The guiding light: Incorporating lighting solutions into directional signage

Wayfinding influences movement around a space, however with many competing factors within a built environment, effective and efficient wayfinding benefits from the incorporation of illumination.

We are inherently drawn to light as the brain gets 75% of its sensory information from visual stimulation. Therefore illuminated wayfinding can be particularly important within large, busy public buildings such as airports, stadiums and retail sites where poor wayfinding signage can lead to frustration and even congestion and safety issues.

Creating signage as a navigational tool, which avoids confusion in such over-populated spaces, can require creative and practical solutions. The Applelec team of signage experts work with clients to deliver wayfinding projects which holistically consider appearance, lighting performance, efficiency, ease of installation, power conversion and control.

Understanding the art of wayfinding requires you to consider both conscious and unconscious factors at work. Applelec believe a better wayfinding strategy can be created when considering the overall environment. Subtle differences such as selecting the right light temperature, can enhance the building design and provide a necessary point of difference.

Applelec’s signage specialists are dedicated to understanding the needs of their clients and with extensive options available they provide the right signage solution to suit the budget requirements and installation deadline. Andy Armitage, Applelec’s Head of Customer Engagement believes “achieving a successful wayfinding project relies on the team working with the client to understand its intricacy whilst having the resources and skills to be able to offer the right solutions. Our manufacturing capabilities are combined with full technical support from dedicated Account Managers, who are all signage experts.” 

Making wayfinding beautiful and sympathetic to the building design can be just as important to its success. Applelec’s Signage Team works with designers using their in-house manufacturing to develop innovative and adaptable wayfinding signage that compliments the client’s brief. Working through the entire project from external totems to internal premium lettering, the Applelec team create illuminated signage options that ensure wayfinding requirements seamlessly integrate into the venue.

As the UK’s exclusive distributor of Sloan LED’s, Applelec can offer a 10 year warranty on LED’s. By providing energy calculations, which evidence the savings of utilising Sloan LEDs and support the energy efficiency requirements of a wayfinding project, Applelec wayfinding solutions can promote the sustainability and performance outcomes.

From Applelec’s factory in West Yorkshire they combine expert engineering with product ingenuity to deliver solutions, such as their premium light panel ‘Applelec LED Light Sheet’, which can be manufactured with a minimum depth of 3mm to create illuminated signage that is slim and discreet. Applelec LED Light Sheet features a patented technique, where bespoke panels are specially engineered to ensure light output is bright and evenly distributed throughout the entire light sheet, even on larger panel options. Applelec LED Light Sheet can be combined with a variety of lighting controls and programming systems to achieve effective internal and external wayfinding schemes.

The art of wayfinding is indeed complex. However through successfully utilising the many techniques available and enhancing these through illumination, wayfinding can effectively provide a guiding light through any venue.