Project 3 Creative Brief

Background
The contemporary Seattle Central Public Library's architecture features innovative form and function. Although the implementation of the revolutionary library system improves the efficiency of book-handling and library expansion a lot, however, it also makes the building more complex and harder for visitors to find their way within it. When it was first opened, the building lacked a sufficient wayfinding system. Currently, the library's wayfinding system has been improved but is still inadequate and lacks consistency with the original signing system.

Target Audience
The prioritized target audience is male and female between the age of 18 to 65 years old. The majority of the visitors are educated people who are computer literate. Their primary intention visiting the library is not only to find books, but also to use one of the 400 computers available in the library. Most of the primary target audience are regular visitors of the central library. The second group of audience is tourists who mostly visit the library for the first time. They don't come to look for books but to tour the unique building. The third group of the target audience is kids between the age of 3 to 12 years old. They often come to the library accompanied by the their parents, and they spend most of their time there in the children's section.

Objectives
The proposed wayfinding system would include a new set of icons, an improved library map, a new color-coded signage system, and an improved personalized library direction. The new signage would be implemented consistently throughout the library, especially in locations of high visitors traffic. Its visual design would mimic the original library informational signage to give a more unified look and feel to the overall library wayfinding system.

Obstacles
The architecture of the library is very complex and each level is different than the others.

Key Benefit
The visitors would be able to explore the building easier. They would be able to easily find their way without specifically having to look for directions because the signages are placed at key locations.

Tone
The tone of the signage system is bold yet friendly, just like the contemporary building itself.

Media
The map will be printed on a sheet of glass and placed on a metal stand. The signage will be printed on a sticker and placed at key locations. The online map will be presented as an extension to the current library's website.

Creative Considerations
The architecture of the building is complex, therefore the map and directions should be simplified so the viewers can easily understand, but not oversimplified so that they are still recognizable as representations of the unique architecture.

Week 8 Reading Reaction

Summary

• Metro Design Studio, Metro LA signage guidelines
  The primary advantage of guidelines is to help people work with templates. By using templates, designers can focus the audience on filling the templates in. Templates provide a structure to help people organize information and focus on it rather than the design aspect.

• Hunt Design, signage and master plan for Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
  In designing environmental graphics, also consider the "flip-through" users. Get the viewers' interest with an interesting image, an intriguing headline, and a short, crisp, declarative writing. It's important that the interpretive signs are of interest to all age levels.

• Bureau Mijksenaar, various transportation graphics
  In creating environmental graphics, designers must think in time see things in sequence. But the audience needs to have a sense of overview first; they want to get a feeling of what's going on or what will happen at the end, before they drill down. Good environmental infographics build up tension by building up information to keep people's interest so they stay attentive.

• Durfee Regn Sandhaus, exhibit design for the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens
  A good environmental information design should have different layers of information. There should be one for the viewers that move quickly through the space, and there also should be another level that goes deeper into the information.

• Poulin + Morris, exhibit design for World Trade Center Visitor Center
  Normally, when designing an exhibit, designers try to create an overarching narrative, something a larger group of people can understand. But with projects where the subjective point of view is very important, people are terrified of losing their individual stories. Therefore, it's critical not to homogenize or generalize.

• Infinite Scale Design Group, exhibit design for Brigham Young University
  Interactive displays would make a tremendous amount of information available to visitors, without making the environment itself overly cluttered. In interactive displays, the additional information is not visible unless the viewer wants to find out more details on a particular information.
  When creating environmental design, it's also important to plan for future expansion and changes. For this purpose, a style guide with guidelines would be a good solution.