OUGD405 - Study Task 01 - Uni of Leeds vs Leeds Beckett Signage

Me and my group decided to visit both the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett campuses so that we could document their way-finding systems and compare them to each other.

Uni of Leeds:

The signs followed a specific colour scheme, the one linked with the university - dark green, white and black. I felt the white text against the green background was really effective and was great for legibility.  A simple sans-serif font was used throughout the signage, linking in with the logotype for the uni and again aiding with readability and legibility. The signage was fairly formal and straightforward, with no ornamentals or 'frills'.

    

The student union however had a very different feel to it. The general tone was a lot more informal and there was a variety of both sans-serif and serif typefaces. The union had a more 'fun' and young element to it, for example the arrows used to point in directions of places were bow and arrow style. Similarly, vintage-style hands were used to demonstrate direction along with shapes and colour.

Leeds Beckett:

Leeds Beckett campus was very similar to Uni of Leeds in the terms of its signage layout. Obviously different colours were used, still white text but instead upon a purple background, which I felt did give it a more informal feel compare to Uni of Leeds. Despite this, most of the signage was very similar in comparison, again with sans-serif typeface being used with basic arrows to show direction.

 

However, inside the student union the signage system again appeared quite different. Inside, things took a more informal tone, with a variety of different colours and styles being used. There were lots of arrows on the floor pointing in different directions to help students find their way round. Something that was particularly interesting was the footprint stickers found all around the inside of the union. These footprints became very confusing in certain places, with multiple different routes overlapping each other and no particular definition between the two aside from some small text. This system definitely would have benefited from colour coding and more variety between the routes.