Silesia Museum Wayfinding

The new location of the Silesian Museum, one of the biggest museum investments in Poland, is above the former Katowice coal mine. The main part of the architectural structure is a seven-story building, of which four floors are below ground. All spaces of the Silesian Museum are full of light, spacious and modern but, for some reason, these factors can lead to a feeling of getting lost.

The complicated structure of the buildings required a really sophisticated signage system. It consists of original pictograms; the team established a limit and decided that icons should show the “human dimension” and as often as possible consist of a human silhouette accompanied by other characteristic symbols and a series of visual graphics. The icons were to be used in different situations, from very small on directional plates to really large on walls.

The team used limited graphical language and dedicated, original information carriers. All the elements were in harmony with the museum’s architecture and existing branding. They also referenced each other. Besides a decorative function, the green color highlights important information and makes the carrier more visible from afar.

The system consists of a wide range of boards from the largest one with all building maps to toilet lateral plates, lift boards, and direction boards in the staircases and escalators. All together, they form a unique and consistent information system about the building structure and pathways.

Design Firm

Aleksandra Krupa, Bartlomiej Witanski, Jakub Cikala

Project Area

714,400 sq ft