Must See Projects

An Idea to Keep in Mind

Size Matters (More Than You Think)…

After a few years of renovation and expansion, the local library has reopened.

Now equipped with striking architecture, nuanced branding, along with minimalist signage. On the surface everything looks great. Yet, there’s a problem…

Over the past few weeks the library staff have been getting reports from visitors that they can’t find anything.

• The toilets are eluding them so they leave early

• The stairs are hidden away so they see less than half the books

• The children’s section has hardly been visited

At first, the staff thought the signage had been missed. Yet on closer inspection they could see it was all there as intended.

The truth of the issue - the signs are just too small!

From a distance the wayfinding signage blurs into the background. While they are minimalist, elegant and perfectly fit the interiors they are impossible to read. The font is small. The arrows are thin. The sign is in the right place, but it’s practically useless.

This is a mistake that is made all the time.

When signs are designed exclusively on screen they often end up undersized. They looked perfect on the render, they even worked on the elevation drawings. But put them into the physical space and they simply fail.

In high-traffic spaces, visitors are scanning, not studying. They need instant clarity, not subtle cues. When placed in the vast open spaces of modern buildings, signs are often viewed from further away than you might expect.

So you’d think we’d make the signs bigger, to be read from those places. Yet we constantly see the problem occurring:

• Room numbers you can’t read until you’re at the door

• Directory signs hidden in a corner out of view

• Wayfinding overpowered by architecture

The result is disaster. Visitors get confused and frustrated.

Then comes the cost to solve the problem and rework the culprit signs.

This isn’t just about legibility, it’s about user experience. Larger signs, clearer content and optimised placement create trust. They reassure visitors that their needs have been considered.

In the example of the library the benefits are clear:

• Visitors use the facilities, and spend more time in the space

• They navigate the space seamlessly, finding everything they need

• Key areas are quickly noticed and explored

Great signage doesn’t just look good on screen, it works in the real world.

Sometimes that means making it bigger than your client initially wants.

They don’t get a second chance for a first impression…

Thanks for reading!

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