Signage: Spatial Orientation
Beate Kling & Torsten Krüger eds.
Edition Detail 167pp PB £55
In a time-pressed world governed by Vine, Snapchat and sound bites, we are learning to attach the greatest import to things we are most briefly exposed to. So in a spatial context, we expect unambiguous clarity from signs and symbols displayed to help us. Detail’s book is a lavishly visual journey through the world of contemporary signage, highlighting the best and most imaginative – when designers and architects create systems holistically embedded within a building’s architecture. With examples from all over the world, the book has four main sections: an overview, signage as branding, integrated signage approaches and digital versions. Stimulating and thought-provoking, I’m surprisingly touched by kindergarten signage designed by children themselves, turning doodles and ideas into an amazing hypergraphic approach.