Welcome to the Sign Design Society
The Sign Design Society (SDS) is for anyone interested in information and graphic communication within buildings and public spaces, including:
- Wayfinding
- Interpretative graphics
- Brand and experiential/environmental graphics
- Statutory and health & safety signs
As well as raising the profile of our disciplines, we offer members a programme of events, resources and initiatives to help them:
- Keep up to date and improve their practice
- Find potential consultants, collaborators & employees
- Promote their work and capabilities
To join choose a membership plan that suits you and sign up!
Our events
Thursday, 26 February 2026 (1pm GMT / 2pm CET) We all know typography is essential in visual communication. But what makes successful typographic design go further than just relay a message, and ground the content in a voice, plant its feet in a specific place? City identities are too often outward-facing only, meaning they are […]
Interested in a membership?
News
2nd edition Sign design guide now available to buy!
The new edition of the guide continues to provide practical guidance to experts and non-specialists alike, based on both best practice in inclusive design and the latest research.
Third party events
Increase your understanding of how to make environments more inclusive for people living with sight loss.
During this workshop with a letterpress/graphic artist, participants will design, typeset, and produce a unique letterpress printed poster. The workshop will utilise the museum’s collection of wood types. It will be a hands-on experience, covering the fundamentals of letterpress printing techniques and some of the craft’s history and background. Beautiful results can be achieved by playing with the layout, ink effects, and the texture of the wood type. All stages including the inking will be done by hand… think big type, short words, and interesting textures.
We’re delighted to have Honorary Academician Tina Saaby delivering this year’s Academy of Urbanism Founder’s Lecture, exploring city urbanism through the perspective of children and young people. The presentation will draw on lessons from her time as City Architect for Copenhagen and Gladsaxe, Denmark.
Every place is full of stories. When bringing a heritage building back to life, or when shaping any building, public space or whole neighbourhood, there is an opportunity to bring those stories to life. Whether through a collaborative design journey or through the physical changes made, there is something powerful about connecting our built world with local people and communities, past and present, through stories. Cristina Carrasco, Participation Manager for the Sunday School Stories Project at Union Chapel in Islington joins us to explore different ways to both tap into and celebrate the stories connected with the places we inhabit, and how these can both contribute to and influence our sense of cultural belonging within our shared heritage across architecture, music and social justice.
In the early 1920s, several artist-designers like El Lissitzky and Kurt Schwitters began developing theories of graphic design and letterforms that would shape the coming revolution in print. New technologies were transforming photographic reproduction and lithographic printing, but perhaps the most radical proposals were for the wholesale adoption of sans serif typefaces as a universal medium for both reading and display. However, there were very few suitable faces in the type case to meet these demands prompting a campaign to develop new and more adaptable sans serif faces. This lecture by Paul Stirton will explore the theoretical debates that led to the creation of Futura, Erbar, Kabel, and Gill Sans.