Vanderbilt School of Nursing

Connecting People + Places

Vanderbilt School of Nursing

Vanderbilt University opened a state-of-the-art facility addition to its School of Nursing in 2019. Designed by Hastings Architecture, the new addition connects the school’s existing Godchaux and First buildings and adds classrooms, faculty offices, and a simulation lab to the facility. Vanderbilt University engaged our team to create signage and wall graphics to encourage healthy living and bridge together the now-combined buildings.

Challenge

As a connector of two buildings, the new addition required signage that would feel fresh and modern while honoring the stately look and feel of the existing facility. We were also challenged to weave health and wellness messages into standard signage to support the facility’s WELL Building Standard certification, the first of its kind for the campus.

Solution

We created common-area signs that supported the School of Nursing’s health and wellness focus, including a lounge sign with a quick PSA about healthy snacking and stairwell signage highlighting the benefit of taking the stairs to increase one’s daily steps. Our design and color palette for the signage is cheerful and positive, designed to encourage healthy habits that start with small steps. Our aesthetic was designed to complement the three distinctive architectural styles.