CREDIT: FANSHAWE RBM
The wayfinding signs are divided into five zones that are specified with a colour band to easily identify what section you are in.

Fanshawe has been installing new wayfinding signs inside and outside of the Oxford St. Campus. This is to help provide a navigation system throughout the campus and allocate each section of the building. Fanshawe have been working beside Entro, a world leader in the field of branding and environmental design, with installing these signs across the campus. The completion of the installation’s time frame was to be around March 31. Fanshawe’s manager, facilities planning and development Brian Bergsma said that there were a few bumps in the road while trying to hit that time frame.

 “Unfortunately, the sign fabricator required more time, not unlike many of our suppliers these days due to labour shortages and material sourcing delays,” Bergsma said.

The wayfinding signs are divided into five zones that are specified with a colour band to easily identify what section you are in. The team took some time to think this through the colour-coding of each zone on campus, which were formerly called “Quadrants.” The colours were influenced by several factors chosen during the consulting phase. Bergsma said there was also input from the planning committee but also guided by principles endorsed by the committee.


“The zone colours were carefully selected for colour contrast to letter overlays on the zone colours for best Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities (AODA) legibility, including a testing process of several sets of colours that would also be perceived consistently by people with different types of colour blindness,” Bergsma said. “This narrowed the field of colour choices significantly.”

There was also more feedback about the wayfinding signs and making sure that everyone at Fanshawe would be able to benefit from them. The team engaged with students at Fanshawe through in-person workshops that were facilitated by their consultant, as well as through surveys. One survey was conducted at the design phase and another at the implementation phase. The plan went into action back on Oct. 3, 2022 about seeing new wayfinding signs around the campus.

“The wayfinding program is a comprehensive solution for the Oxford St. campus, intended to address the unique challenges for students and visitors to that location,” Bergsma said. “There will be corporate communications sent out to students and staff that will provide individuals with a standard script for directing people to a specific location at the Oxford campus.”

More wayfinding implementation is soon to come. Brian said that they will be looking to install signs for the other London campuses and regional campuses later this year. The team is also considering the development of a unique identifier of the various student service locations across the campus.