405 Wayfinding Rationale: Leeds 2023

As the search for the European Capital of Culture 2023 is on, it has been said that one of the cities will be from the UK and with this Leeds has decided it will put in a bid to become 2023 Capital of Culture. The last British city to be named was Liverpool and this really boosted the tourism and overall look and feel of the city. It is all about bringing people together to build a sense of community as well as creating economic growth. If Leeds win there will be a year of festivities showing off why Leeds is great and will bring millions in visitors. With this in mind there will have to be a Way finding system to direct people round the city to make sure they see all the best things - taking into consideration the way finding system must be versatile and consist of mainly pictograms so that even people who don't speak English can understand. There is already a typeface created for the project however I believe that come 2023 it may look a bit dated, like it was trying to look futuristic so I plan to create a set of designs that are more free flowing and inviting.

Speaking of the typography Designer Lee Goater “It needed to be playful, intriguing and somehow even challenging. We wanted to make something that makes you turn your head, pause to figure it out and understand it." I disagree with this statement - yes it should be quirky and infused with creativity however people shouldn't have to work to understand it, especially if English isn't their first language, along with the fact a City's culture shouldn't be elitist. I am generally not going to use text in my designs unless necessary to the design and will consider using colour however would have to do research into what best represents the different sections of places: Museums, Universities, Shopping, Music Venues & Bars, Theatres and Art Galleries to name a few. I will choose one or two from each section and create pictograms as it would be unrealistic to create one for each and every single place in Leeds. I will also consider the design of arrows to point in directions or whether this can be incorporated in the pictograms.