Bilingual Campus Wayfinding with Inconsistent Legacy Signs
A tertiary institution with three campuses needs a wayfinding system. The main campus has 14 buildings, 6 car parks, and a bus stop. Signs must be bilingual English/Te Reo Māori, with Māori first. Existing signs are inconsistent: some use all caps, some sentence case; colours vary; mounting heights range from 1.6 m to 2.4 m. Students report getting lost, and international students say they do not see the signs. Phase one budget is NZ$85,000 for the main campus. The institution has a brand palette of dark blue, white, and an ochre accent, but no typographic standard. The campus has a mix of 1960s concrete blocks and new glass buildings, and the main entrance is used by 2,000 people daily.
1. Recommend a typographic and colour system, and justify decisions against legibility and cultural requirements.
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Typography: a humanist sans-serif with a large x-height and clearly distinguishable macrons (e.g., a typeface family that supports ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Use sentence case, not all caps: all caps slows reading for longer names and reduces word-shape recognition. Set Māori first on every sign, at equal or slightly larger size, because the institution's bilingual commitment is a partnership statement, not a translation afterthought. Minimum cap height 25 mm for directional signs viewed at 5 m, and 60 mm for building names viewed at 20 m.
Colour: use the dark blue as the background with white text for a contrast ratio above 7:1, exceeding WCAG AAA for large text. Do not put ochre text on white: ochre is a low-contrast accent. Use ochre only for arrows, borders, and zone coding, with a white or dark blue keyline. Limit the palette to three colours plus white to reduce visual noise. The 1960s concrete and glass buildings have different reflectance, so specify a matte anti-glare laminate. Mount all signs at a consistent 1.8 m to the centreline, which suits both standing and wheelchair users and fixes the current 1.6–2.4 m inconsistency.
2. Identify the information hierarchy and how you would test the system.
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Hierarchy: (1) campus entry/gateway signs naming the campus and confirming 'you are here'; (2) precinct/directional signs at path junctions, listing the next three destinations with arrows; (3) building identification signs at each entrance; (4) floor directories inside; (5) room numbers. Each level answers one question and does not repeat the level above. The 14 buildings and 6 car parks should be grouped into four colour-coded precincts, but colour must be a secondary cue because colour-blind users exist. Use consistent arrow placement and a simple map at each decision point.
Testing: run wayfinding tasks with 12–15 students, including 4 international students, from the bus stop to three destinations. Measure time, wrong turns, and whether they noticed the sign (ask them to point to it). Test at night and in rain. Also test comprehension of Māori names with a cultural advisor and a sample of Māori students; if macrons or names are misread, revise. A/B test two typographic sizes. Set a success criterion: 80% reach the destination without asking, and 90% can recall the precinct colour. If not met, simplify the hierarchy rather than adding more signs.