How Experiential Design & Wayfinding Make Environments Engaging

Simply put, wayfinding is the act of helping people find their way. It encompasses a strategic system of signage as well as visual and sensory cues to aid users in orientation, navigation and experience. Wayfinding helps people understand where they are, where they want to go, and the best way to get there.

Experiential graphic design, meanwhile, is the practice of building environments that connect with people on multiple levels—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It involves a wide variety of fields, including graphic design, architecture, interiors, and landscapes. By expressing a narrative that resonates with visitors, experiential design transforms ordinary places into meaningful destinations.

RSM DESIGN’S HUMAN NEEDS FRAMEWORK

Drawing inspiration from Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, we have developed a framework for understanding human needs in the built environment. There are three fundamental human needs to consider: Certainty, Variety, and Delight.

• Certainty: Certainty gives users a sense of consistency and clarity about where they are and how to navigate. When visitors experience Certainty about their surroundings, they can focus on experiencing the space rather than worrying about getting lost. It is the baseline requirement for any successful environment, establishing a foundation upon which richer experiences can be built. Certainty can be achieved by strategically using maps, directional signage, iconography, materiality, and color.
• Variety: Variety keeps built environments interesting by incorporating multiple different experiences. It also encourages people to want to discover and explore beyond their immediate needs. Introducing Variety into an environment helps with cognitive mapping by creating memorable distinctions between areas, while also preventing the fatigue that comes with repetitive, homogeneous environments.. It fulfills our desires for stimulation, discovery, and choice, keeping us more engaged. Variety can be achieved by creating unique experiences through districts, nodes, and landmarks, as well as using design elements with varying scales, colors, patterns, and forms.
• Delight: Delight offers unexpected moments of joy and discovery. These elements of surprise and pleasure create emotional connections with a place that go beyond mere functionality. Moments of Delight bring places to life, making them meaningful enough that users want to revisit them and share them with others. They also build affinity with brands and spaces, fostering loyalty and a sense of personal connection. Delight can be achieved through art installations, interactive elements, playful graphics, and surprising architectural features.

Certainty, Variety, and Delight form the foundation of engaging design. Wayfinding and experiential graphic design must meet these basic needs to connect people meaningfully with places.

The relationship between wayfinding and experiential design is synergistic, achieving more together than they do separately. Wayfinding establishes a crucial framework for navigation, while experiential design adds layers of engagement to the journey.

TRANSITIONING FROM FUNCTIONAL TO EXPERIENTIAL

When devoid of any experiential design, the purpose of wayfinding becomes purely functional: helping people navigate. But as an experiential element, wayfinding can be much more than this, contributing to the overall experience of a place. For example:

• Directional signs can incorporate cultural references or historical context in addition to providing    instructions and pointing users toward different destinations.
• Beyond aiding in recognition, identification signs can showcase the individual identities of specific sites while also connecting them to the larger brand.
• Maps can help users orient themselves and navigate to additional locations, as well as become works of art worthy of sharing with others.

See how these principles are enacted in several of our projects involving both experiential graphic design and wayfinding.

Parasol Park: This neighborhood community development features our hand-crafted signage created in collaboration with The Ecology Center. The project emphasizes community gardens and shared spaces with playful typography and illustrations.

Bel Air Village: As part of this wayfinding signage and experiential graphic design project, we provided monumental letter sculptures for the residential community entrance. The monumentation was created in collaboration with artist Cyril Kongo, whose vibrant street art style helped us transform functional wayfinding into memorable public art.

Toyota Music Factory: In this entertainment district within the Dallas–Fort Worth Metro, we created a bold design language that includes murals and graphics inspired by the city’s heritage. In addition, we designed a central plaza reimagined as a “modern-day campfire” for connection and shared experiences.

The RiverFront: This 200-acre riverfront park project in Omaha connects three existing parks with a cohesive wayfinding system by RSM Design. It features warm metals and distinctive curved forms inspired by the downtown architecture.