Intuitive Wayfinding Design at University of Toronto Scarborough: MBG Health Sciences Complex

Artist Rendering, Image Courtesy of Diamond Schmitt Architects and MVRDV

DEXD team has been selected as wayfinding and signage consultant for the University of Toronto Scarborough. Our team has been working closely  with EllisDon, Diamond Schmitt & MVRDV. The Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health at the University of Toronto Scarborough serves as a welcoming centre for education and fosters relationships between local healthcare professionals. The campus houses education programs including Graduate Department of Psychological Clinical Science, Department of Health & Society, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, and Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Includes a dedicated Clinic and Pharmacy for the public.

Collaboration with such a prestigious and Canada's number one institution is an incredible opportunity, and we will our creative ideas and the fresh approach to Customer Experience Design to the team. Our approach is to create a system for information and placemaking elements including the donor’s recognition design elements in a holistic approach. Our goal is to be consistent, improve the student, faculty and public experience, and strengthen the university's brand. The design philosophy is to start with Customer Journey Mapping and identify the key decision making points. The strategic positioning of directional and identification signage at decision points, junctions, and entrances are coordinated in weekly meetings with architect of record. We have considered the campus's size, complexity, different user needs, and future development in mind.

The primary advantages of this technique are easier navigation, increased safety, a positive customer experience, and a strengthened brand identification.

Our approach to wayfinding and information design system is “Less is more”. We believe good architecture, same as this building, is intuitive by nature and we are helping and supporting the design team to further refine the navigation system without over powering the space with multiple wayfinding elements.

Stay tuned for updates as we continue on our journey.

Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRT lines Customer Journey Mapping

Client: Metrolinx
Design Team: Gelare Danaie, Karen Zwart Hielema, David Schellinger, Cody Foo, Bianca Weeko Martin
Project Completion: 2024

With 43 stops across 30 km, The Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines are transformative projects aimed at enhancing public transportation infrastructure in Toronto, Canada. These two lines signify a substantial investment in modern, efficient, and sustainable transit options for residents and visitors.  

DEXD was tasked to map out the customer journey of these LRT lines, to ensure they are designed not just as transportation solutions but as holistic experiences that prioritize passenger needs and satisfaction. 

Combining station site visits, in-studio research, and community feedback, the DEXD team created five personas to represent future customers for the LRT lines. Mapping out journeys for each persona identified touchpoints such as pain points and moments of delight. These were then analyzed to inform strategic opportunities like the ideal placement of signage to facilitate easy movement through the stations and connections with other modes of transportation. 

The findings were then presented to the respective LRT teams at Metrolinx to provide comprehensive insights, including additional information pinpointing deficiencies that could be rectified prior to as well as after the system's public opening. This proactive approach ensured that Metrolinx was equipped with essential data to address any potential issues and enhance the overall performance and reliability of the LRT system before and after its official launch. 

By integrating customer journey mapping into the planning and implementation of the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRT lines, Toronto is not only investing in modern and efficient transit solutions but also prioritizing passenger satisfaction and well-being. These projects represent a paradigm shift in urban mobility, where the passenger experience is at the forefront of decision-making, ultimately leading to a more connected, accessible, and inclusive city for all. 

The Tenor Building Wayfinding and Signage

Client: BentallGreenOak
Design Team: Gelare Danaie, David Schellinger, Suzan Mecitoglu, Kha Den De/ Lera, Ramin Beyraghdar
Location: Toronto, ON
Project Completion: On-going

Vibrant and Dynamic – The Tenor is embarking on an exciting journey to enhance its signage and wayfinding experience!  

Nestled in the bustling heart of Downtown Toronto, The Tenor attracts a substantial flow of visitors every day, necessitating a streamlined wayfinding system. DEXD was tasked to transform the wayfinding in the building to make it accessible and intuitive.    

As a starting point, DEXD team has crafted a comprehensive Signage & Wayfinding Report, that investigated existing challenges and presented innovative solutions. The report commenced with a site analysis, during which the DEXD team conducted a site survey, created flow diagrams, and collected information and observations pertaining to navigation within the building. Subsequently, the team benchmarked projects of a similar nature and identified the most prominent wayfinding pain points present at The Tenor. By analyzing these pain points, DEXD identified opportunities for improvement and proposed the kit-of-parts approach for a tailored solution.  

Following the initial report, the DEXD team developed and delivered a detailed design package based on the proposed kit-of-parts approach. The new wayfinding system has now been fully implemented at The Tenor, enhancing clarity, accessibility, and the overall visitor experience.

Abeja District Phase Four, Signage & Wayfinding

Photo Courtesy of BDP Quadrangle

Abeja District Phase Four, Signage & Wayfinding

A master planned community like no other
Client: Cortel Group
Design Team: David Schellinger, Gelare Danaie, Daniel Puppin, Karen Zwart Hielema, Matt Ziyaee
Prime Architect: BDP Quadrangle
Project Completion: On-going

The Abeja District Project’s goal is to create a holistic, sustainable community. Located at Jane Street and Rutherford Road, this master-planned development is envisioned as a vibrant hub of life and activity, blending new condos, mixed-use, and commercial spaces into a dynamic urban fabric. 

We began our work on the Abeja Wayfinding System for Block Four of the development with three towers, by looking to the larger planning context for the development, encompassing both the parcels under Cortel Group control as well as the surrounding city context. 

