Corporate Campus Signage: One Plan for Every Building

Campuses differ from single buildings because people arrive by car, walk between buildings, and often visit once. The signage plan has to answer: where do I enter, where do I park, which building, which door?

• Head-office campuses with several blocks and shared parking.
• Training, learning and conference campuses where visitors are frequently new to the site.
• Multi-tenant or multi-division sites that need clear separation of brands under one roof.
• Sites that expand over time and need a system that can grow.

A campus plan is built in layers, from the roadside to the room:

1. Arrival: an entrance feature such as Illuminated Monument Signs or Non-Illuminated Monument Signs.
2. Vehicle routes: directional signs, parking zones and visitor bays.
3. Building identification: lettering or logos on each facade, see Building Entrance Signs.
4. Pedestrian routes: totems and finger posts at paths and junctions.
5. Interior links: reception and directory signs that continue the same language, see Internal Architectural Sign Systems.

We choose a limited set of sign types, then repeat them with different content, which keeps the campus cohesive and makes additions easy.

The mix is chosen to withstand the outdoors while looking premium at reception level.

• Aluminium and mild steel, powder-coated, for structures and panels.
• Stainless steel, brass or copper accents for entrances and feature lettering.
• Acrylic and composite for secondary panels and interior links.
• Reflective or high-contrast vinyl for vehicle-facing information.

See materials and finishes for samples and options.

Campuses that operate evenings, security shifts or events need lit entrances, building names and key directional points. Quieter daytime sites may only light the main entrance.

• Internally lit lettering on main buildings, see Front-Lit Channel Letters or Halo-Lit and Backlit Letters.
• Floodlit or edge-lit entrance features.
• Unlit directional signs with reflective faces.

Advanced lighting, such as RGBW or pixel effects for a campus facade, is subject to technical assessment and confirmed availability.

• For a group of separate tenants in a shared park, Business Park Signage is a better fit; campus signage assumes one occupier or brand.
• For a single building, use Large Building Signs or Architectural Facade Signage.
• For estates and residential layouts, see Estate and Complex Wayfinding.
• For the interior only, see Office Wayfinding Systems.

• Viewing distance: as a rough guide, many designers allow around 25 mm of letter height per 10 m of viewing distance. Building names seen from the road will be much larger than path signs.
• Hierarchy: not every sign needs every detail; keep information at each point to what a person needs there.
• Mounting: brick, concrete, cladding and curtain walling all need different fixings, which we check during the survey.
• Electrical access: lit signs need power points or cable runs; trenching may involve other trades.
• Accessibility: sign heights, contrast and reach for people with disabilities, see Accessible and Tactile Signs.
• Approvals: structural, electrical and municipal matters are checked during survey and design, and may need the landlord, body corporate or municipality.

• Number of buildings, entrances and routes in the plan.
• The number of different sign types in the system.
• Size, structure and foundations for freestanding signs.
• Material grade and finish.
• Lighting and how far power must be run.
• Phasing and the number of site visits needed.
• Access equipment for work at height.

Because campus jobs are large, we recommend a site survey before any figures are discussed.

Agree a regular cleaning round, since campus signs gather dust and bird droppings quickly. Inspect fixings, lighting and panel faces periodically. Keep a record of sign types and finishes so replacement panels match. Scheduled maintenance can cover the whole site.

Surveys and installations are arranged by appointment from our Rivonia base across Gauteng's corporate nodes.

• Sandton
• Midrand
• Centurion
• Pretoria
• Johannesburg
• Kempton Park