Success can be overwhelming. When the amount of annual visitors of Design Museum Denmark skyrocketed, the museum faced a challenge: how do we make sure that the visitors navigate the museum smoothly without congestion or confusion? In continuation of our work on the museum’s new identity, strategy and typography, we were tasked with improving the flow, orientation and navigation of the museum experience.

The most pressing need was to establish a clear sense of arrival with an equally clear sense of direction. Our solution was to create clarity through contrast! The subdued colour scheme of the old building was off-set by a bright red colour that had the power to pop. The big, bright red squares of communication attract attention and add an immediate sense of modernity.

Another important component for the wayfinding concept was flexibility. By creating a robust and agile family, it gave us the needed elasticity to create stationary as well as temporary communication such as the movable communication in the courtyard guiding the visitors to the new placement of ticket sales and the café.

Icons

The pictogram is the ingenious shortcut of communication. A hyper efficient way to create an instant connection between mind and space. And the opportunity to create an imagery that conveys Danish design classics was once in a lifetime for us. It also turned out to be the most intuitive way of connecting the arrival map to the designated areas of the museum.

Tone of voice

The brand promise - and new credo - of the museum is “we share design”. This meant finding a tone of voice that was positive, welcoming and open - even when trying to communicate a restriction. The iconic D of the new design helped us out by morphing into a smiley face!

Prototyping

An important part of the wayfinding process was 1:1 prototypes and mock-ups in the actual surroundings. It gave us the opportunity to gauge the suitability of size, colour, material, and wording.

Success can be overwhelming. When the amount of annual visitors of Design Museum Denmark skyrocketed, the museum faced a challenge: how do we make sure that the visitors navigate the museum smoothly without congestion or confusion? In continuation of our work on the museum’s new identity, strategy and typography, we were tasked with improving the flow, orientation and navigation of the museum experience.

Icons

The pictogram is the ingenious shortcut of communication. A hyper efficient way to create an instant connection between mind and space. And the opportunity to create an imagery that conveys Danish design classics was once in a lifetime for us. It also turned out to be the most intuitive way of connecting the arrival map to the designated areas of the museum.

Tone of voice

The brand promise - and new credo - of the museum is “we share design”. This meant finding a tone of voice that was positive, welcoming and open - even when trying to communicate a restriction. The iconic D of the new design helped us out by morphing into a smiley face!