Studio Brief 1: Conventional sign systems

Pictograms
- to warn, guide or protect
- immediately decipherable
- independent of culture
- internationally recognisable

Semantics
- dependent on context, knowledge, society and culture
- sign and meaning

Syntactics
- set of rules, principles and processes that govern the structure of how the signs fit together
- formal 
- unambiguous
- succinct

Pragmatics
- context contributes to meaning of sign 
Indicative: informs receiver
Imperative: influence receivers behaviour
Suggestive: sets off feelings within the receiver

The square
- standing on corner is disquieting
- indicates certain intention

The triangle
- obtain a direction 

The circle
- rounded forms with the senses rather than the mind 

The arrow
- expression of a movement or direction is produced in some form




Examples...

Pentagram: Directional signage for LCC
The intention was to produce a system that would allow for better navigation within the building. The system needed to include door numbering, floor directories and larger scale directional signage. It also needed to be able to be made in-house in the same style if the need arises. The material palette is inspired by LCC's key principles of dedication to 'making' and physical design. The wayfinding should not take away the focus from the students' work, but it does need to be aesthetically in keeping with the quality of the design school.

Harry Beck: London underground 

Stingemore

Beck

The original London underground map by F.H. Stingemore took distance into consideration, making the information displayed in central London very overcrowded and hard to read. The purpose of the map was to inform the user on which train line would lead to certain paces, so the actual distance accuracy is not necessarily that important. With this in mind, Beck was able to enlarge the central area of the map so that the complicated connexions could be more clearly shown. He also made the design decision to limit the line directions to vertical, horizontal and 45°.