BS ISO 28564 — Public Information Guidance Systems (Location Plans and Direction Signs) Series

🧭 BS ISO 28564 is an ISO series on public information guidance systems, published in the United Kingdom by BSI. It addresses the core question of how the public can reliably find their destination in an unfamiliar environment. Part 1 specifies design principles and element requirements for location plans, maps and diagrams, while Part 2 provides guidelines for the design and use of location signs and direction signs. The series applies to the design and evaluation of wayfinding systems in airports, stations, hospitals, shopping centres, sports venues, museums, tourist attractions and other public spaces, and is a foundational standard in visual communication and public facility design.

1. Background and Positioning of the Series 📌

Modern large public spaces have complex circulation and dense crowds, and users often lose their way at entrances, interchanges and junctions. Although individual graphical symbol standards exist (such as ISO 7010 safety signs and ISO 7001 public information symbols), symbols alone cannot guarantee wayfinding continuity — a systematic method is needed for designing and placing the information carriers (maps, signage). BS ISO 28564 was developed to fill this gap. UK participation was coordinated by Technical Committee PH/8/2 (Graphical Symbols — Public Information Symbols) and PH/8 (Graphical symbols).

Building on internationally accepted graphical symbols, the series emphasises a whole-process approach from needs analysis, planning and design through to implementation and evaluation, raising wayfinding from simply “making signs” to a designable, verifiable information service.

2. Series Structure and Document List 📋

3. Part 1 — Design Principles for Location Plans, Maps and Diagrams 🗺️

BS ISO 28564-1:2010 first defines the concept of a location plan — a static graphic that helps users determine their own position and understand the surrounding facilities. The standard sets out principles to be followed, including:

• Information hierarchy: distinguish general location plans, local plans and schematic diagrams to avoid information overload.
• Orientation consistency: maps typically adopt “up is the direction of travel” or “north-up” conventions, and should clearly mark the user’s current position and orientation.
• Symbols and colour: use public information symbols consistent with ISO 7001, with a unified colour code and recognisability for users with colour vision deficiency.
• Legibility and accessibility: sufficient character size, contrast and lighting, and consideration of viewing angles for wheelchair users and people with low vision.

The standard also specifies the elements of a location plan — title, legend, scale, north arrow, entrances and exits, service facilities, accessible routes, emergency exits — and requires a clear “You are here” marker. Together these elements ensure the usability and verifiability of the location plan.

4. Part 2 — Guidelines for Location and Direction Signs 🪧

BS ISO 28564-2:2016 begins with a preparation stage requiring needs analysis — identifying the user mix, circulation patterns, key decision points and information gaps, and producing a design brief. The standard then provides design criteria for location signs (indicating “where you are”) and direction signs (indicating “where to go”), including:

• Information hierarchy and content: present information progressively from overview to detail, keep the content of each sign moderate, and avoid “information stacking”.
• Text and symbol combination: use legible typefaces, organise text and symbols by visual hierarchy, and consider multilingual requirements.
• Placement: signs should be located before decision points, at eye level, unobstructed and not obscuring others, and aligned with pedestrian flow.
• Maintenance and update: specify replaceability, durability and a maintenance plan to ensure long-term information accuracy.

Part 2 particularly emphasises inclusive and accessible design, requiring signs to accommodate visually impaired and mobility-impaired users through contrast, tactile information (such as braille and tactile maps) and low-level placement, so that the guidance system genuinely serves everyone.

5. Engineering and Implementation Practice 🛠️

• 📋 Whole-process method: proceed through needs analysis, system planning, scheme design, fabrication and installation, and in-use evaluation, rather than placing signs piecemeal based on experience.
• 🔗 Symbol consistency: prefer internationally accepted public information symbols such as ISO 7001, and keep symbols, colours and layouts unified across the whole venue to form a branded wayfinding language.
• 🧭 Continuity checks: walk a “virtual wayfinding” route along main circulation paths to verify that the next indication appears at every junction, avoiding breaks in the guidance chain.
• ♿ Accessibility implementation: provide braille, tactile maps, voice prompts or low-level signage at key nodes to meet accessible design requirements.

6. Frequently Asked Questions ❓