Signage and wayfinding, across London
Across London commission: Interpretative Signage and Wayfinding
Year
2025
Client
fereday pollard for Tideway
Designer/s
Design concept: Gillespies and Hawkins\Brown for FLO; Detailed design: fereday pollard architects and Studio Hoi
Service
Commission Management
Location
12 locations across London
Permanent structures for twelve sites across London
A consistent signage and wayfinding design has been developed by Tideway to form the central element of the coordinated signage and wayfinding across the public realm sites. This was based on a concept design by Gillespies with Hawkins\Brown for FLO. They feature the site name, key directions and a 10min walk wayfinding map. Their primary role is to provide information on the Tideway project including a ‘how the system works’ diagram and a route map of the tunnel, site specific information on the engineering, heritage and public art, and the ecological impact.
The 2m high, 400mm wide micrototem is intended to provide presence on the sites but not to be intrusive. Its bronze coloured powder coated finish is complimentary to the varied finishes on the architectural features used across the project. The graphic colour palette takes inspiration from materials that have a historic connection to the Tideway sites of bronze and cast iron. The secondary colours were developed by looking at different shades of patina and verdigris on bronze.
The text is set in Replica, its shapes and corners are evocative of chiseling into metal. LL Replica was designed by Zurich-based design studio NORM and released by Lineto in 2008.
The design approach has been to minimise the text used and maxmise the use of diagrams and images, ensuring legibility and with the content printed on vinyls behind glass for easy updating. The content is therefore quite limited but has been written to provide sufficient information to perhaps encourage further research via the QR code to the specific website pages, where more detailed information can be found.
“Including the lost rivers on the route map provides a clue to the site names and the basis of the sewerage system.”
There are a series of small interpretative text panels for those sites which do not have a micrototem. These plaques are wall or fence mounted or embedded in the paving and provide information about the artworks and the artists.
Fabricated by Trueform Engineering Limited; maps by Oxford Cartographers.
Graphic design: www.studiohoi.com
For more information see:
www.tideway.london