Multiple Building Clusters
Visitors need to understand how different buildings and destinations relate to one another.
Case Study
Dubai CommerCity
Wayfinding Strategy & Signage System Design
ClientDubai CommerCity
LocationDubai, UAE
SectorCommercial Development
ServicesWayfinding Strategy, User Journey Analysis, Signage System Design, Design Documentation
StatusDesign Completed
Project Overview
Modern commercial destinations require more than signage—they require a navigation strategy that helps people move confidently through complex environments.
For Dubai CommerCity, our objective was to create a complete signage and wayfinding system that supports intuitive movement while maintaining architectural consistency and strengthening the project's identity.
The scope included user journey analysis, information hierarchy, sign family development, graphic standards and detailed design documentation for implementation.
Understanding the Challenge
Multiple User Types
Visitors, tenants, employees, logistics teams and service providers require different navigation experiences.
Vehicular & Pedestrian Journeys
Vehicle and pedestrian movement needed to be coordinated from arrival through to the final destination.
Consistent Identity
The system needed to maintain one coherent visual language across buildings, parking and public areas.
Our Design Process
A structured approach from understanding the place to delivering coordinated design documentation.
- 01
Project Understanding
- 02
User Journey Analysis
- 03
Information Hierarchy
- 04
Sign Family Development
- 05
Graphic Design
- 06
Detailed Documentation
- 07
Design Coordination
Designing Around People
Effective wayfinding begins with understanding how people experience a place.
Rather than designing signs in isolation, we analysed different user journeys—including visitors, tenants, employees, service providers and first-time users—to identify the decision points where navigation information is required.
This approach helps create intuitive environments that reduce confusion and support a clearer visitor experience.
Wayfinding analysisMasterplan wayfinding · Dubai CommerCity, Signage and Wayfinding, Detailed Design Report Tap to enlarge
Wayfinding analysisWayfinding pre-requisites · Information hierarchy · Dubai CommerCity Detailed Design Report Tap to enlarge
Building the Information Hierarchy
Give people the information they need, when they need it.
The information hierarchy defines what users need to know, and when they need to know it.
Rather than presenting every destination at once, information is progressively disclosed as users move through the development—from orientation and primary destinations to specific buildings, levels and final destinations. This creates clearer decisions at each stage of the journey while reducing unnecessary information and visual clutter.
Wayfinding Principles
IntroductionWayfinding principles · Dubai CommerCity Detailed Design Report
Inform
Provide the information required to make the next decision.
Guide
Support intuitive movement through the built environment.
Reinforce
Confirm that users remain on the correct route while maintaining a consistent project language.
Sign Family Development
A coordinated family of signs translates the wayfinding strategy into physical elements across the development.
Design Development
The wayfinding strategy was developed into coordinated sign families, graphic standards and detailed technical documentation for implementation.
Sign Family
Graphic Development
Detailed Documentation
From Strategy to Design
Design Principles
User-Centred Navigation
Every sign supports real user movement.
Architectural Integration
Signage complements the built environment.
Consistency
A unified visual language across the development.
Future Flexibility
Designed to accommodate future operational changes.
Scope of Design Services
- Project Understanding
- Wayfinding Strategy
- User Journey Analysis
- Information Hierarchy
- Graphic Design
- Sign Family Development
- Material Strategy
- Detailed Design Documentation
- Coordination Support
From Strategy to Design Documentation
The completed wayfinding package translated the navigation strategy into a coordinated signage system ready for implementation.
The documentation brought together user journeys, information hierarchy, sign locations, graphic standards, sign families, materials and detailed design requirements within one coordinated system.
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