Healthcare Signage and Wayfinding
Clear signs for people on a hard day, and the approvals that come with large hospital buildings.
Kolano Design creates signage and wayfinding for hospitals and health systems, including many UPMC facilities, St. Clair Health since 2007 and Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia. The work ranges from high wall signs on new towers to the room signs, directories and donor walls inside.
Hospital wayfinding has to work for patients and visitors who are stressed, unfamiliar with the building or living with low vision. At the UPMC Mercy Pavilion, home of the UPMC Vision Institute, Kolano designed a sign program for exactly that audience.
- Campus sign standards and exterior programs
- High wall signs, visibility studies and variances
- Interior wayfinding, directories and room signs
- Donor recognition walls and digital displays
- Bidding and multi-site rollout
Selected Projects
Full portfolio
Common Questions
Why is hospital wayfinding different?
Visitors are often anxious, in a hurry or unwell, and hospital campuses grow in pieces over decades. Good healthcare wayfinding uses clear naming, consistent sign types and high contrast, and it is planned with the hospital's own staff.
Can Kolano work across a whole health system?
Yes. Kolano designed St. Clair Health's exterior program of pylons, building signs and an LED high wall sign, then bid and managed the work across seven sites.
Do you design donor recognition for hospitals?
Yes, including the donor wall at UPMC Mercy, the digital donor wall and Walls of Honor at UPMC Passavant, and the CAMC Foundation donor wall.
Talk to Us
6026 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206