Tourist signs and “you-are-here maps” design the London case

Abstract

Tourist information signs are essential to facilitate walking trough the city. They also allow visitors and citizens improve their knowledge of the city. The design of these information signs must consider aesthetics aspects, as well as other concepts that would make them easier to understand, such as shape, location, orientation, and content. This paper analyzes how these concepts are applied in the case of London, where a complete wayfinding system has been designed. This Legible London System integrates the concepts of “wayfinding” (signals design), “you are-here maps” (you-are-here maps design), and “cognitive maps” (mental maps that people have in their heads and help them to know how a particular space is).