Category: News

SDS member Astra Group is a leading full-service provider of traditional and digital signage solutions. The business has recently unveiled a new group structure as it eyes continued growth. The news follows the 2022 unveiling of the Manchester-headquartered business’s new group identity which brought its digital solutions arm ADXBA, and bespoke architectural signage arm Astra…

The Rees Jeffreys Road Fund has awarded The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design Royal College of Art a grant to explore how neuro-divergent people experience streets. Streets are public places that belong to everyone. They not only help us to get around, but also define and shape our neighbourhoods and form an important foundation for our…

The new funding will include £1.5 million allocated to support all 13 Mobility Centres across England roll out a ‘Hubs Mobility Service’. These vital services help people stay mobile after they have been advised to stop driving or if they are unable to learn to drive due to their disabilities, offering them advice on alternatives…

On 10 February, the Sign Design Society made its twice postponed visit to the Abram Games archive. This visit was significant because it’s the first in-person event the society has organised since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Little did we know the absolute wealth of treasure awaiting us. We were a small group…

The Access Association (A.A.) are a national network of individuals who are passionate about access and inclusive design. The Association recently held their autumn seminar, titled ‘Inclusive Environments: Designing for Neurodiversity.’ The event included talks on BSI PAS6463 Design for the Mind due for publication in 2022, and the second draft of Transport for London’s Accessible…

Some fields of design have clearly defined accessibility guidelines, such as the web content accessibility guidelines. We have the Sign Design Guide. This was published by the Sign Design Society twenty years ago and is still much in demand and widely cited as a standard for inclusive wayfinding design. However, the landscape of inclusive design…

A short-term promotional stunt by Sony Interactive Entertainment to celebrate the launch of their PS5 console on 19 November 2020,  saw some TFL Underground stations transformed for just 48 hours. Those of you who had reason to be travelling on TFL Underground last week may have been lucky enough to see this signage marketing feat:…

Congratulations to SDS member companies dn&co and Reade Signs who, along with allpointswest (and in conjunction with accessibility consultants JBC London), have won the prestigious SEGD 2020 Honor Award for the V&A Museum London‘s 2019 completed, comprehensive wayfinding strategy. The scheme includes over 400 directional signs over the 12 miles of corridors and 145 galleries…

Chris Girling, Head of Wayfinding at member company CCD Design & Ergonomics was recently in conversation with international news agency Reuters about the challenges facing effective social distancing signage as we physically navigate our new peri-Coronavirus pandemic normal. In the space of just over two months, the practice of maintaining a two-metre social distance from…

The built environment plays an important part in encouraging walking. And yet, as wayfinding practitioners we are well aware that designing accessible, attractive and safe environments doesn’t necessarily make them easily legible, memorable or navigable. These last three factors contribute significantly to maximising ‘walkability’. This is particularly pertinent now, in the current climate of COVID-19…