LAYOUTS

The situation: The City of New York FISA Payroll occupies 6,000 square feet on two floors. Both floors occupy a sprawling, labyrinthian space that is color-coded to designate each of the clustered departments – 5 colors on the 3rd floor, and 4 colors on the 4th floor. The colors were applied to columns, section directional signage, nameplates, and wayfinding signs. Their existing wayfinding signage was printed on paper, much of it aging, torn, and inconsistent. Due to inefficient placement, there was an abundance of redundant paper signage.

The task: Develop new, branded signage that supported the client’s existing color scheme, while upgrading the aesthetic appearance and streamlining its deployment.

Action: We strategized our initial site survey using the client’s floor plan to assign an alphanumeric grid to every section, and took photographs throughout the facility with the corresponding letter and number code in each photo. I determined which areas had an abundance of signs, took measurements of column heights, and made note of all degraded and/or inconsistent door and wall signage. I prepared design and material options for the client to select, and presented all design, production, project management and installation cost estimates for approval. An additional challenge for the project was to learn and incorporate all of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for signage with braille.

Result: We delivered a complete design solution that eliminated extraneous signage, and replaced it with brand-consistent and durable Sintra signage, deployed in a more efficient scheme which improved wayfinding for employees and visitors.