The prototype for 29 freestanding totem signs has been unveiled outside Shudehill Interchange in Manchester city centre. The project is led and managed by WW+P and designed in collaboration with Spaceagency.
Over the coming months all 29 totems will be installed at prominent locations between Piccadilly and Victoria Stations, providing a clear route between the stations as well as directions to important historical, cultural and shopping destinations.
The Greater Manchester Connected Wayfinding pilot develops the next generation of wayfinding for Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), designed to make getting around the city centre on foot simpler, faster and more accessible.
The project included an extensive location planning exercise for the signs and the decluttering of nearby outdated wayfinding infrastructure. The team also designed a fresh and vibrant city centre map, which is visually consistent with the totems’ look and graphics. Sixty of these maps will be installed at Metrolink and bus stops and 250,000 printed maps will be distributed through city centre venues and TravelShops.
Kirsten Galea, project lead at WW+P said:
“It’s been a great experience getting to know Manchester’s unique and varied character through the many stakeholders we met and worked with during the detail design development. I think we can confidently say that the Connected Wayfinding graphics represents the vibrant city the system will serve. I hope the people of Manchester and its visitors will find that the wayfinding totem signs enhance their experience of the city.
Sarah Manning, Director and design lead at Spaceagency said:
“By getting to know every inch of the Manchester city centre through the eyes of numerous citizens and stakeholders, the project has provided us with an enriching perspective on a dynamic city. We’ve tried to infuse the pride and energy we’ve encountered in Manchester into the totem design to create lasting and representative landmarks within Manchester’s rich urban fabric.”
WW+P has worked successfully with Spaceagency on a wide range of collaborative projects including updating the wayfinding design guidance for Network Rail. The partnership combines WW+P’s world-class experience in the transport architecture sector and Spaceagency’s outstanding international wayfinding and graphic communication knowledge and expertise.
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