Applied Information Group, the company behind the award-winning Legible London pedestrian system, has been selected to design a new signage system for the National Gallery, a world famous cultural landmark and major tourist attraction in the busy heart of London.

The National Gallery is one of the most visited art galleries in the world, however the size of the building is relatively small in comparison with other attractions of its stature. As the home of the vast national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition, including works by Van Gogh, Da Vinci and Monet, the popularity of the gallery is ever increasing. With around six million people annually coming through its doors, the need for an effective wayfinding system has never been greater.

Applied will devise a new and improved scheme that seamlessly fits into the existing architecture of the Grade I Listed Building and provides visitors with an intuitive experience as they explore the many rooms and exhibitions. To achieve this, Applied will take a user-focused approach, prioritising the needs of visitors – be they art experts searching for a particular work or browsing the collection out of curiosity. Working across both physical and digital platforms, Applied’s aim will be to guide and inform, educate and excite visitors from the beginning to the end of their journey.

The new wayfinding system will be developed with the National Gallery’s team responsible for designing and delivering online and in gallery digital experiences.

The National Gallery says, “It is important for us to further engage with our visitors and to provide content and experiences to people with different levels of interest and knowledge of art. We are delighted to be working with Applied and Fabrique on the design concepts for a new generation of digital products and wayfinding systems.”

It is important for us to further engage with our visitors and to provide content and experiences to people with different levels of interest and knowledge of art

Applied works to bring effective wayfinding solutions to the complex environments of galleries, museums and cultural venues. Previous clients have included the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, for whom Applied created a simpler and easier to use map that helps visitors to navigate the building. 3.5 million physical copies are distributed annually.

This appointment comes not long after Applied was recognised with the 2016 Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Applied is pleased to continue its work, leading the way in the design of user-focused wayfinding systems.