Wayfinding & Signage System
Client / Employer
Achievement First
Project Status
Launched
Role
Sole designer & operations manager
Deliverables
Signage template system, school specific exterior banners, building signage, environmental graphics, budget management, vendor and installation management
Overview
Achievement First’s 20+ New York schools each looked different at the curb, and in co-located buildings, families couldn’t tell which entrance was theirs. Owned the program from strategy through rollout, setting a scalable signage standard, managing the budget, and directing production and installation with a partner vendor. Also led signage and environmental graphics across the network, from the Legacy Middle School sign to AF Rhode Island building signage and branded gym floors. Every New York campus now has clear, branded signage that guides families to the right door and ties each school to the greater AF network.
The Challenge
Every Achievement First school has its own name, seal, and colors that its community is proud of. In co-located buildings, families could easily miss the right entrance, and most people didn’t realize these schools were connected or part of a larger network in their neighborhoods. The signage had to make the AF umbrella unmistakable without erasing each school’s identity, while fitting the budget, holding up outdoors, and staying simple for school teams to install.
Key Design Decisions
Shared standard, local identity. Built a single template with a fixed AF brand zone and flexible zones for each school’s name, seal, and colors, rather than designing each campus from scratch. Every school reads as part of one network while keeping its own identity, and files for 20+ schools stayed consistent.
Pilot before rollout. Tested the design at Legacy Elementary before ordering for every school. The pilot confirmed street legibility and production specs, so any fixes happened on a single set of banners instead of across the network.
Self-install with vendor support. Specified 8’ × 3’ weather-resistant vinyl with hemmed edges and grommets so school teams could hang the banners themselves, with vendor support as needed. Skipping contractors kept the rollout within budget and on schedule across every location.
Outcome
Delivered 4 standardized exterior banners to each of 20+ Achievement First New York schools.
Finished on time and within budget, using surveys to assess each school’s needs before rollout and tracking progress in Google Sheets.
Received positive feedback from schools across the network.
