Signage in design

The visual language is also made up of a series of signals, these signals were designed with the aim of saying, with just a group of united elements, all the information necessary for the message to reach a successful conclusion.

This is how they designed what we know as signage. In this post, I will tell you everything necessary and important for you to enter and learn more about the world of signageespecially in graphic design.

We will also show you some designers and designers, who are especially dedicated to the design of this branch. And we will tell you some important features about it.

Signage: what is it?

The signage is defined as one of the important branches that make up graphic design. It is important since it is very functional and serves as a guide. It is one of the elements that best summarizes the language and the different ways of communicating. That means, with just one signal, you can say an entire sentence without mentioning it. What is great? Well, thanks to this invention, many people with hearing problems can communicate and move around a certain environment without any problem.

What seems like a simple sign, It is today a very well elaborated and correctly functional design that has finally reached the hands of graphic design. Currently there are many characteristics that bring together this type of element, but only the most basic ones are the ones that fully describe signage.

General characteristics

• The signage has as its main objective identify and facilitate language. In addition, it also fulfills the need to satisfy the basic functions of human beings. They have been designed to be particular to each other, and fulfill different objectives that, apparently, all lead to the same thing, the message.
• They are designed with each of the features in the environment. For example, we can find the famous sign that It leads us to a certain parking lot or vehicle parking area, and it has been designed with all the characteristics of this environment so that the individual can identify it without any problem.
• They usually reinforce an image of a certain brand. Signage also works with brands, in fact, signage would be nothing if it were not introduced also in corporate identity and vice versa. In short, they are elements that combine well when creating a certain brand.
• The signage is formed from graphic elements such as linguistic icons. They are designed in different graphic design programs, and each of these elements must be well executed and positioned on a base grid for their subsequent materialization. At first glance it may seem like an easy task, but it requires a lot of work and perfection.. Well, a signal can not present deformities or be poorly balanced visually.

In short, human beings also communicate through signals that help us locate and direct ourselves in a much more comfortable way. So much so that, without it, we would be complete individuals finding ourselves and moving about in the same environment.

Signage in different environments

The hospitals

Many people are not aware of how important signs are in hospitals. Hospitals are centers of great importance for humanity, moreover, andIt is also necessary to inform patients or people who access, that entry to different areas of the hospital cannot be allowed for the safety of each of the individuals who are there. Another example is the signs that warn of certain radiations, or of chemical elements that, if not treated properly, can become toxins or highly toxic products.

In short, signage is very important to be present in areas such as hospitals.

The hotels

Hotels are similar to hospitals, but perhaps without fewer chemicals. The signs that are usually seen represented in hotels, they serve so that the client is at all times located and guided throughout the establishment.

There are hotels that occupy large spaces, that are very spacious and that contain numerous rooms. Imagine if none of these signs existed, each person would walk lost or even return to the point through which they have already passed, it would be the closest thing to the maze of Alice in Wonderland.

The airports

Another environment where the use of signs is essential is undoubtedly in airports. Airports are places where the amplitude is enormous, so much so that they are divided by different floors or sections. It is important that all the people who share the same space, beyond the plane, they also know where to go at all times to satisfy their primary needs: cafeterias, restaurants, services, boarding area, etc. 

These are some of the resources that must always be highly clear and informed.

The offices

The offices are another of the meetings where there is usually more signage around the environment. This is because an office is not only based on being made up of computers, customer service telephone numbers and others. But it is also important to know how to improve the organization of a certain company.

In addition, the way of communicating through the use of signalss also helps clients feel comfortable and safe, which facilitates the improvement of the image of a certain company.

Restaurants and entertainment venues

Another sector that we could not leave behind is the hotel industry. This sector is currently increasingly demanded by users. For this reason, it is essential that the presence and use of signs help a better linguistic understanding of the environment.

With these elements, customers also feel in complete harmony knowing where everything is. And as a company or sector, everything is visually more organized and balanced, since everything is in its correct and indicated place.

There are more sectors such as some stores or businesses where the use of signage is also important.

Otl Aicher and signage

Otl Aicher has been one of the best graphic designers in history. yeshis name is widely proclaimed due to his very important projects that he designed on corporate identity, but also stood out for its signage design.

He was neither more nor less than the father of signage in graphic design. His designs stand out for being correctly structured and for their correct functionality. In addition, below we are going to show you some of the best pictograms of him that he designed for the Olympic Games.

Pictograms of the 1972 Munich Olympics

The pictograms of the Munich Olympic Games are characterized for being reinforced through a great evolution. So much so, that not only have they been part of each of the sports that make up these games, but also of many of the sectors that made it up.

In 1972 the pictograms began to come to life and a conceptual advance was produced that marked a before and after in the history of signage. Otl Aicher, replaced some abstract forms that were recognized in his works, for different more modular structures of his designs. In this way, the movement of the person is better synthesized, and the sporting activity that he or she performs. This happened for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.

Waldi signage

He also worked for other signage projects, for example for the Olympic Games in Montreal, where the famous mascot of the games was designed, the Waldi mascot, a figure in the form of a dog. But not everything was there, since as we have mentioned before, he has also designed signage in some of the corporate brands that he has designed and produced. So much so, that his designs became very important because he left a personal mark on them.

Brown

This is how, years later, the famous Braun brand arrived, a completely structured and functional brand. The famous logo has been part of one of the most important and outstanding works of graphic design. In addition, it stands out the importance of the use of geometric shapes that helped to further reinforce the iconography of the logo. It was undoubtedly one of the brands that, like all design, had a great temporal evolution. In addition, he has also been part of numerous very relevant projects, without a doubt one of the design figures that stands out above many others.

Conclusion

Design and signage have always gone hand in hand. So much so that they would be nothing without each other. Therefore, it is important that when you design a brand you take into account a small percentage of signage in your designs. Well, it will help you better organize some secondary aspects in the development of your brand.

We hope that you have learned more about signage and design, and that Otl Aicher has served as a good reference for your learning and inspiration in your designs.