Thursday, 19 September 2024 (1pm BST)
How do we find our way around the built environment? Most obviously, we follow signs and other wayfinding information. But also, buildings themselves do a great deal to support our navigation. What are they doing? How do they do it?
This talk by Andrew Barker explores architectural wayfinding cues: the sorts of ways in which the built environment supports us as we navigate. From the obvious: ‘you can’t go that way, there’s a wall in the way, but you can go this way because there’s a door here’, to the less straightforward – but you’ll have to join the talk to find out what they are. Along the way we’ll explore questions such as when radiused corners are preferable to right-angle corners. And we’ll also consider designing wayfinding information so that it is supported by and works alongside architectural wayfinding cues.
About our speaker
Andrew Barker is a designer and behavioural researcher. Throughout his career he has focussed on helping people to find the stuff they need. He has not only helped people find their way through the built environment, he has also helped people navigate digital spaces – such as apps and websites – and print spaces – such as books and bills. On the way he has won a handful of design awards, including a Design Effectiveness Award for his work redesigning the bill for a mobile telephone company so that it works better for customers. He also has a PhD from the University of Reading for his research comparing navigation strategies in the built environment, digital and print spaces. This year has seen the publication of two books that he has written: the Sign Design Guide + (Sign Design Society, a full-scale update of the Sign Design Guide originally published in 2000), and La typographie des Penguin Classics (Bureau Brut Publishing, a translation of his case study of the redesign of Penguin Classics). Andrew currently works as a behavioural researcher for the UK Government, and is chair of the Sign Design Society.
Find out more and to buy tickets
Members: Our online seminars are free for all to attend. For non-members, the ticket cost is £15 per person. Purchased tickets are non-refundable.
Not a member, unable to join us in-person or for the live-streamed event but would like to watch it at a time convenient to you? We offer the option to watch the event recording on a time-limited basis for the cost of a £15 ticket. Tickets are available to purchase via PayPal or by invoice / bank transfer. Unfortunately we are currently unable to process credit card transactions over the phone. Please email Kate for more information.
To book your place(s), please get in touch with our administrator Kate at enquiries@signdesignsociety.co.uk.