"We are at a tipping point for mental health reform in Australia. The nation now has the opportunity, capacity and momentum to deliver genuinely transformational change." As passionate about progress as Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry, we were engaged to design a wayfinding and signage system for this brand new Mental Health Facility in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.

The design brief from the architect was very definite. Our role was to create a signage and wayfinding framework which would not convey a procedural feel under any circumstances, and that it would merge with the building design and the predetermined colours for the interiors. We used hues and solids of these colours to engage patients and visitors in specific areas, eliminating the institutional feel of mental health facility signage.

The wayfinding solution took overt cues form the building's architecture to convey messages in a straightforward and meaningful way. The architect planned the building to engage visitors at a main entry foyer and was assisted by the hierarchy of sign types, which primarily relied on scale and colour, to assist users throughout their journey.

Underlying the design solution of the project was complete patient safety. The almost contradictory design brief of an interchangeable signage system that would be completely tamper proof and impossible for patients to remove proved very challenging. Alternate fixing methods for the sign structures and graphic reproduction methods for the messages were prototyped and tested until the Clients (and designers) were completely satisfied with our answer.

With the users in mind, we were absorbed into understanding the functionality of the transformational vision of mental health in Australia. The wayfinding solution we delivered appealed to both patients and visitors, changing the standard for future health design briefs.