A comprehensive wayfinding and signage system for a major natural history museum undergoing a five-year renovation and expansion.

Scope

The museum spans four buildings connected by a new central atrium. The wayfinding system needed to orient visitors across 42,000 square meters, in five languages, serving audiences from school children to academic researchers.

Museum interior showing directional signage in the main atrium

System Design

The primary navigation language uses a color-coding system tied to the museum's four thematic zones — deep blue for ocean and earth science, warm amber for human evolution, green for ecology, grey for geology. Colors appear on floor strips, wall panels, and hanging signs, creating multiple layers of orientation.

Typography is set in a custom-spaced version of a humanist sans designed for legibility at distance. Minimum type size is 24pt for directional signage; major decision-point signs use 48pt.

Accessibility

Every sign in the system meets or exceeds EN 81-70 accessibility standards. All directional signs include Braille and tactile arrow indicators. Audio navigation points are embedded at every major junction, accessible via QR code or the museum's companion app.

Detail of a tactile floor map and braille signage