Creating a College and University Signage Program: Part 1 - Overview

Creating a signage program for at your facility often requires the use of multiple sign types, mounting options, fabrication processes and price points…and all with a cohesive look that ties the building together. Let’s take a look at a signage project done by The University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio, for their new College of Business building. Here, you’ll see how they created a branded signage experience throughout the building, including class room signs, wayfinding signs, and donor/recognition signage.

Sign Elements

When creating a signage plan for their new College of Business building, The University of Findlay identified seven main elements needed for the project:

- Room identification signage with donor recognition
- Smaller room identification signage
- Wayfinding signage
- Utility signage
- Wall mounted signs with easily replaceable inserts
- Wall and window graphics
- A large, donor-style wall to acknowledge local veterans and prominent alumni
- Larger signage that incorporated photos and bios of university dignitaries

The key to this project was to create a unified look so that all elements appear to go together. That can be accomplished through the consistent use of color, sign materials, mounting hardware, and coordinating graphic elements to pull everything together.

Beginning with the End in Mind

From a graphics standpoint, The University of Findlay wanted to be sure to include a consistent use of the school colors, black, symbolizing strength and power and orange exemplifying determination, as well as highlighting the signature building on campus known as “Old Main.” The steeple of that building is featured prominently in the schools logo, and that logo element was used throughout this signage project. In addition, a consistent font usage was vital to creating a cohesive look to all aspects of the project.

In the next installment, we’ll explore the elements and materials that went into signature room identification signage with donor recognition. These signs were designed to be crisp and modern, with a focus of honoring the schools donors who made the building project possible.

Donor/veteran recognition wall.