Being able to successfully navigate an environment is an often overlooked, but hugely important part of a user’s experience in any space. Whether in a hospital, school, public building, or hotel, directional signage needs to work succinctly as part of an overall wayfinding strategy.
Back in 2000, we recognised there was a need for more flexible, interior directional signage, so we developed and patented a unique system; jigsaw™.
Use this guide to learn more about why direction signs are important, and how to implement better directional signage with jigsaw™.
What Is Directional Signage?
Directional signage is a key element in wayfinding signage; visual aids that work together to help people navigate around an environment, be it natural or built.
Wayfinding signage usually consists of informational, identification, regulatory, and directional signs, the latter of which is probably the one you most associate with finding your way around somewhere. Direction signs guide the user to their destination and can take many forms. You may see directional signs that are arrow shaped, have arrows of some kind on them, or are clustered under a direction such as ‘left’. In large buildings or campus’ direction signs can be quite large and have numerous directions on them, all designed to let the user know which way they must go from there.
Without good directions, new users to a space get confused, anxious, frustrated, and even aggressive, especially at staff. Poor directions can have such a negative effect that people leave without completing purchases or miss important events. This means that including precise, accurate directions that can be easily understood, is crucial for both the visitor’s enjoyment, profit, and staff wellbeing.
One of the main principles of wayfinding is to make sure signs are clear and concise, without too much information or anything extra to make them too complicated. Directional signs are no exception, ideally, they should just have the basic information needed to direct people appropriately but still be accessible for everyone to understand.
Improving Directional Signage With jigsaw™
We developed our revolutionary directional signage system jigsaw™ when existing signage couldn’t deliver what our client needed, and it is now one of our most popular products. jigsaw™ is an interior sign type engineered to have panels added and removed according to requirement.
The unique system is made of a module that is fixed to a wall and individual panels attached with a secret fixing system that allows the panels to be switched with others. jigsaw™ delivers a secure and flexible directional signage system that can be customised and tailored to different brands and interior design schemes. The entire system can be attached either permanently and non-permanently, depending on preference.
Features And Benefits Of jigsaw™ Directional Signage
jigsaw™ directional signs bring flexibility to interior signage, as well as the incredible design and artistry xsign are known for.
Safe And Secure. The secret fixing mechanism and reliable wall mounting mean jigsaw™ signs are tamper-proof and unable to be removed unless by a trained member of staff.
Stylish And On-brand. As with all our bespoke signage projects, we champion creative design freedom and so offer a huge range of customisation options, including typography, material, colour, and size. This ensures the jigsaw™ signs will match your interior spaces or brand guidelines perfectly.
Accessible For All. Our jigsaw™ signs can be also- customised with braille, tactile text, and have our incredible Talky Signs incorporated for audio directions. Furthermore, jigsaw™ signs can be designed with contrasting colours and additional pictograms to make navigation easier for people with dementia or cognitive impairments.
Designed To Be Durable. At xsign, we design with longevity in mind, and manufacture our products in-house so we have control over the quality of the materials we use. We combine state-of-the-art technology and tools, including ones we designed ourselves, premium materials, and exceptional engineering skills to produce robust signs that save our client’s money in the long term.
User Friendly. jigsaw™ has been engineered to be simple for staff to switch panels quickly, without lots of special tools that can go missing, or complicated instructions to memorise. With a simple sliding mechanism and locking pin, the panels can be adjusted or replaced according to need.
jigsaw™ is Suitable for a Wide Variety of Spaces
From small offices, to sprawling university campus’, directional signage plays an integral part of each wayfinding strategy, no matter what the environment is. With the endless customisation options, jigsaw™ is suitable in any interior space that requires flexible signage solutions.
Hospitals and healthcare settings – jigsaw™ is ideal for the changing nature of hospital wayfinding and the extreme needs of patients, staff, and visitors.
Educational Institutes – from primary schools to colleges, jigsaw™ keeps staff and students up to date with directories, room names, and event information.
Offices and business complexes – keeping visitors safe, ensuring specific locations stay secure, and enabling staff to get from A to B efficiently all have a positive impact on business operations, which jigsaw™ facilitates.
Hotels and hospitality – a good wayfinding strategy with comprehensive direction signs not only makes the customer experience a more pleasant one, but it also reduces the amount of time staff spend on giving directions or dealing with lost people.
jigsaw™ is a complete directional signage solution, that through clever engineering skills and impeccable design choices, makes it essential for any wayfinding strategy and signage scheme to include.
Let us show you how jigsaw™ directional signage works or get in touch for information on all our innovative signage solutions.
