Press Release
Journey To Fun Playful Hospital Wayfinding by Seevinck Baade Miller Seear Douglas Is Granted the A' Design Award in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
Seevinck Baade Miller Seear Douglas honored for graphics, illustration and visual communication design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 16, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category for Journey To Fun Playful Hospital Wayfinding by Seevinck Baade Miller Seear Douglas, designed for QUT Design Lab. The award was conferred within the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Journey To Fun Playful Hospital Wayfinding
Queensland Children's Hospital needed to enhance their Entertainment Precinct’s branded identity; facilitate a joyful experience within that distracts families from illness; and improve its wayfinding for locating services. The designer addressed this through uniquely incorporating playground games into wayfinding. The visual design complements integrates architecture and environment. The co-design and interdisciplinary approach with stakeholders, key to the project success, is also unique.
About Seevinck Baade Miller Seear Douglas
The Childrens Hospital Wayfinding and Experience Design Team combines QUT Design Lab creatives and researchers with Queensland Children's Hospital curatorial and health communication specialists, reflecting the interdisciplinary approach typical of the QUT Design Lab. This group fosters collaboration among designers, thinkers and innovators from diverse fields. Acting as a catalyst for new thinking and dissolving boundaries between disciplines, they turn concepts into tangible artefacts, images, experiences and interactions to stimulate, provoke and empower partners and design students for positive, inclusive and ethical futures.
Award Record
This recognition makes Seevinck Baade Miller Seear Douglas a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award
The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Entries typically include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. Awarded graphic designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/graphics
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/161077
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/161077
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!161077
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/354650
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://tinyurl.com/bddmwakj
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Journey To Fun Playful Hospital Wayfinding
- Function
- Playful Hospital Wayfinding
- Category
- Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Branding & Advertising and Arts
- Colors
- Dark Orange, Black, Coral, Saddle Brown and Linen
- Images
- 5
- Client
- QUT Design Lab
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Seevinck Baade Miller Seear Douglas
- Country
- Australia
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #161077
Credits
- Team
- Jen Seevinck, Kirsten Baade, Evonne Miller, Gillian Ridsdale, Matthew Douglas and Lynne Seear
- Image Credits
- Photographer Sarah Osborne, Illustration Kirsten Baade, Documentation, 2021
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Queensland Children's Hospital needed to enhance their Entertainment Precinct’s branded identity; facilitate a joyful experience within that distracts families from illness; and improve its wayfinding for locating services. We addressed this through uniquely incorporating playground games into wayfinding; and visual design that complements and integrates with architecture and environment. Our co-design and interdisciplinary approach with stakeholders, key to the project success, is also unique.
- Inspiration
- Nature, children's games, collaboration with hospital stakeholders and the building's 'living tree' concept and parrot sculptures were key.Biophilic design and regional landscape led to nature-based placemaking at each entry point (Lifts A,B).Playful characterisations of parrots could relate to children and 3 unique parrots were created for each of the 3 services, using coloured feather trails and inspired by playground games like Hopscotch - immediately facilitating active and embodied play.
- Research
- Level 6 'Entertainment Precinct' needed a distinctive, joyful identity and improved wayfinding. Design was informed by collaborative and human-centered methods, from co-design workshops to interviews and surveys. Post-completion feedback is overwhelmingly positive: one mother shared how her toddler, typically reluctant to walk, eagerly followed the feathers, demonstrating the design's positive impact on wellbeing. Our solution surpassed expectations and informs ongoing design and research.
- Challenge
- Designing within health and architectural constraints was exciting and a challenge. Our interdisciplinary team navigated challenges to integrate playful UX into wayfinding, considering factors from surface sterilization to inclusive design and complementing the orange colour scheme. Striving to 'escape flatland,' we used floor decals to encourage physical engagement akin to playground activities. Parrot characters peeked over doors, adding humor and enriching the playful experience design.
- Realization and Technology
- Co-design workshops with hospital stakeholders resulted in insights such as the parrot character. Using site photos and Photoshop, digital collages were created for feedback. Detailed wall and doorway measurements were taken to create layout templates. Paper and Procreate were used for illustration, with vectorizing in Illustrator. Vertical designs were printed as wall-sized panels and floor feather decals were individually die cut and installed.
- Operation and Interaction
- The design utilizes wayfinding and UX design to tackle challenges like getting lost and limited engagement. Memorable landmarks created at lift wells aid recollection, with places (waterfall) replacing letters (lift A). Directional signage includes the parrot signage at the intersections near lift entries and the playfully directional feather trails on the floors. Colour and symbols (parrots, feathers) in the signage differentiates between destinations, while also uniquely representing each
- Project Duration and Location
- Starting October 2020 with co-design, research and prototyping, the concepts and imagery were refined by July 2021, then vectorized, with final approvals, printing and installation by September 2021. Publicly launched in October it remains a significant and impactful part of the Queensland Children’s Hospital, the primary facility of Queensland’s state-wide Hospital and Health Service, with over 350 beds, 40,000 patients annually, and according to Newsweek, the 10th best children's hospital internationally.
- Specifications
- 226 Square meters of visual design cover the walls of the Entertainment Precinct, ranging from 2.7m to 3.1m high, and 7.5m pillar. A further 270 square meters of floor space feature lines of feather decals for playfully directional signage. The design distinguishes between two entry/exit points (lifts A, B), three destinations (the services), three intersections for direction and the pillar as a landmark. A one-hour video with animated elements (winking, feather rustle) complements the design.
- Keywords
- Design for Health, Co-Design, Collaboration, Hospital Wayfinding, Hospital Branding, Experience Design, Wayfinding, Branding, Environmental Graphic Design, Hospital, Pediatric
