The making of the navigation for Blokhin Cancer Research Center children’s wing
Going to the hospital’s children’s wing to get acquainted with the current situation.
![blohina process 01](blohina-process-01.jpg)
Assembling the first draft.
![blohina process 02](blohina-process-02.jpg)
Taking measurements to understand constraints better. Trying out various typeface sizes.
![blohina process 03](blohina-process-03.jpg)
Choosing various formats and colors.
Colored outline around a door signifies entrance into a different wing.
![blohina process 04](blohina-process-04.jpg)
Circles.
![blohina process 05](blohina-process-05.jpg)
Colors.
![blohina process 06](blohina-process-06.jpg)
Plants.
![blohina process 07](blohina-process-07.jpg)
Regular signs.
![blohina process 08](blohina-process-08.jpg)
Exploring a typography-based idea. Looks too complex for a children’s hospital. Discarding the idea.
![blohina process 09](blohina-process-09.jpg)
Colored signs made of translucent glass. An interesting idea, but a bit too formal. Characters will look better, although it’s important not to make them look too childish.
![blohina process 10](blohina-process-10.jpg)
The client chooses pixel characters. Developing the direction and choosing a theme.
![blohina process 11](blohina-process-11.jpg)
Pirates conquer robots.
![blohina process 12](blohina-process-12.jpg)
Trying it out and testing how the characters look in the interior. Rooms open for visitors are marked yellow.
Creating a survey flyer.
![blohina process 13](blohina-process-13.jpg)
Preparing a poster notifying about impending changes at the hospital.
![blohina process 14](blohina-process-14.jpg)
![blohina process 15](blohina-process-15.jpg)
Trying out floor numbers.
![blohina process 16](blohina-process-16.jpg)
The number looks too big for such a small distance, we can make it smaller.
Studying visitor movement patterns, drawing conclusions.
![blohina process 17](blohina-process-17.jpg)
There is lots of small text which is difficult to read. Visitors see the media not as elements of navigation but rather as illustrations.
Decreasing the amount of information, making the images simpler. Drawing new characters, as monotonous pirates are sometimes difficult to recognize.
Exploring another idea with animals.
![blohina process 18](blohina-process-18.jpg)
Animal characters are great. We get the feeling that letters may appear as color blobs. Making yellow the primary color of the navigation system, which matches the color of rooms that patients can access. Besides, yellow and black create a nice contrast and better legibility, this will help older people who frequently visit the wing.
![blohina process 19](blohina-process-19.jpg)
Empty areas look weird, making them white.
Creating a model of a sign.
![blohina process 20](blohina-process-20.jpg)
Artistic director: Remove the pixels, they add nothing to the result.
Coming up with designs.
![blohina process 21](blohina-process-21.jpg)
The artistic director chooses number 3.
Testing on other media.
![blohina process 22](blohina-process-22.jpg)
Preparing mock-ups and a placement diagram.
![blohina process 23](blohina-process-23.jpg)