This brief is for the client side.Gather the five sets of information below and the design team can get into substance at the first meeting, instead of spending two weeks asking back and forth for drawings. The list is not limited to working with Hand-Heart; it applies to any wayfinding system project.
Why prepare this first
Wayfinding system design is not “designing a few signs”. It is engineering that starts from the logic of the space: first analyse circulation and zoning, decide where signs are needed and where they are not, and only then move on to the visual work. So the first batch of information the design team needs is about the space and the people in it, not the logo files. A medium-sized project takes on average 3–6 months from the first consultation to final acceptance; the more complete your preparation, the shorter that first stretch.
1. The site
- Site plan and floor plans for every level (CAD or PDF, with a scale). For buildings under renovation, please supply the latest version and note its date.
- Escape route plans, plus the barrier-free vehicle and pedestrian routes. The signage has to agree with both; they must not tell different stories.
- An information sheet: the official name of every space, how it is written in Chinese and in English, and whether it is open to the public. If the names are not settled, the signs cannot be made.
- The location of facilities such as AEDs, nursing rooms and gender-friendly toilets. Regulations or public service requirements make these points mandatory to sign.
- Site photos: one of each entrance and exit, one of the stair and lift lobbies, and one of each main junction. If signs already exist, photograph them too, including the damaged ones and the ones covered with stickers.
- Building materials and colours: façade, main wall surfaces, flooring. The background colour of the signs has to be judged together with the building. In one fair-faced concrete building, for example, the dark grey background was only settled after on-site tests against the surroundings.
- Lighting layout and lighting conditions: which areas are backlit through a glass curtain wall, which areas are open at night, and where the power supply for internally illuminated signs sits. A sign must not only look good at noon.
2. Users and circulation
- Who comes: visitors, staff, tenants, patients’ families, parents of students, travellers… list the main types.
- How they arrive: which entrance people use on foot, by metro, by bus, by car and by scooter, and roughly in what proportion.
- Where they are going: the shared destinations of each user group (car park, ticketing, check-in, toilets, meeting points, emergency exits).
- Special situations: pushing luggage, using a wheelchair, impaired vision, coming for the first time, being in a hurry. At the same corner, these people need different information.
- The places where people most often ask for directions today (the reception desk or the security staff know best; asking them is the quickest way).
3. Existing identity and standards
- The corporate identity system (CIS) manual: colour scheme, typefaces, supporting graphics, pictograms. Signage should extend the existing identity rather than start a second one.
- If there is no CIS: describe the current situation. The design team will suggest settling the identity first and doing the signage afterwards, otherwise the signage becomes the only visual language in the space with nothing behind it.
- Regulations or higher-level standards you have to follow: accessibility, fire safety, public sector identity rules, multilingual requirements.
4. Construction interfaces
- Who is responsible for fabrication and installation: the design side on a turnkey contract, a separate supplier appointed by the client, or the main contractor. This decides how the contract is divided, so the earlier it is clear the better. Hand-Heart can take on planning and design only, design plus construction supervision, or a turnkey scope including fabrication and installation; the split of duties for all three is in section 6.
- Material and structural constraints: whether walls may be drilled, whether the ceiling can carry suspended elements, and whether outdoor elements need typhoon-resistant construction.
- Power and lighting: whether internally illuminated signs are needed and where the power points are.
- Schedule milestones: the opening date or the acceptance date. Fabrication and installation usually take 4–8 weeks; counting back from there tells you the day the design has to be signed off.
5. Decisions and acceptance
- Who approves: who signs off the design proposal and how many levels of approval are needed. In practice a decision such as the background colour of the signs takes three steps: rank the options by on-site measurement → bring in the aesthetic factor → have management approve.
- What to check at acceptance: we suggest including at least four items — legibility distance check (whether the cap height meets the viewing distance formula; the general value is 1/202 of the viewing distance, doubled for people with impaired vision), 1:1 full-size comparison on site, physical prototype (confirmed in the real material and the real lighting), as-built report (installed position and content checked point by point). For large or public sites we also suggest adding: accessibility and multilingual information, escape route and emergency exit guidance, weathering and impact resistance of outdoor materials, and replaceable modules.
- Ongoing maintenance: who is responsible for updating content (floors change, departments are renamed) and whether replaceable modules are needed.
6. Division of responsibility and budget line items
A wayfinding project involves more parties than a print project: the owner, the architect or interior designer, the contractor and building services, the sign fabricator, and the design side. Writing “who is responsible for what” into a table before tendering removes much of the finger-pointing at construction interfaces. The table below uses the three scopes Hand-Heart works with most often as an example; in practice the contract decides.
| Item | Planning and design only | Design + construction supervision | Including fabrication and installation (turnkey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circulation analysis, sign location plan, design and standards | Design side | Design side | Design side |
| Shop drawings, material and structural specifications | Design side supplies the drawings, the fabricator details them | Design side supplies the drawings and reviews the details | Design side |
| Physical prototype | Fabricator produces it, design side confirms | Fabricator produces it, design side confirms | Design side |
| Fabrication and installation | Owner tenders it separately | Owner tenders it separately | Design side (with partner fabricators) |
| Installation supervision, point-by-point check, as-built report | Owner or contractor | Design side | Design side |
| Power, cast-in fixings, wall reinforcement and other construction interfaces | Contractor and building services | Contractor and building services; the design side states the requirements | Contractor and building services; the design side states the requirements and attends on site to check each location |
| Ongoing maintenance and additions | Unit appointed by the owner | Unit appointed by the owner, working to the standards | Unit appointed by the owner, working to the standards |
How to break the budget down
Public tender records show the total budget of one project, not a general unit price. A more reliable approach is to break the budget into line items and then estimate against the number of sign locations, the materials, the number of languages, the lighting and the schedule:
- Needs analysis and site survey
- Circulation analysis and sign location planning
- Design and standards (including legibility verification)
- Shop drawings and material and structural specifications
- Physical prototype
- Fabrication
- Installation
- Construction supervision and as-built report
- Maintenance and replaceable modules (we suggest a separate line)
Rolling “design fee” and “sign fabrication” into one lump sum is the most common starting point for later change orders and unclear responsibility.
What the design side delivers (for comparison)
| Stage | Deliverables |
|---|---|
| Needs analysis | Survey of the current situation and a report on circulation pain points |
| Logical planning | Zoning system and sign location plan |
| Design proposal | Design proposal and legibility verification |
| Verification and fabrication | Physical prototype and production quality control |
| Construction supervision and acceptance | Construction supervision and as-built report |
If a proposal contains no “sign location plan” and no “legibility verification”, it usually means the planning was skipped and the signs were simply made.
Frequently asked questions
Can we start before everything is ready?
Yes. Floor plans and the user types are the minimum; the rest can be filled in during the needs analysis stage.
Is there really a formula for cap height?
Yes. The optimum visual angle for text is 17 arcminutes, which works out at a minimum cap height of about 1/202 of the viewing distance — at 10 metres, that is at least 4.9 centimetres; double it for people with impaired vision. The source and a reference table are on the wayfinding system design page.
Can we put this list straight into a tender document?
Yes, but adjust it to your site, your procurement rules and your construction interfaces. We particularly suggest writing in the four acceptance criteria from section 5. Together with the contract and the drawings, they let the person in charge judge whether this stage has been passed without needing a design background.
Ready to talk it through? Send us your requirements and the person who handles wayfinding projects will reply within 2 working days.