New Wayfinding Signs Designed to Be Discreet, Helpful for Pedestrians Visiting Campus

The first signs being installed will designate buildings.

A variety of signs will help pedestrians navigate campus.

Directional signs will give pedestrians clearer means to an end.

Different types of signs will help drivers find parking and campus locations.

Differing designs aid drivers in finding parking, campus neighborhoods and highways.

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – You may have noticed new signs popping up around campus this spring but if you haven’t, that’s OK too. The signs are part of the university’s Signage and Wayfinding Program and are designed with campus visitors, especially first-time visitors, in mind. They’re meant to be discreet and used primarily by those walking to a specific location after they’ve already parked.

“The new wayfinding system was designed with a number of different sign types in mind — from street signs, to map kiosks, to building signs,” said Todd Furgason, campus planner in the Facilities Management Planning Group. “The point is to first get people to visitor parking and then direct them to buildings on foot, so the new building signs that you might have seen around campus are only one part of a bigger system yet to be installed. They’re smaller than the old signs because they’re part of this overall system, and because we want visitors to notice the campus while they’re here, not a collection of signs.”

“The new signs are exactly what we intended them to be: elegant, subtle, welcoming and effective,” Chancellor G. David Gearhart said. “First impressions are important and these wayfinding improvements will certainly make a positive impression on visitors to campus.”

A committee made up of representatives from across campus participated in the development of a Signage and Wayfinding Master Plan in 2005 and utilized an environmental graphic design firm specializing in research-based wayfinding to design the final program, which was finished in 2009.

“It’s best to plan a campus wayfinding strategy all at once, but it takes awhile to develop that kind of vision,” said Virginia Gehshan, principal at Cloud Gehshan Associates. “So much goes into a plan like this from researching how people get around on campus to the design of the signs themselves, including colors and font styles and sizes. In the end, everything is designed to provide a welcoming experience for new visitors and increase pedestrian friendliness in an unobtrusive way.”

The first 100 signs are being installed before the start of the 2013 fall semester. Approximately 75 of those signs will be building signs. Other signage includes directions to the Garland Avenue Parking Garage, pedestrian maps of campus at all parking decks, directional signs for pedestrians, and small interpretive signs. Additional signs will be added to other parts of campus as funds become available.

“The planning team at the University of Arkansas is concerned about the campus aesthetically,” said Gehshan. “They consider each detail and make sure it fits their overall vision from signs to the names on buildings to streetlights and trash receptacles. They’re focused on carrying out their vision, which is a beautifully sophisticated looking campus.”