Santiago Valencia Vera.
enes
Ruta N Medellín: Wayfinding and Identity System
All work
Corporación Ruta N Medellín2010–2011Medellín, ColombiaWayfinding and Identity Systemwayfindingsignageidentityenvironmental-graphicsaccessibilitybilingualmedellininnovationphygital

Ruta N Medellín: Wayfinding and Identity System

Bilingual signage and identity for Medellín's innovation hub

Role: Creative Director and Lead Designer

Context

Ruta N is Medellín's center for innovation, science, technology and business. The corporation was created in 2010 as a partnership between the city and the private sector, with the goal of making Medellín a Latin American leader in technology-based business across three sectors: health, energy, and ICT.

The complex opened in November 2010. It hosts startups, corporations like HP, investors, universities and public bodies. The space had to work for all of them.

Challenge

The architecture is bold: two towers, glass facades, exposed concrete, a tropical patio in the middle. The wayfinding could not fight the building. It had to live with it.

It also had to be bilingual from day one — Spanish for locals, English for the international visitors and partners the corporation was built to attract — and fully accessible, with Raster Braille on every key sign.

Concept

The name did half of the conceptual work for me. Ruta N: a route. I built the visual language from the marks a city uses to guide movement — crosswalks, lane stripes, street markings.

A family of diagonal stripes and textures travels through the building. It marks parking spots, identifies floors, signals services, and turns glass walls into portraits — Michael Porter, Steve Jobs, Victor Hugo — chosen by the corporation as references. The textures play with the architectural light: frontal white LED by day, green rebound light at night.

Execution

The system covers every level of the complex: parking, lobby, multi-purpose rooms, meeting rooms, offices, terraces, and outdoor totems.

Materials change with the surface: adhesive vinyl on glass, acrylic on walls, smoked glass and iron structure for the outdoor totems, lacquer paint on polished concrete in the basement.

The brief I held myself to, together with the client team: a first-time visitor should be able to reach any room in the complex without asking for help. Every key sign is bilingual and carries Raster Braille.

Credits

  • Direction and design: Santiago Valencia Vera, Estrategia y Estructura de Marca
  • Client team: Maria Cecilia Tobón (architect), Lina María Colorado (communications)
  • Architectural design: Emerson Marín
  • Production: Tecniplex

Recognition

Nominated, XVI Premio Lápiz de Acero 2013. Visual Identity category.

Exterior

Main facade at night. Frontal white LED and green rebound light reveal the wood and glass architecture.
Main facade at night. Frontal white LED and green rebound light reveal the wood and glass architecture.
Tropical patio at the center of the complex. Connects the two towers.
Tropical patio at the center of the complex. Connects the two towers.
Aerial view of the glass facade. Green plant balconies on every level.
Aerial view of the glass facade. Green plant balconies on every level.
Main entrance at dusk. Diagonal wood panels and green interior light.
Main entrance at dusk. Diagonal wood panels and green interior light.

Signage Outdoor

Outdoor totem in smoked glass and iron structure. Parking, Ruta N and HP wayfinding.
Outdoor totem in smoked glass and iron structure. Parking, Ruta N and HP wayfinding.
Outdoor staircase with parking totem. Building facade illuminated behind.
Outdoor staircase with parking totem. Building facade illuminated behind.

Signage Indoor

Suspended signs in the basement. Bilingual labels for disabled parking and cell numbers.
Suspended signs in the basement. Bilingual labels for disabled parking and cell numbers.
Oversized "-1" floor number painted on concrete. Lacquer on polished surface.
Oversized "-1" floor number painted on concrete. Lacquer on polished surface.
Bilingual pictograms on glass facing the tropical patio. Bike, pedestrian and accessibility icons.
Bilingual pictograms on glass facing the tropical patio. Bike, pedestrian and accessibility icons.
Floor identification in concrete. Large stripped number "2" integrated into the structure.
Floor identification in concrete. Large stripped number "2" integrated into the structure.
Corridor of multi-purpose rooms. Numbers 4, 3, 2, 1 in orange directly on the wall.
Corridor of multi-purpose rooms. Numbers 4, 3, 2, 1 in orange directly on the wall.

Identity Color

Elevator hall on level 0. Orange glass cladding with elevator pictogram.
Elevator hall on level 0. Orange glass cladding with elevator pictogram.
Reception desk and Salas múltiples sign. Yellow acrylic and adhesive vinyl.
Reception desk and Salas múltiples sign. Yellow acrylic and adhesive vinyl.
Salas múltiples room with curved black bench. Wall typography in orange.
Salas múltiples room with curved black bench. Wall typography in orange.

Identity Portraits

Meeting room window. Portrait of Michael Porter built from diagonal stripes.
Meeting room window. Portrait of Michael Porter built from diagonal stripes.
Meeting room window. Portrait of Steve Jobs in blue stripe pattern.
Meeting room window. Portrait of Steve Jobs in blue stripe pattern.
Meeting room window. Portrait of Victor Hugo in warm tones.
Meeting room window. Portrait of Victor Hugo in warm tones.

Identity Pattern

Detail of the stripe pattern. Green and blue overlapping geometric textures.
Detail of the stripe pattern. Green and blue overlapping geometric textures.

Credits

  • Santiago Valencia VeraCreative Director and Lead Designer/ Estrategia y Estructura de Marca
  • Maria Cecilia TobónArchitect/ Corporación Ruta N
  • Emerson MarínArchitectural Designer/ Independent
  • Lina María ColoradoCommunications/ Corporación Ruta N
  • TecniplexProduction and Manufacturing/ Tecniplex S.A.