Durance bookshop wayfinding system

After creating the visual identity for this historic bookstore in Nantes, I was asked to design a new signage system to replace the previous one, which consisted of layers of information in a variety of styles. Navigating the space is challenging because this 600-square-meter city-center bookstore is formed by several merged apartments spanning four levels. Any bookstore is inherently a visually busy environment—often crowded with shapes, colors, and typography—so it was essential to devise a simple graphic system that would stand out against the surrounding "visual noise." I began by observing customers and interviewing the booksellers to understand the recurring issues people faced in finding their way around. The resulting comprehensive project completely overhauled the old signage, thereby optimizing the customer experience regarding navigation and locating books.

Printing and installation: Altanmac and MPI

Identify the floors using a color-coding system

The interviews I conducted with the booksellers revealed that customers were getting lost across the different levels—especially given the presence of a sort of mezzanine on the first floor, which made the layout difficult to navigate. I therefore devised a system in which each color corresponds to a specific floor, a scheme reflected in both the wayfinding signage and the identification elements.

Displays adapted to the contstraints of a bookstore

The client requested shelf labels that were cost-effective and highly flexible, given that the shelf contents vary significantly depending on the time of year. We therefore devised a system of stickers that the bookstore could print and replace in-house.