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DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

An
intelligent approach

Diadem brought the signage for the university into one unified signage system across multiple campuses.

A set of wayfinding standards was developed for all sign types to ensure consistency across design, messaging and manufacturing.

Client

Deakin University

The need
for order

Deakin University is one of the most respected names in tertiary education. Its campuses span four locations across Victoria.

The information on its signage and wayfinding helps direct people from campus arrival to buildings and individual rooms. That information, therefore, needs to be brief, relevant and consistent across all forms of communication.

To ensure a seamless and logical user experience, Diadem was engaged in developing a wayfinding system. This began by developing four fundamental principles for every sign: less is more, impact, purpose and location.

User-focused
navigation

A range of visitors arrive at Deakin University’s campuses on any given day. While they may have different end destinations, all journeys share a set of common steps:

  • arrival to the campus
  • orientation towards their destination
  • assessment of the most likely route
  • navigation to their destination
  • arrival at their destination

Working with this understanding, a holistic approach for each sign and its specific information requirements informed each sign’s location and purpose, as well as its design.

Working
with zones

For Deakin, the building numbering from a wayfinding perspective was not helpful but couldn’t be changed. Diadem broke down each campus into zones to simplify wayfinding, reduce the complexity of content on signs and make navigation easier.

Zoning ensures students and visitors can easily orient themselves on campus and navigate to other parts of the campus. Diadem’s signage design used identification and colour coding for each zone.

Testing
the hypothesis

A pilot signage suite was manufactured and installed at Deakin’s Burwood campus. Stakeholder groups and user feedback influenced the final design, and the results were overwhelmingly positive, with 94% of users reporting a positive experience.

With findings in hand, Diadem developed a set of wayfinding standards that confirmed the principles for the new design. This document ensured future signage would be consistent across all campuses, covering locations, messaging and manufacturing.

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