The Impact of University Signage
As a signage company, we at Acorn Sign Graphics continually analyze the impact of our industry and focus on strategies and methods to increase the benefits of our work for our clients. College and University signage is not only critical for accessibility and inclusion throughout college campuses for all, but highly influences students, prospective students, visitors, faculty and staffs collective experience when on campus.
Our greatest mission here at Acorn is to help all individuals navigate the brand in the built environments. We believe in creating a world that is more accessible to individuals of all ability levels, and increasing inclusive experiences through signage. We are advocates for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as we strive to fulfill our mission to uphold it through innovative methods for signage design and fabrication.
Accessibility on university and college campuses is imperative because of the diverse range of ability levels of not only students and staff, but of their families, prospective students and the wide variety of visitors as a whole. Unlike standard public buildings or even large offices that have a primary function, colleges and universities must fulfill an extremely broad spectrum of built environments that each have their own function, such as education halls, dormitories, libraries, recreational and athletic facilities, faculty and administration offices, dining facilities, parking, and more. Not only do these facilities require wayfinding, all public and private universities, colleges and vocational schools must adhere to equal accessibility for individuals with disabilities under Title II of the ADA (https://adata.org/faq/what-are-public-or-private-college-universitys-responsibilities-students-disabilities).
Not only is accessibility and strategic signage imperative for students and staff with disabilities, but inclusion and ease of navigating campus can make a crucial impact on prospective students visiting campus which interns helps with enrollment but also catering to the wide variety of visitors and enhancing their respective visits. Even if visitors do not have a disability, clearly marked signage and wayfinding makes it much easier for all individuals to navigate through campus and increases their overall experience which creates a trickle down effect that benefits the college or university tremendously.
First-time visits for prospective students are extremely important in their decision-making process for what university they are going to attend. These first impressions not only affect the students, but their families as well. Many of these students bring a parent or adult with them for another opinion of their experience. Most students begin visiting colleges one to two years before actually attending, so they use those visits as their primary source of information in their ultimate decision of where they are going to attend college. As a place of higher education, increasing your campus’ accessibility and ease of wayfinding and navigation is a strategic decision to make a better impression on prospective students and visitors.
Because we are a signage company that is passionate about the ADA, we truly enjoy working with clients in the higher education sector because it allows us to provide innovative accessibility solutions for those with a broad set of needs. We strive to increase the functionality of the brand in the built environments, and help universities make a better first impression on anyone visiting their campus. We have worked with several universities to fulfill various needs on their campuses and increase the ability for individuals to navigate their built environments.
Virginia Commonwealth University – Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU
The Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU is in the heart of Richmond and is the gateway to the Medical College of Virginia’s campus. Our work with VCU, their medical school, and children’s hospital intersected the education and healthcare industries, which required an extremely strategic approach to the signage for this hospital. We dedicated our work to increase the overall experience of patients, visitors, students, staff, and all who use this diverse and important facility, while also creating a playful and child-like experience for the children in the hospital. We fabricated a wide range of ADA-compliant signage including, but not limited to, architectural displays, parking garage wayfinding, directional signage, patient room signage, and vinyl graphics.
See more of our work with the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU here: https://acornsign.com/project/childrens-hospital-of-richmond-at-vcu/
Virginia State University – Multi-Purpose Center
We partnered with Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia to provide their signage, wayfinding and monumentation in the renovation of their Multi-Purpose Center. This facility is important not only because of its functionality for the university, but because it is also used by a wide range of outside events, such as concerts and trade shows, since it is the largest event venue in Virginia that is south of Richmond. While we focused on making the facility as accessible and inclusive as possible, we also worked to embody the VSU school spirit and highlight their athletic excellence. We provided exterior identification, dedication plaques, room signage, vinyl graphics, wayfinding and more, all while focused on inclusion and ADA-compliance.
See more of our work with the VSU Multi-Purpose Center here: https://acornsign.com/acorn-in-action-virginia-state-university-multi-purpose-center/
Here at Acorn Sign, we believe in innovative problem solving and creating a more accessible world through signage, and are especially passionate about inclusion in the education sector. We work to not only increase accessibility in built environments for those with disabilities, but to move the signage industry into the future for the betterment of all people.
We love discussing our work, answering questions, or providing insight about future project ideas you have. Get in touch with us today at: https://acornsign.com/contact/
Sources:
https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/colleges/university/disability/federal-guidelines/impact-of-ADA.htm
https://universitybusiness.com/ada-compliance-across-campus/
http://www.primesignprogram.com/university-signs.php
http://officearchitect.virginia.edu/index.php/item/192-signage-standards
https://www.takeform.net/solutions/education
https://www.petersons.com/blog/visiting-college-campuses/
https://www.lhsigns.com/wayfinding/school-college-university-campus-wayfinding-signage.html
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