HSU Projects in Progress

Program Statement- Campus Wide Signage

This program will result in a comprehensive signage and way finding system that encompasses HSU's borders and the entire campus, including building interiors.

It will integrate the variety of building types and architecture into a more unified whole, incorporating HSU's identity and enhancing the function and appearance of the physical campus.

Artist Conception of HSU Entrance

Artists Concept of HSU Entrance. Click for larger view.

Design Intent

The signage initiative will provide students, families and visitors with comprehensive way finding via directional, informational, parking and other signs and maps. Improved mobility and ease of access will enhance the overall educational experience of all who study here. Campus signage affects every dimension of a university's infrastructure, driving its visual character and deeply affecting the aesthetic experiences of higher education.

The campus signage program is, by definition, a key component of the campus image program. In-depth examination made it obvious that a truly effective image program must reflect the Humboldt State that is already a part of our students' and the community's vision of it. Many logos, materials and images have communicated HSU's image over the years, among them a single tree, three trees and the letter H. But all have been superseded by a single image in the public consciousness -Founders Hall.

It is no accident that Founders Hall appears in the University Seal, and in countless marketing and support materials produced by the campus. To everyone from elderly alumni to current students, Founders Hall is the key visual reminder of Humboldt State and all that it means.

The hall's Mediterranean look derives from many elements: the courtyard, arched openings, tile roofs, cement stucco facings and myriad other details. Yet, the single signature element defining the Founders Hall image is the tower. And that is the visual shorthand used on the seal to represent the entire building.

The designers at Selbert Perkins incorporated this iconic tower in the new entry that redefines HSU's main entrance. It picks up several other architectural details of Founders Hall, including the choice of materials, the large arched recess and the clay tile roof.

It is important that the entry serve as a welcoming beacon to our students and the community, and the design recalls the many lighthouses on the North Coast. The square recesses at the top will be illuminated at night to guide students and visitors to the "front door" of the campus.

This same imagery, derived from the existing Mediterranean motif, is the starting point of the signage program that will carry throughout the campus. Secondary entrances, e.g., Granite Avenue and 14th and Union, are variations on the new entry at 14th and L.K. Wood. Automobile-scaled directional signs, building signs and informational kiosks will use the same architectural vocabulary, establishing a common design thread campus-wide.

Decorative elements of the entry, such as colored accent tiles, will figure in the smaller signage elements. They are enhanced by the use of segments of the University Seal (featuring iconic Founders Hall) as a graphic accent. In turn, the partial seal will inform even the simplest elements, like a door sign, that are far removed in location and scale from the main entrance. In spite of the differences in scale, this continual integration of visual elements from one part of the signage program to the next creates a visual vocabulary that unifies the design of the campus as a whole.

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