Campus and University Signage
Signs that welcome visitors, name every building and grow with the campus.
Kolano Design creates signage and wayfinding for colleges, universities and schools across Pittsburgh. Kolano has worked on Carnegie Mellon University's Oakland campus for nearly two decades and maintains its sign guidelines, designed the exterior building signs across Duquesne University, and has designed signage and wayfinding for both of Chatham University's campuses, the Eden Hall Campus in Richland Township and the Shadyside campus.
Campus signage has to welcome visitors, identify dozens of buildings and grow as new ones open. Kolano starts with the zoning code and the campus brand, then designs building identification, monuments, wayfinding and room signs, with standards the school can reuse. At Shady Side Academy, Kolano has designed signage for the McIlroy Science and Technology Center and the new Rockwell Middle School.
- Sign code synopsis by building and zoning district
- Campus sign master plan and wayfinding analysis
- Building identification, monuments and entrance signs
- Interior room, ADA and donor signs
- Sign guidelines and phased rollout
Selected Projects
Full portfolio
Common Questions
What does a campus signage master plan include?
A campus signage master plan sets the family of signs for the whole campus: gateways and monuments, building identification, vehicular and pedestrian wayfinding, parking and accessible entrance signs, with standards for placement and materials. It lets a school phase in new signs over several years and keep them consistent.
Why do universities need sign guidelines?
Campuses add and renovate buildings constantly, often with different architects. Sign guidelines document the standard sign types so every new building fits. Kolano maintains Carnegie Mellon University's sign guidelines, now at version 3.0, and keeps shop drawings for the university's standard sign types.
Do campus signs need zoning approval?
Usually, and a campus can cross more than one zoning district with different limits. For Duquesne University, Kolano issued a sign code synopsis mapping the allowances for each building across the campus's zoning districts before designing the new signs.
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6026 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206