Navigation through Wayfinding
Visuals and designs are essential to helping people navigate complex environments. As a New Yorker, I know how vital it is to use maps in the city, otherwise I would have no clue where I’m going. Also, a lot of us use maps to get around the country, from state to state or simply trying to get to a location. Wayfinding and map-making/cartography are two systems that deal with illustrating spacial relationships. Wayfinding can be thought of as spacial problem solving . It involves knowing where you are in an environment (often a building or complex), knowing where your desired location is, knowing how to get there from your present location, and knowing when you have arrived at your destination. Wayfaring systems are used to help people find the right offices, streets, bus stops, bathrooms, departure gates, where their car was parked, etc. In this case, maps are visualizations of spacial relationships. Maps are created by someone with a specific viewpoint or purpose. There are many di