Orientation Signage.

INSPIRATION

Based on the London Transport signage system for pedestrians, the signs clearly pinpoint areas of interest in order of how far they are, the nearest being first, and how long they’ll take to get to on foot. Working with the Parish of St Helier, we did this by walking to each individual location and timing it; once we had all the times, they were rounded up to the closest whole minutes.

ORIENTATION MAPS

Maps also feature on the front of the signage, orientated to their position with highlighted areas of interest. Much was updated and added to the map, including the initial outline of buildings to help put into perspective where the viewer is stood. We carefully chose icons with a universal meaning, much like road signage, so those who speak another language still had a clear understanding. We even included tidal warnings where ever the sea appeared on each map, something we all know can catch visitors off-guard at the best of times!

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Complete with historical information about their locations, each sign features six panels on the back with information that The Parish of St Helier had gathered. Each panel features text in English, and with the help of Maison de la Normandie et de la Manche, there is also French. On every 6th panel, there also features a paragraph of Jerriais with an English translation, a great way to show off Jersey’s native language and keeping it alive on the streets of St Helier.

The imagery was kindly supplied by Société Jersiaise and The Jersey Evening Post. It was great to see how St Helier has developed over time, from as far back as the beginnings of St Helier, right through to the start of the Waterfront development in the 1980s.

AESTHETICS

The signs’ final aesthetic was decided upon, and a frosted silver aluminium was chosen to give a fresh and light modern touch to the overall look and feel.

THE RESULT

Two years in the making, and with many hours spent with a fine-tooth comb, The Parish of St Helier Orientation Signage was finally installed and revealed in July 2016. We’re glad to have seen many visitors making good use of them already and hope that they’re making St Helier that little easier to understand and navigate around!

But it doesn’t just end there; future enhancements such as push technology will be installed in the signage, where offers related to shops around the area will be available to passers-by.