Great. Big. Wayfinders.

What Are Wayfinders? ○ Why Invest? ○ Process ○ Benefits ○ Examples

What Are Wayfinders?

Think of the last time you were in a new building or city – how much did you rely on directional signage to help you find your way? Some define wayfinding as an information system that guides a person through a place and allows them to understand the location. Wayfinders help you determine where you are as well as how to get to your desired location.

Wayfinding is more than hanging up a sign or two and hoping people get to where they’re going. When designing wayfinder signage, consider the flow of traffic and how those people will be traveling (i.e. on foot, riding a bike or driving a car). You’ll also need to consider the languages of your target audience and the level of literacy.

When it comes to wayfinding signage, you’ll want to make sure your signs are clear, concise, understandable and on brand. Brand colors, fonts and icon styles are great when designing branded wayfinders.

Why Get Wayfinders for Your Business?

Support Your Brand

As already mentioned, directional signage is a great place to incorporate your brand, and there are actually quite a few ways to customize your wayfinders.

For instance, wayfinders come in all shapes, sizes and materials. Typically, educational facilities will have wayfinders with directional text and images on colored aluminum hanging from the ceilings or covered walkways. A corporate office might have a more sophisticated, acrylic based wayfinder model that indicates where doors lead.

Create an Inviting Space

No one wants to be lost in an unfamiliar place. Installing directional signage in key places around your facility minimizes a customer’s chance of getting lost. You always want to put your best foot forward for anyone who considers entering your place of business, and one of the best ways to do so is to guide your visitors where they need to go. Leave a lasting positive impression by eliminating your guest’s questions before they even come up.

Strategically placed directional signage welcomes the guest into your space in a friendly manner. They will feel welcomed and assured they’re in the right place. Event spaces hosting a large number of guests will find this feature particularly helpful, as they may not have enough staff to personally greet each guest as they arrive.

The SpeedPro Wayfinders Process

We follow a tried and true process to make sure you get the most out of your SpeedPro Greenville experience.

Understand Your Goals

First, we talk with you and gather information about your business, your brand and your goals for the wayfinders. We’ll ask questions about the style wayfinder you’re looking for, what type of text/graphics you want to use and where you want the wayfinders (i.e. hanging from the ceiling, mounted to the wall, protruding from a wall, etc.). By gathering more information, we’re able to provide a more accurate estimate for the project.

Project Proofing & Estimating

Often before providing an estimate we request to make a site visit. This helps us get a visual of your walls and generate ideas of the best way to execute your vision. While a site visit isn’t necessary for a ballpark estimate, we’re able to give you a more accurate number up front if we’re able to visit and take measurements of the spaces you’re using. Taking these measurements also helps us better mock up your wayfinders. This process will give you an idea of how the art and sizing will fit in your space. However, if you know what you want and how you’d like to hang them, you can send us the specs and we can estimate based off that.

Once we have measurements and possibly photos of the space, we mockup your wayfinders on our 2D template. If you request design work, we’ll provide multiple mockups until you have the design you want. The mockup process gives you an idea of what the finished product will look like, and this is the time to make any sizing or proofreading adjustments.

When you’re happy with the way your wayfinders look on the screen, we’ll give you a final proof and quote for your custom wayfinders.

Production & Installation

After you give the green light, we begin production and schedule the installation. Once in the production phase, we convert the artwork from your proof into production. Since wayfinders are custom, the process to creat them will be custom to your project.

When your install date comes, we hand the material to our installers and let them work their magic. The amount of time needed for wayfinder installation depends on the quantity of signs and also how they’re installed. Smaller-scale projects could take half a day, but if your project is more involved, we might schedule a full day.

The Finished Product

The next time a newcomer walks through your building, the new wayfinders will guide them where they want to go. We’ll look over the new graphics with you and make sure you’re 100% satisfied with the finished product. After that, no more getting lost!

Benefits of Wayfinders with SpeedPro

Customer Service

Our goal is to help your brand stand out. Just think of us as an extension of your marketing team. We ask questions to make sure you receive the best solution to help you reach your marketing goals. Your satisfaction with your finished product means a great deal to us.

Quality Materials

We use quality materials no matter what type of wayfinding signage you choose. Our substrates, letters and standoffs are sturdy and classic. We use UV resistant inks and laminate all our printed graphics, so your graphic’s color should stay vibrant for quite some time.

Turnkey Solutions

We are first and foremost large format printers, but we offer turnkey solutions for our clients. Installation is included in our quotes and design can be added if requested. Depending on the scope of your signage, we custom produce all our wayfinder graphics or outsource to a reliable vendor.

Examples Of Wayfinders

Directional signs and wayfinding language are hugely effective ways to attract attention and draw potential customers into your store or around your business. Many businesses use directional signage to expand awareness of their brand and draw a crowd — not just from the storefront, but the streets. How can wayfinding and directional signs help your business?

• Entrance/Exit Signage –  Inform your customers of the nearest emergency exit with these directional signs and graphics. In addition to the fire code signage, add a wall decal or hanging sign directing people towards the exit or entrance.
• Interior Wayfinders – Many universities and other large facilities employ the use of directional signage to keep patrons from getting lost in the building. Even if your facility doesn’t seem that big to you, your patrons will appreciate knowing how to get to your office or the restroom.
• Event Wayfinders – Event wayfinders come in many forms: a-frame signs, pole banners, outdoor signs, hanging indoor signs, retractable banner stands and more. There’s no limit to what you can use as wayfinder signage, and you can easily customize these signs to reflect your event theme. If you want something that’s reusable, contact our sales team to get some more options.
• One-Way Traffic – One-way traffic graphics are handy when trying to keep traffic running smoothly. They are especially handy now, with social distancing restrictions in place. Show your clients the yellow brick road to keep safe in public areas.
• You are Here (Maps) – Vinyl maps can be printed and installed on wood or aluminum stands to show your customers what products and services are offered in your workplace. No size is too big.