Wayfinding & Directory Signs in Colorado Springs

Start with a sign schedule

A sign schedule is the list of every sign in the building, by type, location, and message, built from a walk of every point where a visitor has to make a choice. It is the most useful document in a wayfinding project, because it turns "we need some signs" into a count you can price, approve, and install.

The site walk follows the routes people actually take:

1. Arrival. Where do visitors park, and which entrance do they use? Is the main entrance obvious from the lot?
2. Entry. What is the first thing they need to know inside the door: which floor, which wing, which elevator?
3. Decision points. Every hallway split, elevator lobby, stair landing, and corridor end where someone could turn the wrong way.
4. Confirmation. A sign shortly after a turn that tells people they are on the right path.
5. Destination. The suite, room, or department sign at the door.

Each sign gets a number on a floor plan and a line in the schedule with its type, size, mounting, and exact message. That schedule is what we estimate from, and it stays with the building manager for future changes.

The four levels of a wayfinding system

Good wayfinding uses a clear hierarchy so visitors learn the system in a few seconds. Each level answers a different question and looks the same wherever it appears.

Messages should use the same names at every level. If the directory says "Imaging," the hallway sign should not say "Radiology." Mismatched names are easy to catch in the schedule before production.

Directories that keep up with tenant changes

Directories go out of date faster than any other sign in a building. Tenants move, suites split, and practices add providers. The fix is a directory designed for changes from day one, so an update is an insert, not a new sign.

• Changeable insert systems. Tenant names sit on individual strips or panels that slide into a frame. Changing one tenant means producing one strip.
• Printed inserts behind a lens. A full-panel print behind a clear cover, swapped as a sheet when several names change.
• Fixed directories. Vinyl or dimensional lettering on a panel. These look clean but suit buildings with long-term tenants, because every change means replacing lettering.

For multi-tenant buildings, we set the insert format and typeface once and keep the specification on file, so the building manager can order a matching strip when a new tenant signs a lease. Under the 2010 ADA Standards, building directories and occupant or company names are exempt from the sign requirements, though we still design them for contrast and legibility.

ADA requirements for wayfinding signs

The ADA treats wayfinding signs differently depending on what they do. Signs that identify permanent rooms and spaces need tactile characters and Braille. Directional and informational signs must meet visual requirements but are not required to be tactile.

• Permanent room signs. Room numbers, room names, restrooms, and exit stair doors need raised characters, Grade 2 Braille, and specific mounting locations. Our ADA and interior signs page covers those requirements in detail.
• Directional and informational signs. These need a non-glare finish and characters that contrast with their background, light on dark or dark on light. Character size depends on viewing distance and mounting height.
• Exempt signs. Building directories, occupant and company names and logos, and temporary signs posted for seven days or less are exempt.
• Protruding signs. Wall-mounted signs with a bottom edge between 27 and 80 inches above the floor can project no more than 4 inches into a circulation path, and overhead signs need at least 80 inches of headroom.

Projecting and ceiling-hung directional signs are where the protrusion rules matter most, so we confirm mounting heights on the schedule before production.

Exterior site directional signs and permits

Exterior directional and directory signs on a commercial property are covered by the Colorado Springs sign code, and the current code lists them as signs that need a permit. They are not on the list of signs that can go up without one, even though they carry little or no advertising.

As we read the sign standards table adopted with Ordinance 26-01, freestanding directional signs are limited to about 6 square feet and 4 feet tall, with no more than two per entrance, and commercial messaging is limited to 25 percent of the sign content. Freestanding directories are allowed to be larger and taller. Size and placement limits are applied site by site, and we confirm the current requirements for each property before design is final.

• Interior signs not visible from outside are exempt from the city's sign code.
• Signs in the public right-of-way are not allowed without a revocable permit from the city.
• Commercial centers with several buildings may use a Coordinated Sign Plan that sets the rules for site signs across the property.

Our sign permit services page explains how we prepare the sign plan and submittal. Some sign projects require engineered drawings based on the sign type, size, mounting method, and site conditions. We confirm the applicable requirements as part of the project review.

Matching wayfinding to your brand

Wayfinding should look like it belongs to the building and the company in it. The same typeface, colors, and materials used on your lobby sign and exterior letters can carry through the directional and room signs, so the system reads as one design instead of a catalog order.

• Typeface. A clean sans serif from the brand family usually works for directional text. ADA room signs have their own character rules, so we pick a compliant face that sits well beside the brand font.
• Color. One brand color for the sign body or accent, with high contrast between text and background.
• Materials. Acrylic, painted aluminum, and printed panels can match the finishes in the lobby. Our lobby signs page covers those materials.
• Glass. Room names and logos can also go on conference room glass, covered on our office glass film page.

Sign families are shown together on proofs so you can approve the whole system at once. Once the estimate is approved and the deposit is received, our team will begin the design and proofing process.

How a wayfinding project runs

1. Site walk and auditWe walk the routes from parking to each destination, mark decision points on the floor plan, and photograph every wall where a sign could go.
2. Sign schedule and estimateYou receive a numbered sign schedule and a written estimate. Once the estimate is approved and the deposit is received, our team will begin the design and proofing process.
3. Design and proofsEach sign type is designed as a family and shown with its exact messages from the schedule for approval.
4. Permits and productionExterior signs that need a permit are submitted while interior signs are produced.
5. Installation and walkthroughWe install by schedule number and walk the routes with you. We handle the installation, including equipment coordination when needed, through the final walkthrough.

Is a wayfinding project right for your building?

A planned system pays off in most buildings with more than a handful of destinations.