iM4U is a youth centre initiative by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia aimed at nurturing and inculcating the spirit of volunteerism amongst youth in order to develop them into leaders of tomorrow. Its efforts consist of social activism through volunteer programmes - which fall under the broad categories of Arts, Culture and Innovation; Community Well Being; Sports; and Knowledge Building - that will inspire and empower the youth to make an impact.
Showing the way
For iM4U, ZHOA was commissioned to create sustainable wayfinding design, i.e. encompassing a range of tools - including signs, maps, directions, and symbols/icons - to help visitors of the iM4U Sentral complex in Puchong to orient and navigate themselves from place to place.
The wayfinding design needed to reflect the youth and vibrancy of the centre which should help distinguish itself from its surroundings without sacrificing functionality. Moreover, the final result also needed to fulfill certain accessibility regulations for the visually impaired.
As part of its Creative Strategy for this project, ZHOA decided to simplify the colour palette for the wayfinding design in a way that would not clash excessively with iM4U's use of a wide colour range, but which would be distinctly recognisable and identifiable when executed. The outcome of this was a range of signages that makes uniform use of a fixed set of symbols and fonts, and which sport an aesthetic that is visually pleasant, timelessly modern, and simply utilitarian.
