Brand design and campus wayfinding

Brand Strategy & Design
Client
Busan University of Foereign Studies – BUFS

There are 200 universities in Korea. But with the nationwide birth rate at an all time low, the student population will drop by 40% within 10 years. 75 universities will be closed down. It’s a fight for survival.

Busan University of Foreign Studies (BUFS), intends to survive. Leading with a contemporary new brand designed by Fuse in 2011, BUFS have taken a bold step to ensure their future – building a completely new campus, nestled in pristine forest overlooking Busan.

Six months prior to opening, Fuse director Leigh Cockerill made a site visit to the campus to plan a full wayfinding programme. Back in NZ, the Fuse team designed an integrated wayfinding and signage programme for the new campus.

The signage features the geometric ‘Pathways to the Future Pattern’. This graphic represents both the philosophy of career pathways within the university; and the visual concept of light shining through the trees surrounding the campus.

All the designs were scrutinised by the architectural project team and Fuse supplied templates to the Korean manufacturers to produce over 5000 dual language signs – pillars, posts, signboards, wallboards, door numbers, name plates, directories, elevator signs, café menus and even bus stops.