By documenting the expected master flow patterns for various types of users, we can better understand how people come to the site though public transportation or private vehicles, on foot or on bike. These flow patterns then help us to identify decision nodes, where different users and/or modes may come together, which would most benefit from having strong directional signage, branded experiences as well as public art.

Wayfinding Pyramid

We looked at the different routes that people would take to go between each of the nodes and how the wayfinding can be further enhanced through the views to nodes or the addition of signage elements. Lastly, we looked at the type of character that will be found in the collective spaces, to see where we can further enhance the character through branded environments that incorporate, architecture, landscape, signage, and public art all together. These places are identified as opportunities for what we are calling “placemaking” 

1. Certainty (Identity and Code Signage)

2. Navigation (Directional Signage)

3. Delight (Monumental Signage, Branded Environments and Public Art)

Wayfinding and Brand
Abeja district block four is designed with a creative architectural theme which is simple, black with clean lines outside and playful light-colored with a beehive balcony looking inside. After a round of design collaboration meetings with the architects, landscape, and the project team, the decision was to keep the wayfinding graphic design as minimal, simple, and elegant as possible.

Our first design inspiration comes from the overall exterior look for the building, which is rendered in a darker monotone black/blue palate. As such, our signs work with a matte black color for the base of the exterior signs, with white illuminated messaging for increased legibility.

The exterior signs incorporate abstract elements of the Abeja logo in a tone-on-tone contrast to provide a subtle yet rich level of detail without compromising the elegant nature of the signs overall. For feature signs such as our monument sign along the public right of way, we drew inspiration from the Spanish heritage of the development by incorporating large slabs of Spanish Stone (or other similar stones) that are a signature building material of most Spanish architecture.

The interior design character of the building lobbies are rendered in a playful environment with a colorful and textured pallet. As such, our use of the base black signage works well to help stand out from the visual noise and provide clear focus on the directional messaging as much as possible.

Princess Hollywood Wayfinding

Princess Hollywood Wayfinding

Client: Cortel Group

Design Team: Gelare Danaie, David Schellinger, Suzan Mecitoglu

Prime Consultant: BDP Quadrangle

Location: Vaughan, ON

Project Completion: On-going

Welcome to the Princess Hollywood, a Signage and Wayfinding system for an exquisite development, designed to embrace community creation.

Located north of Highway 7, west of Creditstone Road, and south of Barnes Court, the complex is adjacent to a major transit hub and highway so that residents and visitors can enjoy convenience and accessibility.

To bring the project vision to life, DEXD team studied how various user types access the site. By understanding their arrival processes, we identified key areas where strategic placement of clear directional signage was required.

Mimicking the architectural design's vision

Drawing inspiration from the building's façade, we focused our design on framing the signs and taking cues from the strong grid structure of the building. The frames are strongly expressed and often offset from the sign face, allowing for a very clean and rectilinear look.

Wayfinding and Brand

Finally, we carefully considered physical signage elements like color, materials, typeface, and iconography, taking inspiration from the brand vision and architectural concept. To achieve a clean aesthetic, we opted for subtle colors that complement the raw and soft exterior concrete.

The use of faux wood, inspired by the wood timber beneath the portico, adds warmth and continuity to the design. Typeface and icons were also meticulously selected to show an elegant and sophisticated ambiance, aligning seamlessly with the building's overall identity and brand image.

Abeja District Phase 2 Wayfinding

Abeja District Phase 2 Wayfinding

Client: Cortel Group

Design Team: Gelare Danaie, David Schellinger, Alisson Talancha

Prime Consultant: Turner Fleischer Architects Inc.

Location: Vaughan, ON

Project Completion: On-going

Atelier Park Wayfinding

Atelier Park Wayfinding

Client: Cortel Group

Design Team: Gelare Danaie, David Schellinger

Prime Consultant: IBI Group

Location: Vaughan, ON

Project Completion: On-going

The Atelier Park Signage & Wayfinding is a project that captures both graceful design and practical utility that create a smooth customer experience.

Located at the major intersection of Keele Street and Highway 7, Atelier Park is advantageously connected to VMC Subway Station (Vaughan Metropolitan Centre), GO Train line, bus routes, and even pedestrian walkways and green spaces, which outlines the need for clear wayfinding system that would provide clear directions for all users.

DEXD team began the work by producing flow diagrams and documenting expected master flow patterns, which then allowed us to identify decision nodes that would most benefit from having strong directional and/or branded signs, as well as identify best locations for address signs that would be easily pinpointed by users.

Architectural Patterning

As part of our design exploration, we looked into pattern expression and its storytelling potential.

Drawing inspiration from Atelier Park's brand vision that conceptualizes Atelier as designer's workshop or studio, we examined the idea of suit fashion, particularly referring to suit lining. Patterns we considered ranged from subtle but sophisticated to strong and bold-colored. The final design is inspired by the first building to be built within the proposed complex, and its angled faceted elements that run the height of the building facade.

Wayfinding and Brand

Although our design inspiration comes from the brand vision and architectural design, we built on the concept and proposed new colors that would pair nicely with initial brand palette. Typeface and icons were also meticulously selected to match overall elegant feeling of the building and brand.

GTAA Landside Security Mitigation Signage and Wayfinding Project

GTAA Landside Security Mitigation Signage and Wayfinding Project

Client: GTAA Toronto Pearson

Prime Consultant: Arup Cananda Inc.