Blog: Beautiful Toilet Signs
In her latest blog, our Head of Interior Design, Laura Baarda considers the importance of well-designed and inclusive toilet signage.
It is not often that we specifically focus on anything toilet related in our blogs, but they really can be the unsung heroes of a space. Anyone who knows me knows that I will always comment on the interior decoration of toilet facilities. If you have gone to the effort of ensuring beautiful design in a bathroom…. I appreciate it!
In general, toilet signage and wayfinding go one way or another, either standard but unimaginative or very overcomplicated.
As a designer, signage and wayfinding are a must to help people navigate through our interior spaces. We need to consider ease of use for everyone using the area through identifiable graphics, dementia-friendly tones and palettes, gender-inclusive icons, and, to round it all off – be aesthetically pleasing.
I like to have a say on signage and wayfinding, as it can ruin an interior scheme. Therefore, I wanted to share some of my favourite toilet signs.
Green with Envy
I photographed this beautiful toilet signage at Clerkenwell Design Week 2022 in the Vantage Spaces showroom. It isn’t over-designed or overcomplicated, just so simple and effective, interesting and adds biophilia into a space where you wouldn’t expect it.
All Black Everything
One of my all-time favourite signage schemes, simple icons work for wayfinding, but the mounting off the wall makes it more visible from a distance, contrasting with the wall tone. The signage also sits well with the interior scheme. This is the wayfinding for Deakin University’s new corporate centre in Australia. The wayfinding is classic and straightforward. The icons are recognisable and sit perfectly alongside the refined interior.
No Monkey Business
This interior is simply beautiful and so well designed. The oversized graphics, the colour, the playfulness… it is spot on! I love how they have used an in-theme icon for the toilet doors with the cavemen and women.
Symbols can be confusing and rely on the user’s understanding of the cultural reference. I have stood outside many a themed restaurant or wine bar and wondered which toilet door to enter. In Yorkshire, you sometimes see ram and ewe signs for toilet doors. Sometimes it can overcomplicate the simplistic need for wayfinding. What do you think?
Hanging Out
Beautiful signage at its best at Zabeel House, Dubai by LW Design Group. Again, these are humorous and fun, hanging like they are swinging from monkey bars – while providing simple wayfinding that doesn’t detract from the interior but enhances the spaces and the customer experience.
Shaping Shadows
I love this concept. I adore creating something that works with lighting – I am passionate about how it can transform interiors. This signage is at the Semba Vietnam Offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We are proposing a similar concept for some meeting room names on a project (what sort of project).
We are all in this Together
Designing all-gender facilities with inclusivity in mind is now an essential aspect of design. Transgender people have experienced harassment and aggression towards them when using public toilet facilities. Safeguarding aside, the lack of all-gender facilities can lead transgender people to plan their days around where they can go to the toilet, adding unnecessary complexity to their daily life.
This icon was created by Sam Killerman, a social justice advocate, derived from a blog post where he made fun of the standard stick figure icons and created this half-man, half-women sign, hoping it would illustrate how absurd it was and the genuine issue of safety. This symbol is the most common/ readily available icon for all gender facilities currently.
Hopefully, this inspired you to see that something as fundamental as toilet signage can be humorous, playful, easy to identify and, most importantly, inclusive. As we work towards more ‘all gender’ toilets as a standard practice, I am excited to see more creativity applied.