Visual communication and the language of place

Imagine a first-year student stepping onto campus for the first time. Everything is new: the buildings, the routines, the people. Their nerves are high. Yet as they walk, they navigate instinctively, following guidance they never consciously notice. Typography, color, icons and graphics direct them across campus, helping them reach class on time and at ease.

This is visual communication doing its quiet work. It creates a language of place — one that helps us know where to go and what to do without needing to think about it. It becomes the final layer that turns a space from functional to intuitive, guiding people with clarity and confidence. In this way, experiential graphic design becomes less about signs and symbols and more about shaping human experience.

That's why, when experiential graphic design experts are brought into a project, their work goes far beyond selecting fonts. They study behavior, movement patterns and emotional states to design communication systems that serve people — helping them feel oriented, welcomed and in control of their experience in the built environment.

The psychological power and functionality of typography

Typography encompasses much more than the literal words or the information being conveyed — it influences a person’s perception and their emotion. Experiential graphic designers strategically calibrate typography's legibility to visually embody the tone and emotion of the message itself.

For example, a typeface can make a message feel urgent or calm, authoritative or intimate. Imagine a classic emergency exit sign — bold, red, uppercase letters demand immediate attention. Replace that typography with a something cursive, and the urgency vanishes; the sign becomes almost paradoxical. Conversely, a café sign might use flowing, closely-spaced lettering to cultivate warmth and relaxation. In both cases, the typeface either reinforces or undermines the intended message.

Brand Identity and architectural integration

When working with an organization, chances are they already have their own brand tool kit. Brand typography instills personality and trust when used consistently. A 'serif' font like the classic Times New Roman has a traditional, institutional look, while a 'sans-serif' font like Verdana could be used for its clean, modern appearance. These visual elements become the foundation our design team uses to encode an organization's values into the physical environment.

Case Study: West Virginia Laboratory Project

Our experiential graphics team was engaged to design clear and effective wayfinding signage for the West Virginia lab project, a centralized facility supporting several public health departments. This initiative required more than simply analyzing any existing signage or the client's brand style. The team conducted in-depth research, examining archival photographs of historic lab signage from West Virginia. Through this process, they identified a contemporary typeface that drew inspiration from the original signage, incorporating a modern touch. The result was a seamless continuity between the past and present, echoing architectural details to deliver a unified design experience.

After establishing an intentional look and feel for the messaging, it was ready for application. The team developed wayfinding and directories that clearly identified the different health departments and created an information display framework that allowed each office to celebrate their culture and history while speaking from a unified design language across the building.

Designing for universal understanding and inclusion

Typography can also impact inclusion in the built space through icons — which can be an extension of the typographic communication — providing a multilingual navigation that can be critical for non-English speakers and users with dyslexia. Clear hierarchy and familiar iconography can prevent confusion in high-stress situations. If someone is navigating through a healthcare space and trying to seek immediate care, unsuccessful signage can heighten the moment and create a negative experience for the visitor. Together, icons and typography can create a complete communication system that works for both the quick glance and careful read, ensuring the message reaches both our instinctive and analytical ways of processing information.

Creating thoughtful multilingual design helps provide a sense of cultural validation — making everyone feel welcome and acknowledged. The example below shows the word “Escalier” alone versus paired with the stair icon demonstrates typography’s limitations and iconography’s power. In an emergency, a text-only "Escalier" sign could cause dangerous confusion for a non-French speaker, underscoring why deep understanding of a space's user-base is important to deliver messaging effectively.

Case Study: Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC)

At the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), our team implemented a design approach rooted in universal signage that fosters an inviting and inclusive environment. The hospital’s nine-story, 300,000-sf pediatric outpatient tower — now part of Rady Children's Health — consolidates several specialty facilities within a single location, enhancing convenience for families and supporting clinical collaboration.

The interior was carefully tailored to provide a child-centered experience, featuring biophilic design elements and interactive educational moments to help ease hospital-related anxiety for young patients and their guardians.

From custom-designed interactive pieces to wayfinding signage, the design actively supports the diverse populations served by the hospital by incorporating English, Spanish and Vietnamese languages. Beyond functional wayfinding, even the playful wall graphics include integrated translations, extending inclusion and accessibility to all visitors and ensuring that communication goes beyond basic navigation.

Visual communication as the connective tissue

Humans have always relied on visual language to navigate and understand their environments. CannonDesign's in-house Experiential Graphic Design studio continues this age-old practice — adapting it to create environments that provide a space where people belong and can flourish, the embodiment to our Living-Centered Design principles. Visual communication and typography become the connective tissue between architectural vision and human experience. When executed well, it disappears entirely — leaving only clarity, confidence and belonging.