Edwards Lobby Update
Challenge
Perennial desires to refresh the Vera Clement Edwards Center lobby presented a recurring challenge: how to bring relevant graphics to a space that houses a large diversity of groups with wide-ranging missions. Graphics would also need to suit the interior architecture of the building as well as a newly devised color scheme and unique furniture shapes. The administrative building serves as a semi-permanent home to some departments while also acting as a “swing space” to provide space for departments that are shifted from permanent locations due to construction projects or campus planning moves. Name changes and department moves were not reflected on the encased letter board directory, which became an ignored resource by building occupants and provided visitors with outdated and misleading information.
Response
Manipulating photographs using an illustrative style merges several disparate types of images into a cohesive graphic. It also creates a collection of imagery that does not heavily favor one department over another and provides a sense of universality. Contours of continents represent international programs, a longtime resident of the building. Marching band and bearcat stand for the athletics brand while graduates bearing cap and gown along with lyrics from the Alma Mater champion academics. Organic lines and color matched hues in the graphic tie the linear architectural elements and wall colors with the curving furniture and circular rug. A digital sign replaces the static directory with up-to-the-minute building information. Students often stop and sit on the benches to pause, socialize, or work, indicating the increased efficiency of the previously neglected empty space.