Map signs for Royal National Park are orientated to the walking direction of the visitor and not due north. This allows visitors to position themselves easily and is now considered best practice in mapping and wayfinding signage.
Wayfinding and map signs
- NSW NPWS, Royal National Park
- June 2014 – October 2014
- Design maps from base ArcMap pdfs and apply NPWS style guides to create wayfinding signage
- 37 signs total
– 9 x headland and beach signs – 1450mm wide x 620mm high
– 18 minor directional signs (double sided) with interpretive panels on the reverse side
– 3 large combination wayfinding and interpretive 2240mm wide x 1175mm high
– 4 medium combination wayfinding and interpretive 1000mm wide x 1200mm high
– 3 track head signs 1200mm wide x 600mm high
ArcMap and orientation
Photographic backgrounds were provided as a separate images from ArcMap. The ocean was then cutout and a blue-turquoise gradient applied in photoshop to be a continuous gradient rather than the patchy (and often quite dark) aerial / satellite photography. Maps were orientated to the viewing direction which, being a coastal walk, was predominantly east.
Smaller insets were provided to show the immediate facilities from the current location. Additional interpretive information was included along the bottom of the panel along with distances to major points along the walk. NPWS style guidelines were used throughout.
