Projects / VIA Rail | Wayfinding
Giving form to movement
A contemporary reading of the railway world, rooted in motion and driven by design attentive to the human experience.
Designing a large-scale wayfinding system
Creating clear, coherent, and accessible reference points across Canada. This intent defines the mandate entrusted by VIA Rail, marking the starting point of a comprehensive overhaul of interior and exterior signage for stations, platforms, office spaces, parking areas, and maintenance facilities nationwide. The objective was to ensure a seamless travel experience for both travellers and personnel, through a wayfinding system that transcends borders.
This extensive transformation addresses multiple objectives, including easing circulation, unifying visual language across diverse physical environments, and aligning with international industry best practices. Principles of universal accessibility guided every decision, ensuring optimal comprehension for all audiences, regardless of physical or cognitive limitations.
Developed in alignment with VIA Rail’s distinctive brand identity, the new signage system was designed for gradual implementation across the 121 stations located throughout the country. This approach enables controlled integration that respects local conditions and operational constraints. The scope of interventions includes, among other elements, user journey analysis, the design of interior and exterior signage families, the integration of murals within administrative offices, and the production of a signage standards manual. The development of a custom typographic grid further strengthened the graphic system by ensuring clear hierarchy of messages and pictograms.
An evolving deployment supported by a long-term partnership
To date, the new signage has been partially or fully deployed in key stations such as Ottawa, Kingston, Halifax, Toronto, London, and Gillam. In parallel, specific guidelines for maintenance facilities have been under development since October 2021, ensuring functional and visual continuity across the entire network. This long-standing partnership with VIA Rail reflects a sustained commitment to the transportation sector and a collective effort to bring together all areas of expertise in support of a single, shared project.