Jaap Knevel

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way is a series of signs that explores alternative approaches to wayfinding design. Signs that give room to more complexity in language, were made in dialogue with the people they depict, and highlight under-represented ways of navigation.

Criticism of wayfinding design, like the signs it produces, takes place in public spaces. The international standards for pictograms are ignored in favour of small-scale initiatives. Words and languages on road signs are modified to better represent local cultures and male-dominant methodologies are challenged to allow for more diverse ways of looking.

By engaging with this movement and taking a critical look at my own practice, I have reflected on the origins of established practices in wayfinding design and identified ways to change them. This degree project is my first step in making those changes.