient and safe manner.

I anticipate the biggest challenge of this brief to be the selecting of the environment for which the navigational system is to be created, although I believe Study Task 01 will aid my progression and development.