The building of the Municipal Cultural Centre (Miejski Dom Kultury) in the Witosa district in Katowice is a new city investment. It aims to increase the cultural and recreational offer in this part of the city. It is a response to the needs of the residents of this large housing estate.
According to the plans, it will serve as a venue for various events and activities for the residents of Katowice. The building will be equipped with a multifunctional hall with a film/sound director’s room and technical facilities, making it possible to hold professional concerts and performances. The centrepiece of the hall will be a stage with a piano and an auditorium for 200 seats. In addition, the Municipal Cultural Centre will also have rooms for art workshops, ceramics, instrument lessons, dance and movement classes. Senior citizens’ club meetings and exhibitions are also planned for the facility.
The task for the wayfinding system we developed is above all to label all these functionalities and areas of the building – clearly, legibly and adapted to the needs of many users. The system is suitable for use by visually impaired people.
Our aim was also to propose a signage to give character to the minimalist spaces of the building. It is based on a limited colour palette, which contrasts perfectly with the wood finishes. We have chosen the typeface Fason to write key information. It is a sans-serif typeface with an interesting character, designed by the Polish typographic house Laic. It is complemented by an original set of pictograms and characteristic ‘spatial’ numbers and arrows. An additional element are the rhythmic patterns appearing in some spaces.
Implementation: Elpio (www.studioelpio.pl)
