Purposeful work

I went to a wonderful presentation on Friday, that was put on by Creative Mornings AKL. It’s a clever initiative that is enjoyed around the world. The way it goes is that a Creative gets to share their story with their community. The community gets to vibe off each other while learning about someone else’s journey and how they contribute to the world. It’s inspiring and educational and a great way to begin any morning. 

So last Friday Simone Speet, from Maynard Design, spoke about her immense talent for wayfinding. Now wayfinding is not a well-understood discipline. For a chick like me who started branding in the 90s we use to call it signage. But signage is actually where it shows up. Wayfinding is the science behind it and when you add some purpose to the mix, the whole thing becomes quite magic. 

As I was listening to Simone tell her story, I saw that she’s actually making a huge difference in the world with her super talent. On the surface wayfinding may look like beautiful typography, splashes of colour and clever graphics that combine to communicate a set of instructions.

But underneath, there’s a lot more going on. Messages are being conveying about the spaces along with some storytelling.  Wayfinding is also about inclusiveness by saying to everyone, ‘we have thought of you and no one is going to be left behind’. Great wayfinding communicates all of this and creates a sense of belonging belong and trust. And it can look gorgeous, so we all get to appreciate the aesthetics. 

They are not having to learn about inclusivity through the highlighting of what they are doing wrong, but the possibility of what they could be doing. So it gives them an incredible channel to actually hear. They are learning through the knowledge of person who can see we can achieve so much when we think deeply about what we are doing. 

Simone’s life purpose came shining through in her presentation. Through her design she is educating businesses about the importance of thinking of the needs of all people and helping to make the world a better place. She’s enabling spaces to communicate who they are and why they are special.

When spaces are created for all people, we become more connected.  Who would have thought signage could be so clever. It’s a lucky business that gets Simone working on their project. 

Purpose is funny thing. Truth is, we are all driven to make this world a better place. We can do this in any number of ways, but achieving it through our work can change our roles from a function to a mission. Simone got to show that off in a stunning way.