It's hard to believe it’s August already. Over halfway through 2023 now, we're taking a look back at five project highlights for the year so far across our studios.
Gold Coast Airport
Gold Coast Airport is the gateway to some of Australia’s premier tourist and leisure destinations, welcoming in excess of 6.5 million passengers per year – a number that is set to exceed 10 million by the end of the decade. In collaboration with Hassell, Maynard were engaged to develop a new wayfinding and signage system for the extensive Southern Terminal Expansion (STE) project.
Acknowledging the airport’s status within the Gold Coast region and as a key link to Asia, the wayfinding employs a fully tri-lingual information system that seamlessly incorporates English alongside Simplified Chinese, and Japanese. The importance of clear and intuitive communication to an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse audience is complemented by a suite of bespoke pictograms, which support the identification of all primary destinations and airport facilities.
Read more about the project here.
Abrahamic Family House
Abrahamic Family House is a centre for learning and dialogue dedicated to fostering peaceful interfaith coexistence, located in the Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Three striking cubic buildings house a mosque, a church and a synagogue on a single complex designed by the architects.
For the sitewide wayfinding, the design system deftly works with three languages (Arabic, English and Hebrew) in equal measure. The end-result is a sensitive reflection of the rich diversity of the site, while organic material choices allow the sign family to sink into the fabric of the architecture.
Read more about the project here.
Wimbledon
Steeped in history and with a global annual audience in excess of 600 million, Wimbledon is considered the most prestigious grass tennis tournament in the world. Maynard has worked with the AELTC for the last few years on wayfinding across the grounds and iconic showcourts. After focusing on Centre Court for its centenary last year, in 2023 we turned our attention to No.1 Court.
Our team was honoured to be recognised this year by the Transform Awards Europe for our guest-centred wayfinding at Wimbledon. Bolstered by the success of the new wayfinding system, the lessons and findings are now being carried forward into wider programmes and initiatives across the Club. This year, ongoing upgrades to their Community Tennis Centre at Raynes Park and Community Sports Centre at Roehampton firmly cement the Club’s commitment and investment into local communities across Southwest London.
Read more about the project here.
Sir Howard Morrison Centre
Rotorua’s Sir Howard Morrison Centre is destined to reclaim its place among Aotearoa’s most beloved performing arts venues. In exceptional new facilities built where the performing arts greats of our past once held forth, a new generation of performers will find their feet on the stage.
The wayfinding concept drew from a visual connection to the Sir Howard Morrison Centre and the existing artworks, enhancing a sense of being present: kei kōnei koe. The outcome adopted Rotorua’s wood-first policy with feature pictograms that graphically respond to Henriata Nicholas’ site artwork and the materiality of the architecture. Maynard’s multi-disciplinary team designed the graphic and product form with expert craft from local manufacturers.
Read more about the project at Design Assembly here.
Elizabeth Line
London’s landmark first accessible railway is the result of the biggest infrastructure project in a generation. Celebrating a year since opening, the Elizabeth Line has supported a staggering 150 million journeys. 1 in 6 of all UK rail journeys are now made on the Elizabeth Line, equating to 24 trains per hour - one every 2.5 minutes.
Maynard designed a line-wide wayfinding identity and product family to unite all 41 individually designed stations for a seamless passenger experience. The project was the culmination of 13 years analysing station environments, evaluating user journeys and crafting one unified system.
You can read more about the project here.