Contact: Sarah Haun
Two Twelve Associates
902 Broadway
New York, NY 10010
212 254 6670
shaun@twotwelve.com

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL BOSTON INSTALLS SIGNAGE SYSTEM DESIGNED BY TWO TWELVE

New York, NY, 24 March, 2001—Two Twelve Associates (http://www.twotwelve.com), the public information design firm, announces the installation of a new wayfinding and signage system for Children's Hospital Boston, one of the nation’s leading pediatric medical centers.

The first phase of the sign system, incorporating the distinctive use of language, colors, symbols and forms, helps over 450,000 patients, families, visitors and hospital staff members annually navigate the hospital's five-building main campus.

"The new signage system reflects our core values of excellence, sensitivity and leadership," says Sandra Fenwick, Chief Operating Officer of Children's Hospital Boston. "Going to the doctor's office or hospital can be an unsettling experience for children and their family members. This new system is one of the many ways we aim to make a visit to Children's as friendly and uncomplicated as possible. It provides our visitors with the information they need, where and when they need it, without adding confusion to what may already be a stressful situation."

"Designing for Children's Hospital was an exciting collaborative effort that has resulted in a better experience for all of the institution's constituents," says Two Twelve principal David Gibson. "Many groups and departments gave us the input we needed to ensure that the system functions on all levels: as a customer service feature, an employee relations enhancement, a sustainable communications tool, and as a complement to the architecture."

"With Children’s Facilities department and architects we worked through the structural, spatial and material issues," adds Two Twelve Associate/Project Manager César Sanchez. "Patient Relations helped us understand the perceptions and concerns of child patients and their families. Physicians, nursing and maintenance staff told us how we could make their jobs easier."

The project began with an intensive analysis of the circulation patterns in the buildings, the wayfinding requirements, and the constraints of the architectural environment. The resulting sign system is oriented around the five buildings on Children’s main campus, their elevators and their connecting floors, with directional signs located at every decision-making point. The design solution is centered on five colors and alliterativ symbols which represent the buildings of the hospital.

Determining the messages on each individual sign type, numbering some 55 in all, required consensus of multiple groups on everything from naming conventions to the selection of color shades. Whether it was "ground floor" or "basement," "ear, nose and throat" or "otolaryngology," each term had to be used consistently and meaningfully to aid the wayfinding process. In a facility made up of multiple buildings constructed over the course of 130 years, and serving both sophisticated scientists and young children, these issues were not always simple to resolve.

The color-coded symbols that correspond to the buildings serve as markers along the pathways from elevators to halls to rooms. The symbols are clear, simple and engaging illustrations that communicate to both adults and children and transcend barriers of language and color-blindness (which affects about 5% of the population). For English speakers, the symbols serve a mnemonic function as well. The first letter of the name of the object depicted corresponds to the building area it represents. For example, a Fish is used to identify the Fegan building, a Boat to represent Bader.

The form of the signs also adds a light touch to the visual environment. Wall and ceiling-mounted versions feature colored "beads" on structural elements, providing a toy-like wayfinding cue.

The program has been installed in five buildings on the Children’s campus, including the new research facility designed by Tsoi Kobus Architects and will appear in the hospital’s new clinical building, designed by architects Shepley, Bullfinch, Richardson and Abbott, that will open in 2005. The project began in 2000 and Phase 1 rollout was completed in December 2003. The entire program is expected to be installed by September 2005.

About Children’s Hospital Boston
Children’s Hospital Boston is the nation’s premier pediatric medical center. Founded in 1869 as a 20-bed hospital for children, today it is a 300-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care grounded in the values of excellence in patient care and sensitivity to the complex needs and diversity of children and families. More than 100 outpatient specialty clinics are located at Children’s. Children’s Hospital Boston is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, home to the world’s leading pediatric research enterprise, and the largest provider of health care to the children of Massachusetts. For more information about the hospital visit: http://www.childrenshospital.org.

About Two Twelve
Two Twelve Associates (http://www.twotwelve.com) is a multi-disciplinary graphic design company specializing in public information design, the planning and presentation of complex information to diverse audiences. David Gibson founded Two Twelve in 1980, and he and his partner Ann Harakawa presently run the firm's New York-based operation. Two Twelve offers a full range of services in print, interactive and environmental graphic design for corporate, institutional and municipal clients nationwide. Important commissions have included the design of signage and wayfinding systems for Massachusetts General Hospital, the City of Chicago, the Yale University campus, and Radio City Music Hall. The firm also produces promotional materials and environmental graphics for clients including NYC2012, New York City’s bid to host the 2012 summer Olympic Games, and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC).

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