How Signage Helps Brands Connect With Consumers and Keep Them Safe

Key Insights: Approachable signage and wayfinding elements create a comfortable, low-stress environment for staff and customers. The design and tone of signs should be an extension of the brand experience, but balancing levity and the gravity of the situation is key. Health-focused wayfinding may be a permanent fixture. Most of New York's iconic Levain Bakery locations have remained open during the coronavirus pandemic. Only its original location on 74th Street, which cannot accommodate for social distancing protocols due to its size and layout, had to close. At the others, customers are met with friendly signage and branded floor stickers, which are located both inside and outside of the bakeries to remind customers to keep a six-foot distance from one another. The floor graphics feature Levain’s logo with its signature blue cookie, along with brand-specific phrases like “6 feet (18 cookies) apart” and “share joy at a distance.” Levain CMO Rachel Porges said the stickers were primarily introduced to ease pressure on staff to police customers’ behavior. The tone and design of the stickers, however, are all about brand authenticity. “Our brand stands for creating moments of joy that bring people together, and at a time when distance is vital in bringing people together, it made sense for us to do it in a way that was in keeping with that message,” she said. As more businesses and public spaces open, creating a safe environment is key. As a result, retailers, brands, organizations and public spaces are increasingly leveraging branded wayfinding and communication elements to not only mitigate the spread of the virus but also to cultivate trust in the brand and de-stress the public and employees. Adweek spoke with experts and brands about what goes into developing these elements, including cultivating the right tone, how to incorporate branding and how design factors into larger communication and strategic goals. Wayfinding objectives Initially, many signs were slapdash and entirely safety-oriented, but the conversation and goals have shifted to how signage can help deliver on the brand experience. “How can we find more positive ways to create comfort among our shoppers or our guests?” said Amy Bixler, studio director and global leader of the brand design practice at design and architecture firm Gensler. Comfort was the driving factor behind the wayfinding elements Levain incorporated into its space. Porges said the signage and other health and safety measures, like wearing masks and reducing capacity, “are designed to make sure our staff and customers feel comfortable coming in and partaking in a moment of joy.” Whether it’s that “moment of joy” or a comfortable grocery shopping experience, wayfinding takes the guesswork out of consumers' interaction with a space, reducing stress and uncertainty. “Communication is key because this is a new norm for all of us and those encouraging those new behaviors,” Bixler said. “Thinking about every point in the journey, from entry to checkout, is important.” Walgreens’ in-house design team created door signs indicating mask requirements, a standee with best practices for customers upon entering the store, aisle side panels reminding people to socially distance and floor graphics for customers waiting in line—all in Walgreens’ familiar brand blue. Additionally, the brand incorporated special “for your health and safety” end stands throughout the stores showing customers where to find essentials like wipes, hand sanitizer, disinfection products, hand soap and thermometers. Because Walgreens locations include pharmacies and stock a broad range of products, navigational signage is not new for the retailer, so adding pandemic-focused signs was simply a matter of “layering on the social distancing messages and one-way aisle signage,” said Kristin Frawley, Walgreens director, in-store marketing. Bixler said that while informational signs can be monochromatic and function-oriented, instructing customers on appropriate behaviors, welcome signs, floor decals and directional signage present opportunities for branding. “Those tend to be … heavy with illustration and bright colors, because it has to stand out and have high contrast with the rest of the surroundings,” she said. Meanwhile, “with the lifestyle sector, it does need to be customized to speak to a particular brand experience, to resonate with a particular consumer.” Signage that reflects the brand identity can create a cohesive look and feel, as Gensler did in its signage for Texas Christian University. Eric Levine, principal, experience design and environmental graphics at architecture, planning and design firm NBBJ, works with hospitals, sports facilities, big tech companies and other businesses to create experiences, branded spaces and wayfinding elements. In a blog post about hospital signage design, Levine noted that creating signs in repeating, familiar shapes like circles and squares can catch the eye and guide the public more intuitively from location to location. To take signage and consistency to the next level, the same shapes and colors used at the location can be incorporated into the website so that visitors will recognize them upon arrival. Cultivating the right tone It’s one thing to create a design, but it’s entirely another to communicate the necessarily grave information required to be safe during a pandemic while leveraging a brand’s signature voice. “The tone of voice and the personality that drives that communication is critically important because the visual communication is also reinforcing the brand experience,” Bixler said. As a health-centric brand, the tone of Walgreens’ in-store signage is fairly serious, though it remains clear and tonally approachable. “Walgreens is being true to our brand and brand voice," Frawley said, noting that it’s also important to keep text simple and straightforward to avoid overwhelming customers. On the more lighthearted side, Levain’s “18 cookies” social distancing messaging, for example, allowed the bakery to incorporate its usual friendliness while keeping the focus on its products. "We want to feel safe and secure, but we also want to feel just as entertained and inspired as we did before,” said Sam Russell, senior writer at writing studio Reed Words. For example, Reed Words signage for the Royal Academy of Arts asked visitors to “stay safe, and have a wonderful time,” instead of telling them to adhere to safety guidance. Looking ahead No one knows how long the pandemic will impact daily life, but it could lead to a more permanent use of signs to steer consumer behavior and movement. Bixler said a heightened degree of communication elements within public and retail spaces will remain evergreen and that all brands will need to continue considering each touchpoint along that journey. Frawley said she anticipates that social distancing and wearing masks will be long-term fixtures in stores as the pandemic continues, and that the sign package Walgreens created will be permanent. “We will continue to layer on messaging as needed temporarily and continue to evaluate our messaging as we strive to navigate safely through this pandemic,” she said. Levine said he’s been having more conversations with clients about what the pandemic means for the future of architecture in general and wayfinding in particular. It’s a matter of debate whether social distancing and safety protocols should dictate design for the foreseeable future, or whether it should be considered a temporary problem to address. But architects and designers must consider that it’s not going away any time soon and could mean a permanent shift. “We do have to consider that this is basically, changing the world, and we need to be considerate of that,” Levine said. Ultimately, no one knows for sure, which means the biggest factor for brands to consider with their spaces and the way people navigate them is adaptability. “It's allowing the wayfinding and signage systems to be adaptable to changing and messaging,” Levine said. “It's making sure that what we design has the ability to function now and in the future. So, to basically sum it up in one word, it's just flexibility.”

Design

How Signage Helps Brands Connect With Consumers and Keep Them Safe

Levain Bakery, Walgreens and design experts share best practices for guiding the public amid the pandemic

Jess Zafarris

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Jess Zafarris