Directional Signs in New York

Custom directional signs that get visitors, staff and customers to the right room, department, elevator, restroom or entrance on the first try. Wall-mounted, projecting, overhead and freestanding, for offices, commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, retail and venues. Designed to match your other signs, and placed where people actually make the turn.

A few arrows for one floor, or directional signage for a whole building.

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An arrow is a small promise

Every directional sign makes a promise: go this way and you will find what you are looking for. Keep it, and people stop thinking about the signs. Break it once, and they stop trusting them.

The ways arrow signs break that promise are small. An arrow that points down, when the designer meant straight ahead and the visitor reads it as downstairs. A sign that says “Conference Center” when the door says “Meeting Rooms”. Eight destinations stacked on one panel, so nobody reads past the third. An arrow placed right at the corner, where people have already turned the wrong way.

Good directional signage is mostly about avoiding those small failures. The sign itself is simple. The decisions behind it are not.

How people read an arrow

Arrows feel universal, but some directions are genuinely ambiguous. A consistent set of conventions removes the guesswork.

Arrow	Means	Worth knowing
Pointing up	Straight ahead	The standard convention for “keep going forward”.
Pointing left or right	Turn here	Placed at or just before the turn.
Diagonal up-left or up-right	Ahead and bear left or right	Useful where corridors split at an angle.
Diagonal down	Down the stairs or ramp	Best paired with a stair or ramp symbol so it is not misread.
Pointing down	Avoided for “ahead”	Too easily read as “here” or “downstairs”.

Arrows sit on the side of the sign they point to: left-pointing arrows on the left, right-pointing on the right. Destinations going the same way are grouped under a single arrow.

What goes on a directional sign

A handful of destinations. People read a directional sign on the move. A short list gets read. A long one gets skipped.
Grouped by direction. Everything to the left together, everything to the right together, everything straight ahead together.
The same names everywhere. The name on the arrow sign matches the name on the door, the directory and the floor plan, word for word.
Pictograms for the essentials. Restrooms, elevators, stairs and accessible routes are recognized faster as symbols than as words.
The most important first. Main destinations, such as reception or the main exit, at the top, with secondary rooms below.

Where directional signs go

Just before the decision. A sign placed a few steps before the junction gives people time to read and turn. Placed at the corner, it is often read too late.
After the turn. A small reassurance sign after a turn confirms people are still on the right route.
At elevator landings. The first question after stepping out of an elevator is “which way?” The sign should be facing the doors.
At every entrance. Including side entrances, parking entrances and stairwell doors, not only the main lobby.
In the line of sight. At eye level for walls, overhead where crowds or furniture would block the view.

Types of directional signs

Type	What it is	Best for
Wall-mounted	Flat panels fixed to the wall at eye level.	Corridors, elevator landings, entrances.
Projecting or flag	Double-sided signs that stick out from the wall.	Long corridors, where signs must be seen from further away.
Overhead	Signs hung from the ceiling across the route.	Busy lobbies, wide corridors, retail and healthcare spaces.
Freestanding	Floor-standing signs on a base.	Lobbies, open-plan spaces and places with no suitable wall.
Floor graphics	Arrows and routes applied to the floor.	Large spaces, queues, events and temporary routing.
Outdoor post signs	Directional panels on posts or pylons.	Campuses, parking areas, plazas and site entrances.
Temporary event signs	Portable, quickly produced directional signs.	Conferences, openings, events and building works.

Indoor directional signs are usually made in acrylic, aluminum or painted panels to match the room and door signs. Outdoor versions use weather-rated metal and faces.

Directional office signs

In an office, directional signs have two audiences: visitors who have never been there, and staff who know it well but need to find a new meeting room.

Visitor routes. From the elevator to reception, from reception to meeting rooms, and back to the exit.
Shared facilities. Restrooms, kitchens, quiet rooms, wellness rooms and print areas.
Departments and zones. On large floors, directions to teams, neighborhoods or wings.
Deliveries and services. Mail rooms, loading entrances and staff-only routes, kept separate from visitor routes.

For room, door and directory signs to go with them, see our interior office signs page.

Readable at walking pace

Size for the distance. Character height is chosen for how far away the sign will be read. Overhead and long-corridor signs need larger text.
Accessibility requirements. Under the ADA Standards, directional signs need legible characters, strong contrast and a non-glare finish. They do not need braille.
Overhead clearance. Signs hung overhead or projecting into a walkway need enough headroom below them. The ADA Standards set a minimum of 80 inches.
Lighting and glare. Glossy faces under bright ceiling lights can be unreadable from some angles, so matte finishes are the norm.

Exits are a separate job

Exit signs, emergency lighting and the photoluminescent exit path markings required in many New York high-rise buildings are life-safety equipment governed by fire and building codes. They are specified and installed as part of the building’s life-safety systems. Our directional signs are designed to work alongside them, not replace them.

Floor plan to installed signs

Send us the floor plan. Plans, a list of destinations, your brand guidelines and any existing sign standard.
Walk the routes. We walk from each entrance and elevator to each main destination and mark every point where people have to choose.
Message schedule. Every sign, with its location, destinations, arrows and pictograms, for your review.
Design and mock-up. A design matched to your other signs, with a full-size mock-up on site to check size, height and sightlines where needed.
Fabrication. Signs made and labeled by location.
Installation and check. Installed, then the routes walked again to confirm every arrow is right.

Building directional signs that keep their promise

Capability	What it means for your building
We place signs before the turn	People read the arrow in time to act on it.
We use clear arrow conventions	No arrow that could mean two things.
We match every name	Directional signs, door signs and directories use the same words.
We keep the list short	Each sign carries only what people need at that point.
We design to accessibility rules	Legible, high-contrast, non-glare signs with safe clearances.
We check on site	Routes walked again after installation to confirm every arrow.

For planning a complete wayfinding system, including directories and maps, see our wayfinding signs page.

Frequently Asked Questions About Directional Signs

Which way should the arrow point for straight ahead?

Up. An upward arrow is the standard convention for straight ahead. A downward arrow is avoided for that meaning, because it is easily read as “here” or “downstairs”.

How many destinations can one directional sign list?

Only a few. People read directional signs while walking, so a short list grouped by direction works far better than a long one. If more destinations are needed, a directory or a map usually does the job better.

Do directional signs need braille?

No. Under the ADA Standards, braille and raised characters are required on signs that identify permanent rooms and spaces. Directional signs need legible characters, strong contrast and a non-glare finish.

How high should overhead directional signs be?

High enough to leave clear headroom beneath them. The ADA Standards set a minimum clearance of 80 inches for signs that hang over or project into a walking route. Overhead signs are also designed with larger text, because they are read from further away.

Can directional signs be updated when rooms change?

Yes. Modular panels and changeable inserts let a destination or arrow be changed without replacing the whole sign.

Do you make temporary directional signs for events?

Yes. Freestanding signs, floor graphics and quick-turnaround panels for conferences, openings and building works, matched to your branding.

Can directional signs match our brand?

Yes. We use your colors and typefaces where they are legible enough, and design the directional signs as part of the same family as your room, door and directory signs.

What do you need to get started?

A floor plan, a list of the destinations people need to reach, your brand guidelines and any existing sign standard.