Applied began working with The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) during its Sarofim Campus redevelopment and expansion. The goal was for wayfinding to elevate the ‘browsing’ experience, connect visitors more directly to the special exhibitions, encourage repeat visits and memberships, and welcome Houston’s diverse communities.
Applied reviewed the site and found visitors were often disoriented and unaware of the museum’s full offer. This led to the creation of a core elevation diagram that communicates the gallery layout, helping people form a mental map of underground, horizontal and ground-level connections. Further research, including user interviews, stakeholder workshops and space syntax modelling, informed the development of a comprehensive system that meets user needs and MFAH’s vision.
Integrating digital and physical signage, the system clarifies orientation throughout and connects audiences with the full breadth of the museum’s offerings. It provides considerate wayfinding for people as they engage with 5,000 years of art and supports the museum’s dual identity: a place for reflective art appreciation and a vibrant community hub.
9th largest art museum in the world
300,000 sq ft of gallery space
3 galleried buildings
Nearly 80,000 works of art
Applied conducted a review of wayfinding across the Sarofim Campus, which comprises three gallery buildings, the Glassell School of Art, three parking garages, a sculpture garden, and exterior events space.
The museum’s buildings are linked by a series of underground tunnels, which have been transformed into immersive light art installations.
These create memorable, sensory rich moments that make each journey between buildings a meaningful part of the museum experience, and position the lower level connection as the intuitive way to move through the campus.
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The campus is illustrated as an elevation diagram on wall directories and in printed guides. This representation clarifies the museum’s layout, highlights key destinations, and reinforces the lower level and art installations as the connecting thread that ties the campus together.
Including imagery from the collections invites visitors to browse, explore further, and discover more art than they might have planned.
Applied’s design solution works as a cohesive system, blending in amongst both modern and classical galleries. It utilises a minimal colour palette and simple typography to let the art and surrounding architecture shine.
Applied worked closely with MFAH and manufacturers to create custom products for the museum’s suite of signs.
A high range of adaptability for sign types, including wall-mounted, freestanding, and size variations allow specific requirements to be met across the site.
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Special exhibitions are a key part of the museum’s offering, driving revenue and increasing engagement with members.
Digital and printed signs display rotating special exhibitions and marketing information that highlight what people may have missed, encouraging return visits. These can be easily updated and do not distract people seeking directions.
Applied worked closely with various museum teams to devise a maintenance and management system that could be successfully embedded within the organisation’s existing structures and range of stakeholders.
Governance guidance and templates have been created that ensure the system can be easily maintained for many decades.
