Design

Las Americas
Premium Outlet

Wayfinding System Project

This project was developed in my Wayfinding and Info design class at the New School of Architecture and Design. The objective of this project was to re-design the way finding system at a large mall/shopping center. Las Americas Premium Outlet is located right across the border of Tijuana, Mexico.

My goal was to add color to the banners and signage and a simple southwest pattern to shine throughout the shopping center. The current signage and directional signs were elegant but hard to distinguish when walking in the shopping center. The monument signs were similar in color to the environment, either too low for customers to notice, and some monument signs required tilting your head to the side to read vertically. Reading should be simple to read for the customers with little to no distraction. 

The outlook of this project was to add a touch of modernism and industrial design to help express the transition of going between borders but make a huge impact on the horizon before and after passing the Las Americas Premium Outlet from interstate 5 and interstate 805. I chose san serif fonts for quick readability. Steel, cement, and direct embed are the best materials for strength with the Santa Ana winds or if anything were to happen to the structure. Direct embed is a super durable material that allows for signs to last longer under the San Diego sun and Santa Ana winds. 

The blade signs are made to stand out against the neutrality of the building. The southwest pattern and wooden direct embed design allows for the directional and monumental signs to be consistent throughout the shopping mall - inviting the visitors to recognize where to look when they are looking for a store or restroom in specific.

The directional signs are placed strategically at the main entrances from the parking lots for visitors to view before entering the shopping center. Banners will be hung on current lamp posts welcoming visitors and reminding military veterans and service members to enjoy their military discounts.