Pentagram developed a comprehensive signage and wayfinding program for the new Terminal 1 at Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in collaboration with Moshe Safdie & Associates, the terminal is the largest public building project in the history of Canada.

Pentagram was challenged with creating signage that was easy to use and that complemented the building’s dramatic architecture. The program includes tall pylons that display check-in counter identification, directions, gate numbers and other information, including arrivals and departures in LCD screens mounted in the base. The overhead hanging signage is a sculptural structure comprised of two sections, one for English language and one for French, set in curving forms that echo the arc of the terminal roof.

Extensive studies, including testing with visually impaired users, were conducted to ensure the graphics would provide maximum visibility across the terminal’s vast interior spaces.