Colour pallette for 2012 Games signage (2012-01-03)TfL Corporate Archives
Anyone For Magenta?
The magenta of the signing system was tested against the wide colour range already in use on the London transport network. Magenta was also the only colour that didn't already feature predominantly on signs within the UK transport or street environment
The signage system formed a magenta trail, starting with the tickets and spectator guide posted to spectators. Following the magenta trail allowed signs to be recognisable as 2012 Games communications from their colour and shape.
Clear, consistent, effective signage
Designed to communicate how spectators should navigate across any particular travel mode, effective signage was also a key element in crowd control
Olympic Park wayfinding sign (2012-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Olympic Park Wayfinding Sign
The designs were consistent with the 2012 Games identity to ensure that the Games experience was seamless, enjoyable, and confusion free
Travel pictograms (2012-01-03)TfL Corporate Archives
Inclusive Signs
Messages used pictograms where appropriate, plus lettering with as large a font size as possible
Games pictograms (2012-01-03)TfL Corporate Archives
Games Pictograms
Some pictograms had to be designed especially for the Games
2012 No Entry Signage (2012-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Clear and Unambiguous Signs
Signs were not loaded with any surplus information in order to prevent bottlenecking caused by visitors overly scrutinising messages in confined spaces
The 2012 signage provided directions to and from:
· Games competition venues
· Official Live Sites
· Official London 2012 meeting points, and ticket collection points
· Venue stations and transport nodes
· Travel between the venue and mainline stations
The signage could only carry non-commercial names and factual references. No deviations were permitted.
Example banner signs for 2012 Games (2012-01-03)TfL Corporate Archives
Consistent Approach
A key aim of the Games signage was to avoid inconsistent approaches across different modes and different operators and avoid last minute solutions where hand-written signs were scattered around
Signage hierarchy and terminology (2012-01-03)TfL Corporate Archives
Sign Hierarchy and Terminology
Diagrams demonstrating how to structure 2012 Games signage and messaging
Key principles of the Games signage included: be in English only (except for Welsh venue); use consistent 2012 naming for venues and sites; be consistent with other forms of spectator information such as spectator guides; contain a mixture of static, moveable, and dynamic signage.
Transport Overlay Signs (2012-01-03)TfL Corporate Archives
Overlay Signs
The strategy for the 2012 Games was to build the signage around the building blocks which were tried and tested and in place
Existing TfL Design Elements Used
Venues and transport hubs were described in English using the New Johnston Medium font that allowed non-English speakers to recognise letter forms of their particular destination
Travelcard for 2012 Olympic Games (2012-08-09)TfL Corporate Archives
Story compiled by TfL using information in records at the Transport for London Corporate Archives. The Corporate Archives seeks to preserve and make accessible records, not to interpret them. A wider range of material is available for physical consultation.
Permission is granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only.
