Benefits of Wayfinding Design

Our wayfinding offer has a focus on two key areas, Strategy and Design. We see the wayfinding strategy as being a key component of the vision to help users find spaces and moments where they can pause, dwell, and make a connection to your site and its brand. Wayfinding must help visitors in finding their way both from a navigational perspective but also in their exploration of your environment. Our strategy defines the digital and physical principles for naming, content hierarchy, use of language (tone of voice) and pictograms, product types, updatability, the use of landmarks, response to the architecture and ways to help visitors simplify spaces with methods such as zoning, colour coding and numerical sequencing. By defining your strategy, we can create user centred and inclusive wayfinding design solutions that have been derived from real world needs and wants, allowing us to avoid design by assumption.

Digital Wayfinding Process

Our creative process starts by defining your design narrative, just like a piece of art, a good system needs a story and a rationale behind the concept. This might be obvious, subtle, or abstract, but a clear narrative provides sound reasoning that strengthens the wayfinding design. We openly share creative ideas, our influences, and the opportunists as we see them; sketches, swatch boards (colours, materials, forms & shapes) and benchmark examples are collated to build mood-board visuals that catches our team’s thoughts for open discussion and review. By adopting a collaborative approach, we refine our concept solutions into a complete product family for wayfinding signage: including graphic assets, colour swatches, layout grids, panel sizes, footprints, and recommended material specifications. Typically, our work culminates with the creation of a bespoke Kit of Parts report, this essential guidance document is used as a basis to support the future growth and roll-out of your wayfinding scheme.

What Are The 5 Principles of Wayfinding?

• Journey: Mima crafts wayfinding strategies that guide users through spaces, ensuring a clear path from start to finish. We consider the architecture and landscape to create a cohesive system that aids in navigation and exploration, enhancing the user’s journey through the environment.
• Legibility: Our team prioritizes clear communication through the use of language, tone, and pictograms. We establish a content hierarchy that makes information easy to understand and follow, ensuring that every sign or digital cue is legible and comprehensible to every person.
• Accessibility: Our approach to accessibility is inclusive, considering the diverse needs of all potential users. Their designs incorporate features that cater to various abilities, making spaces navigable for everyone. This includes ergonomic signage and the thoughtful use of landmarks, color coding, and numerical sequencing.
• Design: The design narrative is central to the process. We begin by defining the story behind the wayfinding system, which informs the concept and rationale. Through collaboration and creative exploration, we develop a family of wayfinding products that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
• Consistency: To maintain consistency, Mima creates a bespoke Kit of Parts report, which serves as a guideline for the future growth and rollout of the wayfinding scheme. This ensures that the design remains consistent across different spaces and over time, providing a reliable and familiar navigational aid for users.

By adhering to these principles, Mima delivers wayfinding solutions that are not only effective but also resonate with the visual language of the brand, fostering a connection between the user and the space. Our strategic and creative expertise in wayfinding design makes us a go-to agency for creating environments that are easy to navigate and enjoyable to experience.

To find out more please contact our Head of Wayfinding, Chris Girling (E: chris.girling@mimagroup.com)