The Wayfinding Handbook: Information Design for Public Places

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Wayfinding is often used to refer to traditional navigation methods used by indigenous people. It encompasses all ways in which people and animals orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place. Historically, wayfinding refers to the techniques used by travellers over land and sea to find relatively unmarked and often mislabelled routes.

The book ‘The Wayfinding Handbook’ by David Gibson, demystifies the fascinating process of providing the necessary clues and environmental information that help people orient themselves and intuitively find their way. The book also describes everything one needs to know about getting started as a graphic designer in the environmental graphic design – a process that would encompass both the experience of choosing a path within a built environment and the set of design elements that aid in such a decision.

The author, David Gibson, a wayfinding designer and the principal of graphic design firm Two Twelve Associates, sums up many rich experiences that he has had working for all kinds of clients across the world. The book intends to be a user’s guide to the art and science of the specialised design discipline that has occupied him for more than 30 years now.

A decade ago, the professional practice of wayfinding design simply involved devising sign systems. Today, the field is much broader and continues to expand to address technological developments – kinetic media, GPS systems, web connectivity, smart materials as well as cultural changes in areas such as branding and environmental awareness. Gibson starts the book with the history of wayfinding and the spectrum of projects where he describes the evolution of wayfinding design(er)s through several great examples of wayfinding projects. Also, what makes the book interesting is that every chapter features a page written by people from the industry, which gives different perspectives on the topics and not just the author’s.

The book describes many types of signs and explains about the strategic planning and information graphic design. There are several examples on ‘how to document a wayfinding system’. This makes the book really stand out. Gibson also illustrates the way type, colour, mapmaking, dimensional forms, material selection and new media are used to create effective wayfinding systems.

‘The Wayfinding Handbook’ is a complete guide to the discipline – from planning and design to practical considerations. A comprehensive bibliography and gallery of resources round what is likely to become the go-to resource for students, professionals or anyone charged with designing people-friendly, universally accessible environments. An essential cross-disciplinary book about graphic, architectural, landscape, interior, industrial and information design for the 21^st century wayfinding design.

Title: The Wayfinding Handbook

Author: David Gibson

Language: English

Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1st edition (February 4, 2009)

ISBN-10: 1568987692

ISBN-13: 978-1568987699

Pages: 152