T-Mobile campus
At the headquarters of T-Mobile in Bonn, more than 5,000 workplaces are spread across only four floors. The vast nature of the building complex presented a particular challenge for the design of the signage and guidance system.
Associative orientation
The workplaces are grouped in more than 40 open-plan offices, each with a meeting point. A naming concept that we developed assigns the name of a city to each meeting point, thereby adding an associative level to the functional system of orientation. Naming the central points results in places that are easy to remember and to tell others about, that create a sense of identity and which serve as destinations and places to meet.
The initial letters of the city names chosen indicate the respective building sections and thus provide the link to room codes and facility management.
City names make it easier to find particular rooms in the conference area as well.
Design
The guidance system that we designed took a step away from T-Mobile's corporate design. Graphics and holders took their cues from the architecture in terms of materials and styles and were affixed directly to the walls in many places.
The consistent use of black and white in combination with the Monotype OCR typeface means that the signage elements stand out throughout the building on account of their practicality. In addition to the lettering, special pictograms have been drawn for use by T-Mobile.
The underground parking garage, with over 2,000 spaces, is divided into three zones. Each of the numerous exits is clearly marked in the color of its zone. The naming system, following the city theme and specifying the level, means that people have a destination that is easy for them to remember when they go to leave.
