This sweeping civil rights act forever changed the way buildings and landscapes were conceived and designed, and, as part of the process, signage was impacted in a similar fashion. All of the elements that are basic to good signage come into play with ADA compliance, including conspicuity, contrast, type of finish, and use of symbols. However, ADA added some additional considerations including tactile lettering, size of lettering, the use of Braille, and sign placement. In the early stages there was a good deal of confusion in the design community, which was learning to deal with all of these new mandates. Although we have principally discussed interior signage here, the exterior directional and informational signage are equally important, and are most often designed to work with the interior program.
Competition often drives the necessity of improving the visual environment, and thus, revenues.
Billions of dollars are spent to design, build, maintain, and market these lavish, heavily themed resorts with enormous success. Surely this trend will subside, but circumstances that would cause this are not apparent at this time. Office buildings are certainly not immune to competition. Highly train and skilled property management companies, for the most part, manage such facilities professionally. In order to effectively compete for tenants, they must portray an appearance that potential clients recognize as one which meets their expectations of how their firm should be perceived by their own clients.