University of East Anglia Signage & Wayfinding Strategy & Design

Client

University of East Anglia (UEA)

Role

Signage design, wayfinding strategy, signage design guidelines, campus map design

Location

Norwich, East Anglia, UK

Project

The University of East Anglia is a large, highly distinctive campus with a dense mix of academic buildings, residences, cultural venues, and landscape routes.

Its layered layout, varied building entrances, and multiple arrival points can make navigation challenging for first-time visitors and even regular users. As the campus continued to evolve, UEA needed a clear, consistent signage and wayfinding strategy that could support confident movement across the whole estate, indoors and out.

The brief also called for a new campus map that could handle the complexities of an evolving campus and remain accurate as departments and spaces changed year to year.

Our approach

ABG Design undertook a full wayfinding audit of the UEA campus, reviewing existing signs, pedestrian routes, decision points, and areas of confusion. This evidence shaped a scalable information hierarchy and a new signage family designed to work across different building types and user needs.

To strengthen orientation, we developed a highly detailed campus map design as a core navigation tool. The map uses a clear grid-reference system, building and zone coding, and an easy-to-follow key, allowing users to locate destinations quickly and understand route options at a glance.

Given the scale and density of the site, careful attention was paid to legibility, hierarchy, and the balance between detail and clarity. The mapping framework was also designed for straightforward annual updates, enabling UEA to refresh building names, departmental locations, and “in development” areas without disrupting consistency or user familiarity.

We produced comprehensive signage design guidelines covering hierarchy, typography, placement, materials, accessibility, and update protocols to support long-term rollout.

Solution

ABG Design delivered a coordinated campus-wide signage and wayfinding system for UEA, supported by a robust, future-ready map suite and clear implementation guidelines.

The result provides confident navigation across a complex campus, improves arrival and decision-making at key points, and gives UEA a long-term toolkit that can evolve through yearly map updates as the estate grows and changes.