SEASPAN SHIPYARDS WAYFINDING

This iconic marine company was working on multiple levels to redevelop their architecture and landscape of their primary marine planning and ship-building facility. We designed a series of large format, illuminated wayfinding signs for this long, thin campus on the north shore of Burrard Inlet in North Vancouver. Taking clues from the ships and architecture on site, the system is bold, clear and robust in the marine environment.

Client: Seaspan Shipyards
Location: North Vancouver, BC
Landscape Architect: Hapa Collaborative
Scope: Wayfinding strategy, signage design

Challenges in creating signage including being legible across large expanses of parking areas, connect spaces along enormous ship-building structures, and be visible to large truck traffic.

Our approach was to lean heavily on the brand colour of red which stands out so well against concrete and asphalt, and incorporate internal illumination into the signage. A signature gateway sign element greets traffic at the entry point. With the form derived from the bow of a ship, plowing into the surrounding grass planting, the gateway sign forms a point of pride, welcoming pedestrians and people in vehicles alike.

Our work included working with the landscape architecture firm (Hapa Collaborative) and the client group to develop means of delineating one type of parking area from another, creating clear groundplane markings, and proposing signage solutions which would tie together a number of basic industrial buildings, which were not yet upgraded. The system was designed and implemented on budget based on cost estimates we provided to the client in the Design Development stage.

“The signs look amazing. They really pop, and I love the 3D piece on the lettering. I’m very pleased with the outcome, it has really made our site come together.”

– Special projects manager, Seaspan

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