Austin's Harry Ransom Center uses environmental graphics to unveil its mission and collections.
The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin’s renowned literary archive, is home to some of the world’s most valuable cultural treasures. Its collections include one of only 48 copies of the Gutenberg Bible, a rare first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and one of Jack Kerouac’s spiral-bound journals for On the Road.
Inspired by the hospital's new logo, but not wanting to simply reproduce it, the designers came up with a coloring book theme. It was designed to appeal to children and to reassure them that the hospital is a good place. Giant crayons — some of them supports for the signs — decorate the signs, which depict brightly colored stick-figure children. Several signs include fiberoptic lighting, which illuminate the signs at night.
The airport signage for Laredo International Airport was inspired by the modern geometric forms and materials found in its architectural setting. The building's forms were adapted for the signage, creating an interesting and unique sign type palette. The use of local colors from Southwest Texas' Hispanic heritage provides excellent contrast for legibility of wayfinding information. The interior overhead directional signs are cantilevered from the stone columns with three steel tubes and incorporate the angular geometry found throughout the architectural detailing.
This installation is half-inch thick, highly polished, etched and carved domestic crystal. The designer was inspired by the aesthetically intriguing horizontal graph and chart presentations that the Genome Project researchers have developed to map the human genome.
The Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin houses thirty million literary manuscripts, one million rare books, five million photographs, and over 100,000 works of art. Highlights include the Gutenberg Bible (c. 1455) and the world's first photograph (c. 1826). Both the Bible case and the first photo case were displayed in the lobby of the Center and viewed in such a way that best represented their individual history, without obscuring the entrance. The displays allowed the viewer to walk around and fully experience the objects.
Austin's Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is on the cusp of significant expansion including a new park-and-ride initiative, new technology-enhanced vehicles, the addition of a commuter rail, and a dramatic growth in its service levels. fd2s was selected to provide comprehensive experience design services covering existing and planned transit offerings.
The consultant began the project with an in-depth analysis of the needs of patients, visitors, and the staff that serve them. The understanding cultivated during this intense analysis phase led to the development of a strategy that called for the creation of a unified and highly recognizable system to address the needs of users at every possible point of contact.
