Cobal wins the BSGA award

A local architectural signage company has won a prestigious industry award for its work with The Library of Birmingham, following a presentation held on Thursday 30th October in Birmingham.

Cobal Signs, located on Hambridge Lane in Newbury, picked up the award in the fiercely contested ‘wayfinding’ category as part of the British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA) Awards.

Commenting on Cobal’s achievement David Catanach, director for BSGA said: “The judges were particularly impressed by the professionalism of Cobal in implementing effective wayfinding in such an iconic building, and on such a huge scale. The judging panel felt that Cobal successfully combined a vast array of sign types to achieve an outstanding result.”

The BSGA British Sign Awards scheme is the first of its kind and was set up to acknowledge some of the outstanding design, manufacturing and implementation work carried out within the signage industry. The awards attracted almost 250 entries and were supported by almost 700 images from some of the UK’s leading signage companies.

Philip Ball, managing director of Cobal Signs said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted and then nominated as one of the category winners in the BSGA British Sign Awards. The Library of Birmingham was a particularly interesting project and our success is a testament to the hard work carried out by all of our partners involved in meeting what was an extremely challenging design brief.”

He continued: “The key to effective wayfinding, particularly in large public buildings such as these, is providing information at the right moment. Too much information becomes clutter and it loses its function; too little signage will cause people to get lost, become frustrated and potentially spoil their overall experience.”

The Library of Birmingham

At a cost of £189 million, The Library of Birmingham was officially opened in September 2013 by Malala Yousafzai, the teenager shot in the head in Pakistan by the Taliban.

Cobal’s wayfinding signage is designed to ensure that every visitor to Europe’s largest public library – estimated to be around three million each year – is on the same page when it comes to navigating the 35,000 m2 of floor space occupied by the library and the adjoining Birmingham Repertory Theatre (REP).

The challenge

Cobal Signs manufactured several different types of signs, including tactile and Braille signage, for the numerous floors and departments within the library and REP. These included statutory signage for both buildings; room signage; lift and stairwell areas; information points including TV screens, directories and three-dimensional images; four-sided pathfinders on each floor; main reception lobby; over 3,000 shelf dividers; 1,000 CD and DVD dividers and 1,500 shelf headers. Manifestations for architectural glass partitions for the ‘Contemplation Room’ and staff areas offer privacy, while mirroring the main building’s exterior façade.

One of the main challenges for Cobal Signs was to ensure that each sign met the branding guidelines set by the Library of Birmingham and that all names were correct and corresponded to each area within the library.

About Cobal

Cobal Sign Systems (www.cobal.co.uk) has over 30 years’ experience of designing, manufacturing and implementing architectural signage and wayfinding strategies. The company can provide advice on which signs to use and how to use them in the best possible way. To give its clients complete freedom of choice and expression, Cobal works with a comprehensive range of signs and materials.