3 Uses For Wayfinding Signage at Colleges and Universities
SEPTEMBER 9, 2019| SpeedPro PremierCategories
UncategorizedLike any business, your college is a brand – and your campus should sell itself to prospective students, parents and staff.
From well-manicured grounds to billion-dollar building budgets, the appearance and aesthetic of your campus is almost as crucial as your academic reputation in higher education. Not only that, once students and staff start their first year at your school, you want them to feel welcomed and supported.
High-caliber branding is half the battle to attract and retain well-suited staff and students, so keep your campus outfitted with clear, informative and boldly-branded wayfinding and directional signage.
Here are three ways you can use directional signage at your college or university to boost your brand, elevate your aesthetic and make your campus more welcoming and easy to navigate:
1. DESIGN AND DESIGNATE: THE FORM AND FUNCTION OF WAYFINDING
Assigning names or numbers to different areas helps students and faculty members easily distinguish one building, lecture hall or meeting room from another.
With directional signage, you can easily name rooms or buildings, and help even first-time visitors navigate through them using wayfinding signage intuitively.
This will naturally make visitors feel more comfortable and welcome. Beyond that, it can also be a powerful branding tool for your school.
Designate rooms with names specific to your school, such as a name that’s a nod to your mascot or pays a tribute to a revered professor. This instantly adds character and novelty to your halls, while building your brand and community. Including your school colors or branded icons throughout these signs can further boost your brand and resonate with students, staff and visitors.
Similarly, wayfinding signage can also be used to designate and denote special outdoor zones and areas, like parking lots, waiting rooms and other similar “assigned” areas with specialty purposes.
Printed on various base substrates, directional signage is highly customizable and configurable to your unique needs – and is durable enough to withstand any inclement weather, or years of wear and tear.
2. STEER STUDENTS AND STAFF IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
University campuses contain dozens of buildings, which can be daunting to navigate – particularly for students and staff rushing to class or a new job.
Directional signs help new students, staff and campus visitors find the exact buildings they need, as well as navigate within them. Indoor and outdoor wayfinding signs provide clear direction toward different buildings and key points within them, like exits and entryways, restrooms, vending areas and more.
Within the vast expanse of a college campus, wayfinding signage provides students and staff with quick, clear and simple directions to:
- Staff and faculty offices
- Dorm buildings
- Classrooms
- Lecture halls
- Media rooms
- Cafeterias
- Event spaces
- Conference and board rooms
By leveraging clear signs that employ bold arrows and colorful directives, you can draw foot traffic to key areas and guide visitors both to and within campus buildings.
3. DISPLAY AND RELAY IMPORTANT INFORMATION
With custom directional signage, you can also relay pertinent information to students, staff and visitors. Leverage eye-catching directional and wayfinding signage to showcase parking rules and pricing; highlight building, library and faculty office hours; or point toward recycling and garbage areas and device-charging areas.
When important information is easily accessible to visitors, it makes their experience much more enjoyable and hassle-free. Plus, it cuts down on any burden on your staff, who would otherwise be responsible for relaying that information to campus newcomers.
Whether you’re recruiting potential students and staff members, guiding visitors throughout a special event or helping new students feel at home on campus, clear, branded directional signage does most of the work for you.
Every time someone steps foot on your campus, directional and wayfinding signage will help welcome, connect and inform them all at once – while also boosting your brand.