OUGD404 - Sign Principles Fire Exit Re-design

For this brief we were put into groups and were asked to re design the fire exit sign within 2 hours, this fire exit seems to be the most legible one out there, that no one else can create a simpler version so we had a go at it.

We began to sketch out things that are cautious towards fires, things that alert you or direct you, from using the fire symbol, arrow and the rectangle to represent the door.

From there we then started to get a huge range of mini designs that kept leading onto new ideas.

From Signs to flashing door hinges which was a big leap from signs but as a group we thought the flashing hinges would be more useful in bigger buildings as signs start to get a bit over whelming 

During our initial ideas we played with a huge range of ideas experimenting with:

• Fire hazard sign
• Footprints
• RUN
• Abbreviations: OMG!
• Maps/directions
• Social media
• Arrows
• Door shape
• FED EX - Arrow within letters
• Light up door frame
• The weather

We took Colour Psychology into consideration

Red:

you always have to stop when crossing that colour as it is always important or a dangerous and if ignored could lead to accidents. Stop, don't go further and aggression.

Green:

Green is usually used within safety, medicine and nature, green light mean go as it is the complete opposite to red on the traffic lights.

Blue:

calming, cold, the colour of some motorway signs. blue is always a trusting colour as our planet is surrendered by blue so to me it would have to mean well.

Orange: 

too like the colour of fire

We asked ourselves why does it have to be green, obviously it makes sense but blue is also quite a relaxing colour and looks approachable.

Social media 

People would be spending more time tweeting about the fire alarm procedures rather then leaving the building.

Putting there lives at risk to rescue there devices.

People are obsessed with there phones so we thought it would be a cool idea if you phones connected to the layout of the building you have entered via blue tooth.

Lights

Lights around the doorframe

Light strips on the floor/arrow of direction

Glass with a light on top 

Neon lights 

This was our most simpler design, it communicates well for example the T is within a safe area and has approached the fire exit, it excluding the arrow because of it. The only thing i would change would be the colour of it.
The second design was by using the black fill within each letter to give a visual of the inside spacing.