Most wayfinding assumes people can see well and are in a hurry. At Lumen Baths, they can’t, and they aren’t. They’re in towels, the air is full of steam, and their glasses are in a locker two floors away.
Big, then bigger
We tested every sign from across the widest pool, with our own glasses off. Anything we couldn’t read went up a size, until the floor numbers were taller than a hand.
Words came second. A sign that says “Sauna” in small letters is less use than a giant 2 in the right colour, because people in steam read shape and colour long before they read letters.
Colour does the rest
Each floor took its colour from the glazed tiles we found behind the plaster during the restoration. Once you know the sauna floor is green, you don’t need to read anything at all.
Design for the person with steam on their face, and everyone else is easy.
Tested in towels
The last test was the honest one. Joaquín and Elio spent an afternoon in the baths before opening, in towels, without their glasses, trying to get lost.
They managed it once, at a staircase between the second and third floors. That staircase now has the biggest number in the building.
