Changeable, Branded Wayfinding Helps The Art Institutes Do More With Their Communications

When The Art Institutes needed to roll out their new brand identity at a handful of North American locations, they hired branded environments implementer Aion Solutions to roll out the program. Part of the challenge Aion faced was creating graphic solutions for wayfinding and staff directories that could be changed easily and worked within The Art Institutes' new brand environment. Aion leveraged Visual Magnetics' magnetic receptive print materials to create changeable, layerable signage for faculty and staff.

Using VM-POLYmatte®, Aion created high-impact wayfinding graphics that can change based on the floor, design of the facility and use-case. When one of the school locations hosts an event, the signage can be changed by staff, since new graphics can be printed in-house on a water-based InkJet printer using a speciality media by Visual Magnetics.

“More and more of Aion's clients are being forced to do more in less space, and are having to use rooms for multiple purposes. Visual Magnetics gives them the ability to do that without sacrificing look and quality,” says Kevin Delahunty, CEO of Aion Solutions.

Several of The Art Institutes' facilities, including locations in Houston, Phoenix and Miami, can change their wayfinding on the fly, making it easier for them to communicate floor designations and room locations to visitors.

Aion's take on the staff directory communicates information for 50-150 faculty members on a single board without losing any of the graphic impact and polish of The Art Institutes' brand. Staff print their own directory updates on-demand using the same small-size, magnetic receptive InkJet print media they use for wayfinding.

Delahunty's team also used the Visual Magnetics Graphic System® to create a collage wall to display student artwork. Students and staff can print artwork onto Visual Magnetics print media and add it to the board. If an Art Institute location hosts an exhibit, the board can be changed to match the surrounding show.

Because of the flexibility of Visual Magnetics materials, adding a new staff member, changing an office location, swapping out signage for a multipurpose room or displaying new student artwork can be done in minutes, and The Art Institutes' faculty and staff are communicating more effectively with students.