人與環境之溝通者－博物館標識計畫探析

Communicating with Our Environment the Use of Signage in the National Science & Technology Museum

吳淑華

《科技博物》 3卷3期 (1999/05) Pp. 81-94

https://doi.org/10.6432/TMR.199905.0081

摘要

從古至今，人類生活中充滿了各種視覺性記號，而這些記號內容皆存在且代表某種意義，以傳達訊息，並扮演著溝通之角色。其中具有指示空間、方向等功能記號之標識，其視覺構成要素必須具有共通性本質，不分對象、種族、國家等皆能容易理解而利用；而針對環境空間執行整體性規劃設計之標識計畫，是人與環境空間之間有效溝通之手段。當標識存在博物館之環境空間，則是扮演了參觀者與展示空間、教育活動空間等之溝通者；藉以圖畫為主之非語言傳達，參觀者可利用它迅速了解位置及前往目的地。本文首要將指示性記號之標識，加以定義敘明，並簡述各種視覺性記號之發展及依其功能加以分類等，另說明標識之視覺構成要素，進而探討現代博物館之環境空間功能對於標識計畫之需求，最後舉例說明博物館標識計畫之形式與效果，並提出個人之見解，期能為其他博物作標識計畫之參酌。

並列摘要

(1) What is signage?
Since the earliest times people have filled the world around them with marks and symbols that utilize graphics and color as an interface for conveying messages, a process known as visual communications. Many of these images have come to represent given meanings in a system called visual language.
The use of such symbols can be said to have begin with the marking off of areas to communicate certain meanings to other people. Today, signs can function as identifiers, persuaders, symbols, explainers and many other types of messages. Signage used to designate areas in a given place is usually called signs or symbols, and the emphasis in their lesign is closely tied to the use of the space in which they appear. These signs are designed to be as small as possible with a minimum of information and placed in the proper location so that they will be easy to understand yet will still attract the attention of even casual passersby.
(2) The Development and Types of Signage
Signs are an essential part of our daily lives, civilization and technology. There are different types of visual marks in various applications can be classified as:
1. Symbols denoting letters or numbers such as semaphores or telecommunications symbols
2. Symbols related to movement of the hands and body, including gesture and body language
3. Symbols which stand for accepted standards such as units of measurement, the Richter scale, etc.
4. Symbols denoting product categories including automobile brands, map symbols, chess pieces and the like
5. Scientific and technical symbols such as chemical symbols, architectural symbols, musical notation, etc.
6. Grade identifiers including urban classifications (such as city/town/county), schools and business establishments
7. Symbols directing an operation or movement, including highway markers, function indicators on electronic gear and the like
(3) The Visual Components of Signage
Graphic symbols used as identifying signs for a certain area act as communicators between people and that area. This means they need to be very consistent as well as objective and ”borderless” in their meanings. Signs are primarily graphics symbols with supplementary text. The information contained in a sign should be limited by clear and easily understood by those who see it. Several factors must thus be considered in designing a sign:
1. High readability, easy to understand
2. Simple and easily reproduced
3. Attractive in appearance
Color is very important in signs. They should be easily distinguishable and also contribute to the message of the sign for instant effect.
(4) Functions of Space in the National Science & Technology Museum and the Requirements for Signage
One of the major aims in laying out a museum is to create a comfortable environment in which visitors can enter, move about and observe, and exit each area of the museum. And signs serve as both a tool and a display as part of the layout. Objective, visitor-friendly signs that blend well with their surroundings help the public to enjoy the information on display with a minimum of hindrance or inconvenience. This is the service' aspect of signage. The display part of their function comes in the need to attract and direct the attention of visitors. It is essential that people be able to find their way around the museum, and in the midst of so much information and displayed materials there must be signage that can guide visitors along the intended lines for traffic flow so they can take in information in the order intended by museum planners.
(5) Designing Museum Signage
The contents of signage will vary in accordance with where and how it is used in the museum. These include:
1. Explanation of the museum's layout and where to find a given display
2. Signs leading visitors to a certain spot in the museum
3. Signs which detail the functions of a given exhibit
The messages in these signs reflect the function of the area where it is located and what visitors will do there, information which must be conveyed quickly and succinctly. In addition, the positioning of a sign can determine whether or not it is effective in influencing the movements and behavior of visitors. Proper signs in proper places are a key part of an enjoyable environment for the public. Without them it is easy for the public to lose their way, miss displays or be slowed in their progress through the museum, all of which can detract from the enjoyment and effectiveness of the museum experience.
Signage may vary in size and design from museum to museum depending on how large it is and what type of museum it is. For example, these museums all use distinctive kinds of signs to guide visitors:
1. The Ontario Science Center
The center is built on a mountain slope and visitors begin at the top and gradually work their way down to the bottom of the museum. The building is divided into several levels, each with its own system of color coding. Thus signage is likewise laid out in a series of red, blue, green and yellow schemes to match the different levels. The overall effect is colorful and light and very appealing to visitors. The bold colors used here make it easy for them to know where they are among the displays in the museum.
2. Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie
Red and yellow are used extensively in the signage in the large, spacious rooms in this well laid-out museum. The two colors plus blue represent a common theme throughout the museum, with each color representing a different type of message. Red is used for the museum name and in the first floor entrance of the building; yellow plus graphics indicates service areas such as elevators, restrooms and information/announcement areas; while blue is used primarily for directional signs around the exhibits. Altogether it is a very simple yet highly effective system in which the colors serve to reinforce the functions of the signs.
3. National Science & Technology Museum This facility offers more than 120,000 sq.m of floor space for exhibits and other functions. The large amount of space available inside and outside the museum makes signage an even more important part of the overall design. The planners selected a variety of green, red and yellow themes for main display areas to liven up the basic gray color of the museum structure, with blue signs as complements in the main lobby and exterior areas. The majority of signs used within the museum feature a gray background to match the building materials, and colored strips in the color used for the overall pattern of the areas. In addition, the symbols and lettering for various facilities are all done in consistent color schemes.
These examples all indicate that color is an indispensable part of any museum signage, and the symbols generally follow widely accepted definitions. In some cases letters are used to clarity meanings when no proper symbols are readily available. Generally speaking, colors offer high readability and fast communications of messages while serving to beautify the appearance of an area.
Conclusion
Although signage is a small and limited part of the information one finds in a museum, without good signs visitors would have a hard time navigating around the many exhibition area sand might find their museum experience somewhat less enjoyable. Without signs there would be much more 'visitor fatigue' and possibly less repeat visitors. Signage in a museum should be designed to complement the space in the building, the materials on display and the flow of movement in the museum; otherwise they may well add to the confusion and detract from the esthetic appearance of the building.
Most people in Taiwan still consider signage to be insignificant in comparison with the design of the building and would simply leave it up to the architect. In truth, signage is a whole field of study in itself which takes into account such factors as psychology and biology to achieve the highest possible consistency in symbols, colors and lettering. Systematic planning and close attention to the layout of a museum will help to produce signs that make the museum a friendlier place for visitors unfamiliar with the layout and exhibits.