Our Approach to Campus Signage

Signage on school campuses is essential to the visitor experience.

The visual cues communicated by a campus’ signage system are important for a number of reasons. Signage must clearly announce a location, describe an environment, give clear direction for navigation, and express the school’s brand & identity. Campus signage and wayfinding can heavily influence the impressions one forms of a school and its environment.  

IDS has created landmark signage, interior and exterior wayfinding schemes and branded exhibitions for some of America’s most esteemed colleges and universities. 

Our approach to campus signage is grounded in our customer-first philosophy. Whether we manage the design with our in-house team or facilitate the design of a client designated environmental graphic firm, we put our client and partner relationships at the forefront of the project, fully facilitating the project from start to finish. 

Additionally, our appetite for and fascination with industry innovations in lighting techniques and sign materials ensures we deliver state-of-the-art signage of the highest quality. 

The following projects showcase the diversity of our expertise and ways we have helped campuses transform their signage and communicate their brand stories.

Hudson Valley Community College

Signage plus complete sitework

For Hudson Valley Community College‘s exterior signage development, IDS facilitated the design work of Corbin Design to fabricate new college gateway signage and building identification signs. 

The scope of this project was extensive; IDS teams fabricated nine signs as part of this phase of the project, and our Project Management team coordinated and oversaw extensive sitework that included demolition, excavation, foundation work, new sidewalks and layouts and drainage masonry stonework, all on a short project timeline.

Visit the Hudson Valley Community College project.

Global Cybersecurity Institute at RIT

Complete brand exhibit

For the state-of-the-art Global Cybersecurity Institute exhibit at Rochester Institute of Technology, IDS partnered the schools leadership team and with General Contractor LeChase Construction and Project Architects LaBella Associates to develop a truly outstanding exhibition of major architectural structures, custom lighting elements and wayfinding signage. 

From the building’s main entrance and throughout the 52,000  square foot exhibit, IDS delivered on the architect’s design intent. Some of the unique signage elements include a floor to ceiling die cut metal gateways, interior signage and wayfinding elements, a complete exhibit space, branded elements, lighting for the major building branding features, environmental graphics and the custom glass treatments. 

Value engineering was an integral part of the project, ensuring all materials and fabrication met the project budget and timeline.

Visit the Global Cybersecurity Institute exhibit project. 

Rochester Institute of Technology Magic Spell Studio

Brand statement sign

For RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios, we built a unique centerpiece identification statement and sophisticated lighting structure for the building’s exterior, delivering a modern and dynamic brand element for the organization. 

The finished sign features a negative space rendition of the word MAGIC, lit internally with a DMX controlled lighting system connected to the building’s lighting display system. The sign transitions a full spectrum of color, casting light on the building’s facade.

The sign is a testament to the unique and innovative design and fabrication of our in-house teams. 

Visit the RIT Magic Spell Studio sign project.

Syracuse University

Wayfinding and Identity

The solution created for Syracuse University is a paramount example of our capabilities in design facilitation, value engineering and fabrication. Together with design firm EDR, we delivered an exceptional exterior wayfinding program that incorporated a strong brand identity through every sign element.

Signs were prototyped, fabricated and installed, cohesively managed by the IDS team.

Visit the Syracuse University project.