The Power of Wayfinding and Environmental Graphics
Creating memorable experiences through wayfinding and environmental graphics fosters connections to shared feelings, empathy, identity, and a sense of physical proximity and safety. Wayfinding involves the use of color schemes, graphics, and various design elements to aid navigation throughout a space. By strategically implementing these elements, spaces become more intuitive and engaging, enhancing the overall user experience and promoting a sense of belonging and security.
Wayfinding is not just a room name or directional sign; it’s a piece of the building’s fabric woven into the design.
Branding for a Unified Vision
As part of launching the 2020 Dallas ISD Bond program, the district adopted a district-wide brand identity for all schools. The purpose of the branding style guide was to maintain the integrity of the brand and to ensure equity by defining the official school colors, crests, logos, and messaging for each campus. As one of the largest school districts in the state, with 240 schools serving nearly 140,000 students and their families, it was essential to consistently and respectfully showcase the unique character and personality of both the district and each individual campus.
Cultural touchpoints come to life throughout the building with signage, custom logos, and wall graphics, celebrating the school’s inclusive spirit, robust marching band and music program, and notable athletic achievements.
A Historic Transformation
Bryan Adams High School first opened its doors to 800 students in 1957 and now serves a diverse student body of over 2,200 students. Located in the Casa View neighborhood of East Dallas, the campus had undergone years of small-scale renovations until an expansive 2015 bond initiative finally provided the opportunity to realize a comprehensive, unified vision for the district and neighborhood. In 2015, Dallas ISD started a school of choice program, phasing in a school-wide leadership model and renaming the school Bryan Adams Leadership Academy.
With the addition of three major buildings on the historically significant campus, it was crucial to design a safe and secure environment. Implementing wayfinding systems and a proper wayfinding strategy became vital components to the well-being and safety of the new campus. By combining art and graphics, a sense of pride, security, and ownership was established, staking the campus’s identity in the community. Major areas of transformation included administration and classroom spaces within a new two-story building, providing a fresh identity and main entrance to the campus, as well as to the new Fine Arts and Athletics additions.
A Celebration of Community and School Spirit
As the neighborhood’s population has evolved over time, the campus required revitalized energy and a renewed sense of identity that honors the school’s history, reflects the local heritage, and envisions a bright future for all students. A strong tradition of conservation, outdoor life, and community involvement informs a desire for an education that encourages students to ask critical questions, explore new ideas, and become leaders. Cultural touchpoints come to life throughout the building with signage, custom logos, and wall graphics, celebrating the school’s inclusive spirit, robust marching band and music program, and notable athletic achievements. Representing the diverse student body and their many achievements throughout the school’s history was paramount in telling the story.
Movement and Transition
As students move throughout the building and the school day, energetic graphics with vibrant colors mark the transition from core curriculum to extracurricular activities. Large open areas with long lines of sight and clear signage welcome students into a space that is safe, orderly, and inviting. Landmarks, graphics, colors, and textures in the fine arts and athletics lobbies help students mentally transition from focused learning to dynamic, vibrant group activities.
Upon entering the reception area, students and visitors are greeted by a large map of the city with the school at the center, representing the school’s context and significance within the community. Concentric circles radiate from the center depicting the greater area. A colossal representation of a Cougar, the school’s mascot, welcomes patrons to the media center. The image, formed by densely packed text, recounts historical information about the school, including its opening date, details about the first graduating class, and references to the school’s identity, community, and achievements over the years.
In the Performing Arts building, an expansive mural pays tribute to Bryan Adams’ strong tradition of music, theater, and dance. Overlayed on the lyrics to the alma mater, images of sheet music and sound waves, the multi-layered graphic vividly chronicles the rich evolution of the fine and performing arts programs.
In the Gymnasium, a striking feature wall adorned with images of former student athletes and proudly displayed trophies seamlessly opens into a bustling concessions area. Students navigate through the new Athletics building to a competition gym that embodies school pride and safety, featuring dynamic comic book-style graphics of student athletes in action. Additionally, the walls of the campus pay homage to the many distinguished alumni, each earning their rightful place in the school’s storied history.
“[This neighborhood] deserves this, and now look at it… It’s incredible.”
– Former DISD Bryan Adams High School Principal, Ryan Bott
Inspiring the Next Generation
Marking the way through the school is an opportunity to inspire, set students at ease within the building, reinforce an openness to learning, establish a sense of community, and extend an invitation to engage in a school where the next generation molds its own path. Wayfinding is not just a room name or directional sign; it’s a piece of the building’s fabric woven into the design. Through the use of graphics, we remind students that from the moment they walk through the doors, they are part of a proud and enduring tradition – not just in the halls of Bryan Adams High School, but in the greater Dallas community. Go Cougars!
