Wakara Complex – Exterior Signage Package

About This Project

The Wakara Complex is comprised of four buildings connected around a shared courtyard located at Research Park. The Wakara Complex provides office, laboratory and clinical spaces.

Stippich Design collaborated with the Real Estate Administration at the University of Utah and Arch Nexus on the development and design of the exterior signage package. The exterior signage package includes the exterior identification, exterior directionals, and pedestrian directional with a wayfinding map.

The development phase started with discussions on strategies for identifying the four building numbers in a cohesive manner. The second focus item was developing concepts for a brand identity to visually connect the four buildings that comprise the Wakara Complex. Stippich Design presented initial concepts with various strategies to identify the building numbers, terminology for distinguishing each building and brand identity ideas. Stippich Design led meetings and discussions to review, get feedback and determine which concepts and brand identity matched the highest range of design priorities.

The concept determined to match the highest number of priorities in the development phase centered on placing the four building numbers in red boxes to reference it being managed by The University of Utah Real Estate Administration, adding the word “BUILDING” near the red boxes to reinforce that the Wakara Complex consisted of 4 buildings with a distinct number. The brand identity that was selected was made up of a series of squares with an all caps “WAKARA COMPLEX” word mark. With this set of decisions made then the design phase focused on the scale of signage, location of signage, refining aesthetics of the signage and the various formats needed for each location of signage. All of this was accomplished through the Stippich Design team providing detail drawings for each sign type and location, photo realistic renderings for each sign location and leading meetings to work through how each sign was hitting on priorities for that location including messages and scale of items on the exterior signage to reach finalized designs.