Project / Atria Shopping Gallery, Selangor
Task / Wayfinding & Signage, Brand Strategy & Visual Identity Design, Communication
Client / OSK Property
Year/ 2012–2015
In collaboration with Blu Water Studio
Lead Designers (Logo, Identity & Signage): Yee Weng Chiang & Faizul Izhar
Lead Designer (Carpark Level Animal Icons & Stories): William Harald-Wong
Lead Designer (Communication): William Harald-Wong
An integrated design project
Link: Atria Branding & Communication
Atria was one of Klang Valley’s iconic malls in the mid-1980s. Between 2012 to 2015, the building underwent a total transformation from yesterday's beloved but eventually outdated mall to a stylish and sophisticated one.
Our team designed the signage system for the transformation. A year into the project, we were also commissioned to design its logo and visual identity, as well as its branding and communication.
Signage CONCEPT
Our work for Atria’s signage took its cue from the interior architecture by Blu Water Studio, which was itself inspired by the natural beauty and forms found in the Malaysian rainforest. Through architecture, signage and branding, we wanted to create an environment of natural opulence and an ambience that is relaxing, warm, and welcoming for all.
The signage design drew from certain motifs and patterns in nature—such as tree rings and barks, water ripples, and the scattering of rocks and smooth pebbles in a river. We sought to integrate the signage and the interior architecture with nature’s simple elegance.
The clean aesthetics, soothing colour palette punctuated by a bright fuchsia (like the brilliant plume of a tropical bird), and elegant yet playful typography are applied across board, including the signage system, directory kiosks, floor plan displays, website, stationery and all promotional materials.
Carpark level indicators
We also built upon Atria’s 32 years of history and revived a carpark level identification system that used to be popular in the 1980s and the early 1990s, but is now considered old-fashioned. In this system, each floor is represented by a suitable fauna image (e.g. birds for higher levels, four-legged mammals for mid-levels, and fish for the basement).
In the transformed Atria Shopping Gallery, each animal symbol is given a touch of playful elegance, using pebbles (one of the core elements in Atria’s new visual identity) to compose the animal illustrations.
The carpark level indicators (situated next to lifts) also pull double duty as an information board to educate the public about each animal. The write-up for each indicator contains trivia about the animals as well as a call-for-action to help endangered species. We felt that this could help build awareness of the natural world and the roles that we have to play in it. It could also encourage empathy and compassion for the natural world, especially among the younger generation. Placed beside elevators, visitors will be able to read them as they wait for their ride.
In our brand blueprint, we have also recommended that Atria’s marketing team organise events and campaigns in association with relevant non-government bodies, e.g. WWF Malaysia, Nature Society, etc.
For Atria’s parking bay number identifiers, there is a subtle design change from one pillar to another. Instead of replicating one single shape across the entire parking lot, we created a set of three slightly different shapes. As visitors drive through the parking lot, they may be able to detect the slight change, which creates a rhythmic movement.
The black-and-white colour scheme of the carpark’s hanging signs provides a much higher contrast than that of the hanging signs in the shopping gallery. This is due to the ambient lighting in the carpark, which can be quite low in some spots.
TENANT FIT-OUT GUIDE
This 36-page booklet provides tenants with a step-by-step guidance to setting up shop—particularly useful for first-time retailers, with useful tips on design and branding. Guidelines by Annette of Parker Carroll Design. Concept writing by WHW.
LINK
Atria Brand Identity
