Evaluation - Way Finding

Below are the final designs that have been created for a new contemporary signage system to be placed within the Corn Exchange. The approach that the design took was mainly subjective, which was informed by the opinions of the likes of Van Toorn, Paula Scher and Experimental Jetset, who all believe that a sign system and design in general doesn't ever necessarily have to be entirely functional. Therefore the design for this sign system took a very subjective approach, however the design was influenced and inspired by the building and architecture of the Corn Exchange itself. The design aimed to create an engaging experience for the public, which has been achieved due to the abstract approach of the pictograms. This subjective approach has meant that a contemporary rebrand has been successful, as the sign system now becomes the identity for the building, therefore becomes objective for the Corn Exchange.
   To evaluate the design decisions, the colour choices work well as each colour has been carefully selected through research and questionnaires, to best represent and be associated with the type of shop. The colour swatches themselves can also become a well known identity, therefore the Corn Exchange can then be associated with those colours and colour scheme. the colours are also not too close in value, therefore they won't be confused for each other. The typeface works well, as it is a modern, sans serif and therefore fits with the contemporary theme, and the geometric shapes of the letters actually correspond to the architectural shapes found throughout the building and look coherent together with the pictograms. The design decision to use vinyl in the production of the symbols, solves the design problem of the temporary nature of the signs and shops, therefore it makes it easy to change and is versatile. Using the symbols with limited type also means that names and type doesn't need to be changed and the sign system can always be up to date. It also creates a multilingual system, therefore as Leeds becomes a forever growing city, different languages and ethnicities in the form of both residents and tourists increase in popularity. Therefore the global use of pictograms means anyone can understand and find their way around. The supergraphic also creates an engaging and interactive way finding system, as the map is part of the building, people can walk on it, look at it, view it and read from it, it turns the Corn Exchange, not just into a shopping centre but into an experience, which makes it stand out from the other centres and shops around the area.
   To critique the design, both individually and informed from feedback, the pictograms should be placed upon a grid, particularly Aicher's grid to therefore give the pictograms a coherent system and boundary which means that all of the individual symbols can be complemented together, and once again become an identity as a whole for the Corn Exchange. For example the weight of the line for each symbol needs to be made equal throughout, to make sure the symbols are comparable and for the same building. Other amendments to think about, are to make the health and jewellery pictogram less intricate, and use more geometric shapes, therefore it will fit alongside the other designs better, to look as a cohesive set of symbols, similar to the toilet, lift and stairs symbols, as they are all very simplified and have similar line thickness to fit the same aesthetic, looking at figure 1,  the feedback has been applied to the design and the improvements make the pictograms look more coherent as a group of symbols and give a better feel of an individual identity. Further critique is aimed towards the subjective nature of the design, as it could be too subjective and difficult to find their way around, however the design itself is more an identity and an engaging concept, rather that a functional system which tells people black and white, it is a more interesting approach which creates a brand and personality for the corn exchange rather than a functioning sign system. The sign system itself will become more useful over time, and will become engrained as a part of the building, it is just a different which goes against the view that design should be entirely objective.
  In conclusion, although the design system doesn't necessarily seem completely functional, after researching alternative opinions on subjective design and contextual research, solving the problems within the design proposal. The sign system works in the context of a subjective approach, it becomes engaging, exciting and injects a personality into the building and creates an identity for the Corn Exchange, which is therefore successful in producing a way finding system that creates an identity for the building and will hopefully overcome it's outdated decline in both business and visitors.