The Queen's Medical Center
The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i is the largest private non-profit medical facility in the Pacific Basin and has served the region since 1859. As the hospital evolved to meet growing demand, the sprawling network of buildings became increasingly difficult to navigate, and the staff struggled to give directions to visitors.
To ease confusion, Two Twelve developed a wayfinding system that highlights the facility’s elevators as navigational landmarks and uses clear, consistent signage to guide visitors to these key points and to the hospital's primary connecting floors.
With the elevators as the starting point for our strategy, their names—each a reference to Queen Emma’s life and legacy—were the starting point for our design. The team drew inspiration from Hawai‘i’s lush landscape and rich history to honor the cultural lineage of those names. Uniting language with symbols and colors, the design program streamlines navigation for multilingual visitors of all ages and demonstrates a nuanced sense of place.
Two Twelve mobilized quickly to provide the hospital with an accelerated analysis and strategy. In one week on site, our team conducted an audit of existing signage and made recommendations for improvements.
To test the success of our recommendations and to provide immediate impact at a low cost, Two Twelve implemented a full, temporary signage system at Queen's Medical Center.
When additional funding becomes available, the hospital can replace the signage system's temporary materials with more durable ones. And with a comprehensive wayfinding strategy and work plan already in place, the next phase of implementation can proceed as efficiently as the first.
Health and Science, Wayfinding
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- Client
- Location
The Queen's Medical Center
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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