2013
Tourist signage in the city of Metz
Writing the city based on what it is, by blending into the context, revealing it, and striving to highlight it—this is the concept behind this information and wayfinding system. Building on the idea of writing in space, the typographic compositions are “placed” on horizontal lines that connect the texts while also serving as a support. The whole can become an object, adorn an existing structure, or be marked directly onto a building. The Irma typeface is as if threaded onto stretched transparent frames, thereby revealing what already exists: the city’s architectural heritage. Eight distinct routes lead from the train station along tourist paths toward the city center, the neighborhoods, and the Centre Pompidou-Metz. The white poles, whether single or double, are accented with a color painted along the edges and inside the lettering, chosen to complement the surroundings. Each directional sign is cut from a single block of aluminum using a waterjet in a single pass. Thus, no welds or gaps interfere with the high precision of the painted color inside the lettering and along the edges of the words. For the covered market, identification signage at the market entrances takes the form of a typographic canopy. Design
team — Ruedi Baur, Eva Kubinyi, Claudia Leuchs, and David Thoumazeau
Texts — Thibault Fourrier