Welcome to New York
Completing the transformation of New York City’s airports
Seeking to shed its “third-world country” reputation, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) is redeveloping its New York City airports.
PANYNJ contracted our team to develop new wayfinding standards. As our firm had developed the previous wayfinding in 2000, we had the opportunity to build upon what worked, while adapting to a new state of travel and technology.
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Graphic design for the wayfinding system, including pictograms.
Designed pixel-perfect maps and digital information displays and for the new Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport—the inaugural application of the wayfinding system.
Led design and fabrication of physical prototypes, used to validate 3D “color block” sign concept and typographical design.
Wrote various technical articles and designed illustrative graphics & animations for the online wayfinding standards manual.
Improving key moments along the passenger journey
A comprehensive audit identified key points where the experience could be improved to meet evolving traveler needs.
A primary focus was AirTrain, the people mover system for landside terminal circulation and access to ground transportation destinations (e.g. public transit, parking, and rental cars).
Applying an understanding of international user behavior and guided by the heuristic of “directing to function,” the new wayfinding strategy repositioned AirTrain signage to emphasize destinations and traveler intent, rather than infrastructure terminology alone.
World-class wayfinding. Only-in-New York attitude.
The visual identity draws inspiration from elements of the New York metropolitan experience—from the typographic heritage of Helvetica, to the black signage reminiscent of the NYC Subway, to local fashion & style trends, and the iconic city skyline itself.
This design language welcomes visitors with a uniquely New York sense of place, reinforcing the personality and cultural character of the region—all while maintaining the wayfinding’s functional clarity & legibility at scale.
A key innovation is the 3D “color beacon” signage design, where pictogram colors wrap around the edges of the sign.
This enhances visibility from a distance and at odd angles—a critical improvement in an environment as busy and dynamic as a major airport terminal.
In order to validate the signage design, lighting, and manufacturing method—especially as they relate to the innovative 3D color block, we created a variety of scale prototypes.
Online wayfinding manual
Our online wayfinding manual ensures that PANYNJ personnel, terminal operators, airlines, and other partners all have quick, intuitive access to the most up-to-date standards, guidelines, and graphics templates.
Since the opening of terminal redevelopments that incorporate the new wayfinding, the Port Authority’s airports have realized notable increases in customer satisfaction—with more to come over the next decade!
4.41
Highest-ever Airport Service Quality (ASQ) rating at LaGuardia in Q4 2024—with reported growth in wayfinding and gate area navigation.
5★
SkyTrax 5-Star rating for the new Terminal A at Newark Liberty—with recognition of “easy customer wayfinding [and] excellent signage.”
This work received a Merit Award in Strategy, Research & Planning at the Society of Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) Conference 2021.
In collaboration with 13 colleagues at Mijksenaar and W&CO