Branding and belonging: Signage shaping workplace experience

Signage at work

At its most basic level, workplace signage provides navigation for staff and visitors. However, our role goes deeper than that, transforming daily interactions into moments of delight. It’s not just about finding the boardroom; it’s also considering what the boardroom should be called, or how the journey there can be made more engaging.

Signage also plays a crucial role in organising modern workplaces. Often, we work with large teams spread across multiple floors and flexible spaces with no fixed zones. A well-considered signage suite and environmental graphics, from the use of wall colour to floor graphic designs, can support this style of working, especially in environments where repeated floorplates lack visual distinction.

In a recent project for Medibank, various tones of environmental graphics reflected the Victorian landscape on each floor, from canopy greens of the Dandenong Ranges on the upper levels to the deep blue tones of Port Phillip Bay at the base.

Design for delight

At Diadem, we view signage as more than just a functional necessity for wayfinding. While it provides clarity for a variety of user journeys—from the newly inducted employee to the back-of-house delivery person—it also serves as an extension of the brand’s personality. Whether through materiality, technology, or tone of voice, we aim to infuse the brand’s character into every interaction, creating an engaging experience that adds a touch of delight to the working day.

As working from the office is no longer the norm, businesses are reconsidering which aspects of the traditional office environment are worth preserving. The key to our design approach is to avoid creating themed spaces that may impress in a concept stage or at launch, but quickly lose their charm. Instead, we focus on sustainable design choices that continue to inspire over time.

For example, in a recent project for Australia Post’s new support centre, the brand’s signature red was used to make a bold statement, connecting paired work floors with warehouse-style ducting that evokes the original pneumatic tubes of corporate communications. Throughout the workspace, the fit-out references logistics systems and integrates subtle postal elements, nodding to the brand’s distinctive iconography and typographic style.

A responsible approach

While our workplace signage suites are often useful, transformative, and delightful, Diadem is also committed to making them as sustainable as possible. This approach not only offers clear environmental benefits but also reinforces a brand’s green credentials. For instance, in our Deloitte Adelaide fitout, we used recycled plastic for most of the sign panels—a bold choice by the client that embraced the material’s imperfections, honouring both the brand’s integrity and the architect’s intent.

Sustainability at Diadem also informs how we streamline our design solutions. We tend to avoid unnecessary ornamentation, which can lead to installation issues and increased costs. Instead, there are benefits in expressing panel joins within sheet size minimums, celebrating the physical and mechanical components of signage rather than defaulting to a concealed finish, especially when it reflects a brand’s ethos.