A showroom and retail wayfinding system for QM, designed for urban flagship showrooms, standard shopping mall stores and temporary exhibition spaces. The scope covers façade identification, entrance orientation, room-set displays and category directories, materials and craftsmanship experience areas, checkout and collection, after-sales service and accessibility.
The aim is a repeatable, low-maintenance, scalable wayfinding system for high-traffic, service-intensive environments with multiple room settings. It helps first-time visitors orient themselves within 30 seconds, returning customers reach their chosen area in three steps, and operators standardize day-to-day management.
Assess the current state and define the goal
Site surveys and observations at different times revealed limited long-distance visibility at corners, unclear hierarchies between room settings, categories and models, promotional materials disrupting information order, and inconsistent use and hygiene guidance in mattress and sofa trial areas. These findings established three priorities. Continuous guidance: eliminate uncertainty at key decision points, provide advance notice of turns and reassurance along long corridors. Consistent legibility: coordinate viewing distance, type size, contrast and illuminance to ensure readability across day and night and on different material surfaces. Operational ease: template changing information so updates take 5–10 minutes while maintaining consistency across stores.
Methodology and Coding Strategy
One grid: a consistent 8 pt/4 mm module governs sign layouts and hardware tooling for a unified appearance across stores. Two viewing ranges: 12–25 m for storefront identification and main category directories; 1–7 m for directions, specifications and service information, each with defined type sizes and illuminance thresholds. Three sign types: permanent identification—storefronts, zones, floor directories and overviews; changeable information—prices, collection lists, featured products and promotions; and temporary guidance—peak-time crowd management, maintenance diversions and emergency evacuation. All use standardized magnetic or insert-panel interfaces. Four coding levels: store–zone–position–product, using letters and numbers. Product combinations add a collection code and component number, linked to inventory, picking, collection and after-sales systems. Five implementation stages: survey and modeling, prototyping, pilot refinement, full rollout, and handover of the asset register and SOPs.
Visual and information rules
Color: the brand's warm white and light gray form the base, with restrained wood brown and charcoal accents highlighting functional information. High-visibility yellow and blue distinguish safety and accessibility information from promotional colors. Typography and sizing: highly legible Chinese and Latin sans serifs give both languages equal visual weight; storefront lettering ≥180 mm, zone lettering 80–120 mm, directional text 30–40 pt, and notices 18–24 pt. Dimensions, prices and IDs use tabular numerals throughout. Icons: consistent stroke weights, corner radii and clear space define a pictogram library covering living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, storage and custom furniture; environmental certification, materials and care; and delivery and installation. Layout: left alignment, evenly spaced columns and fixed leading support a reading sequence of room setting–category–key benefit–specifications/dimensions–price–service, minimizing backtracking. Lighting: neutral 4000–4500 K sources with glare control, matte information surfaces and anti-glare accessories on product spotlights reduce distracting reflections.
Applied in Context
Façade and entrance: illuminated storefront identification and projecting corner banners provide visibility from two directions. Windows present room settings with coordinated collection lists, while floor guidance leads directly to the entrance hall. Entrance hall and overview: the first display combines a room-setting directory, today's featured products and a service list covering measurement, delivery, installation and recycling. At aisle entrances, popular-destination lists point to living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, children's furniture, custom furniture and after-sales service. Experience and conversion: sofa and mattress areas provide trial steps and hygiene guidance, with NFC and QR links to materials, load capacity, environmental ratings, stock and care. Custom furniture areas explain the process, lead time and cost breakdown. Consultation and checkout: planning desks use a structured home layout–floor area–style–budget questionnaire. Checkout checklists cover documents, delivery bookings, stair/elevator restrictions and installation windows. Collection and after-sales: collection areas use numbered groups and one-way circulation. Service counters follow a request–required documents–estimated time structure, with separately marked routes for repairs and replacements. Accessibility and safety: high-contrast templates identify accessible routes, parent and baby rooms, AEDs, fire safety equipment and evacuation routes. Reassurance signs appear along long corridors and at corners, with minimum illuminance maintained at night.
Delivery and operation and maintenance mechanism
A closed-loop operating model connects an asset register, template library and integrated data. Every sign has a unique ID, installation coordinates and maintenance history. Price tags, collection lists, promotional materials and crowd-flow signage are generated automatically from templates, allowing one person to complete updates in under 5 minutes. QR codes link to live floor plans, specification sheets, delivery and installation SOPs, and emergency plans. Inspection checklists define frequency, tolerances, cleaning and illuminance requirements. Deliverables include an overall wayfinding plan and sign location drawings; layout and icon guidelines; exploded hardware drawings and bills of materials; mounting heights and optical specifications; and operations and maintenance SOPs and training materials. The system can be rolled out quickly across cities and store formats, sustaining clear information, reliable legibility and a professional standard consistent with the QM brand.