Cultural icons

VISION IS arguably the most important sense for the majority of us, and our ability to interpret the world around us with just a casual glance is something we tend to take for granted. However, if you've found yourself in the situation of visiting a site for the first time and not knowing exactly where it was you were meant to be, then you become acutely aware of just how important wayfinding signage is.

The development of the Queensland Cultural Centre into the Millennium Arts precinct, with its major new arrival and gathering point, changes the way visitors will perceive and use the site. This makes comprehensive wayfinding signage the single most important element in helping visitors negotiate the entire area, says Mark Ross, managing director of Dot Dash.

"As wayfinding consultants for the whole site, our brief was to plan, design, and develop a new, all-inclusive wayfinding signage system that would assist all visitors in understanding and accessing the new Millennium Arts Precinct."

Ross says the design strategy ultimately responded to the open and transparent nature of both the plaza and the building interiors. As such, the signs themselves are constructed from a range of materials anodised aluminium, zinc sheet, glass, and self-adhesive vinyl evocative of their architectural context.

"One important aspect for us was not only to inform, but to use the signs to encourage the exploration of the site," says Ross.

One way Dot Dash went about achieving this was through the incorporation of a sculptural map that gives the viewer a three-dimensional overview of the entire Cultural Centre precinct.

Furthermore, braille and tactile signs are strategically located particularly at arrival and gathering points to assist visitors who are blind or vision impaired.

For further information, contact Dot Dash, 86 Lytton Rd, East Brisbane, QLD 4169, phone (07) 3896 6605, fax (07) 3896 6620. Email: info@dotdash.com.au, or visit the website: www.dotdash.com.au.

Story by: Trendsideas