Landmark on Robson
Enhancing parkade navigation and retail signage for seamless journeys.
Navigating a parkade can be challenging without clear, intuitive signage to guide visitors to their intended destinations. Without proper markers, individuals risk getting lost or arriving at the wrong location.
To address this, the project scope expanded beyond the parkade to include comprehensive signage guidelines for the retail areas of the building. These guidelines establish clear rules for retail unit signage, ensuring consistency and enhancing the overall visitor experience.
Deliverables
Product design, Experience design, Visual design, Prototyping, Branding, Secondary research, Ideation
Software
CorelDRAW
Timeframe
Oct 2019 - Nov 2020
Users + Audience
This environment serves both the public and the residents of the buildings. The target audience includes self-directed professionals such as real estate agents, civil engineers, and individuals in sales and marketing roles—those who drive for work and have disposable income.
Process
For this project, I chose to follow the foundational User-Centered Design (UCD) process: Discover, Define, Design, and Deliver. This approach provided a structured framework for deeply understanding user needs and identifying the most effective solutions.
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By iterating on the design and validating the project's direction at each stage, this process ensured that the final deliverable met user expectations and provided a robust, thoughtful solution.
Scope + Constraints
At the start of the project, I received the brand logo, architectural drawings for the parkade, and examples of designs that stakeholders admired from other projects.
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The timeline was tight, with just one week to deliver the first iterations for the parkade signage. Following the submission, the client expanded the project scope to include creating signage guidelines for the retail spaces within the building.
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The retail signage portion presented unique challenges, as it required extensive research and interpretation of complex city and provincial bylaws to ensure compliance.
User research
To gain deeper insights into the users and project requirements, I thoroughly reviewed the documents provided by the client at the start of the project. These included design intent examples, the brand logo, and the architectural drawings for the building. This review helped me align with the client's design language and expectations.
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To further understand the signage needs of the parkade, I conducted a detailed walkthrough of the parkade's architectural plans, enabling me to identify key areas for effective wayfinding solutions.
Design requirements
After reviewing the supplied documents, I distilled the design requirements for the project into a clear set of guiding principles. These ensured consistency throughout the signage package:
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Unique: The design should reflect the exclusivity and sophistication of Landmark on Robson, creating a distinctive identity.
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Luxurious: The signage must exude elegance and indulgence, aligning with the building's upscale aesthetic.
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Functional: While maintaining uniqueness and luxury, the signage must also prioritize ease of use, delivering seamless functionality.
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These principles served as the foundation for crafting a cohesive and effective design solution.
Ideation
After gaining a deeper understanding of the project vision and thoroughly reviewing the client documents, I began ideating the package's design. This phase involved defining the foundational elements, such as the color palette, and determining the various types of signs required to enhance the functionality and aesthetic of the space.
Solution
After refining various visualization concepts, I prepared and delivered the initial set of drawings to the client. This included a detailed location plan for the proposed signs, enabling the client to navigate the space and gain a clearer understanding of the parkade's signage strategy.
Following this submission, the client expanded the project scope, requesting a comprehensive set of signage guidelines for the retail portion of the building. To develop these guidelines, I conducted an in-depth analysis of relevant provincial and city bylaws for the site. This ensured that the guidelines were not only visually cohesive but also fully compliant with regulatory requirements.
Deliver
At this stage, I successfully delivered two complete packages for client review: one for the parkade wayfinding and one for the retail signage guidelines. To ensure a thorough discussion, I scheduled an in-person meeting with the clients and the Account Manager overseeing the project. This meeting provided an opportunity to review both packages, gather feedback, and address any questions or concerns.
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Each tenant at Landmark on Robson may have one interior transom sign per frontage which is intended to be seen by vehicular and pedestrian traffic
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Interior transom signs must be constructed out of high quality, durable materials
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The signs will be designed to suit the tenant’s branding
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Please note that, in all cases, any damage to storefronts and/or canopies through tenant improvements must be repaired at the tenant’s expense upon change or vacancy
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Sign must be fixed to the mullion supports on each unit
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Signage is not allowed any less than 2” away from interior of glass transom
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Signage must be centered on glass transom
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Graphic content may include the company name, corporate logos and/or decorative graphics, but cannot contain specific product or sale information, phone numbers or product graphics that are not part of the company logo
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Only individual letters, numbers, symbols and logos are permitted and should be complimentary and contrasting in color to ensure good readability
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Faces may be in any landloard-approved color
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Sides of letters and graphics must be in a dark grey color to match building mullions
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Maximum height: 21in (.53m)Maximum width: 58ft (1.47m)
Iteration
Parkade Wayfinding
The two main takeaways from the meeting regarding the parkade wayfinding package were:
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A more subdued color scheme was requested.
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The preference was for individual dimensional text/graphics rather than panels.
Signage Guidelines
The two main takeaways from the meeting regarding the signage guideline package were:
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The desired placement of the signage differed from the initial suggestions.
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All signage should maintain consistency in font, material, and color, regardless of the branding of individual retail tenants.
Outcomes
This project provided several key insights and takeaways:
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User-Centered Design: Embracing a UCD approach was instrumental in shaping an effective product. It helped structure tasks, maintain focus, and ensure that the final design met user needs.
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First Impressions Matter: Creating a seamless, customer-first experience is essential. Simple, intuitive design enables users to navigate the app effortlessly, leaving a positive, lasting impression.
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Stay Focused on the Problem: The heart of any successful product is solving user pain points. Keeping these challenges at the forefront throughout the project ensured the solution remained aligned with user needs.
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These takeaways emphasize the value of user empathy, clear goals, and strategic design thinking in delivering impactful, user-friendly products.