It’s a time of the signs at UTMB. Dozens of old signs are coming down and new ones are going up at the university’s clinics, hospitals and buildings from Galveston to League City.

“The genesis of the project was to establish the new brand identity for UTMB Health, but a new wayfinding system also became necessary after Hurricane Ike,” said Matt Brown, an executive with the design-consulting firm.
 
UTMB adopted its trademark “UTMB Health” and associated logo for clinical operations in 2010. Hurricane damage to buildings forced relocations on campus so many directional signs became out of date.
 
All told, crews will change out more than 100 outdoor signs for pedestrians and motorists. The most visible change to date took place Jan. 10 with replacement of a large lighted sign outside the 12-story John Sealy Hospital in Galveston.
 
But dozens of signs on the ground also are sprouting up. Most new signs will be in place by April, and the entire signage and wayfinding project will be finished in August, said Bob Brown, program director for UTMB’s facilities planning.
 
Here are some of the changes:
  • Clinical buildings will display the UTMB Health logo to assist patients in locating their destinations.
  • Most buildings will have what are called “monument signs,” which display the building name and address. The charcoal-and-silver metal signs have a standard look and are planted in the ground.
  • Key pathways will have pedestrian wayfinding signs with a similar appearance. The signs will show arrows pointing to major destinations.
  • Entryways to campus will have special signage appropriate to a campus gateway entry.
  • Signs for motorists will be posted along streets on campus and its perimeter to point the way to the Trauma Center, clinics, hospitals, and other public buildings. The first one has been installed at 4th and Market streets. Eighteen others also will be installed.
  • Campus map displays secured to ground-level pedestals will be installed at five campus locations. The maps will have locaters saying “You Are Here.”
 
Pedestrian signs are capped with a polished-metal plate that reads “Texas Medical Center.” UTMB became a member of the Texas Medical Center in 2011, and the new signs reflect its membership.
 
The pedestrian signs will have a high-tech feature. They will display a QR, or “quick response,” code. Smartphone users can use their devices to scan the QR image, a block of white and black modules similar to a bar code, and link to campus maps on a website.
 
Individual buildings will be identified with standard block lettering on their facades, too, Brown said.
 
The sign-design team turns its attention to interior signs as the exterior signage elements near completion later in the year.