Get to Where You Need To Go: Why Your School Needs Campus Wayfinding Signage | youRhere.ca
School campus wayfinding signage:
Wayfinding is an important aspect of property management for all industries, including the educational sector. With the nature of school campuses being crowded, busy places, implementing methods to ensure visitors, potential and current students, and staff can safely find their way around is crucial.
A well-thought-out wayfinding strategy provides school administrators with a way to keep visitors informed on their whereabouts, while communicating important news about current events, and safety practices. Seventy-three per cent of educational institutions deem digital signage to be crucial for the future of communication, cementing their place in the educational sector.
Below, we explore the advantages utilizing effective wayfinding signage brings to college, university, or high school campuses and how it can create a more inviting and navigable environment for everyone.
What is wayfinding?
Wayfinding helps to guide people in a physical environment, increasing their understanding of the space while improving their experience. On school campuses, this helps to reduce the stress that often comes with navigating complex built environments, contributing to a sense of well-being, safety, and security.
This form of navigational signage encourages a more confident self-orientation as students, staff, and guests manoeuvre the campus safely while familiarizing themselves with the environment.
How wayfinding enhances the campus experience
A comprehensive campus wayfinding system helps new and prospective students easily locate campus destinations, creating a less stressful and more enjoyable initial experience. It can be employed to:
- Promote inclusivity with directional signs and advantageously placed exterior signs guiding individuals with mobility challenges or visual impairments more efficiently throughout the campus.
- Foster a greater sense of safety and security on school sites with illuminating wayfinding signage to help guests locate safe pathways, parking lots, and buildings at all hours or during emergencies.
Implementing an effective wayfinding strategy
Establishing an effective management strategy with wayfinding requires careful planning and consideration of the various elements involved. Collaborating with facility managers, students, faculty, and staff helps to identify areas of needed improvement and discover potential solutions.
For wayfinding signage to maintain its effectiveness and efficiency, it’s important to ensure these systems can easily adapt to changes on campus i.e., construction projects, new buildings, and campus expansions. Incorporating these practices creates a more enjoyable experience for the campus community while also improving safety and security.
Creating a sense of community with wayfinding
Wayfinding signage can create an engaging, welcoming environment that supports a sense of belonging and community on campus. Consistent and easily navigable wayfinding signage helps to create a unified campus identity that encourages students and visitors to explore all the school has to offer, from events to various facilities.
These digital signage mediums have great influence in establishing a memorable experience for everyone that enters. With various ways to get creative and make the signage interactive, university administrators can develop a campus landscape that is instantly recognizable. This can be especially helpful for those new to the area or campus, providing an anchor point to identify their location.
Wayfinding is the way
A well-designed wayfinding sign and system is a great way to foster positive college experiences that benefit students, faculty, staff, and visitors alike. With these navigational and informative systems, colleges and universities can build a more welcoming and inclusive environment that helps everyone to feel united within the academic community.