Crab Wayfinding

Guiding Visitors Through Craft and Culture

→ Role
Designer

→ Company
Jair de Souza Design

→ Year
2017

Sign with directions in Portuguese, English, and Spanish for an exhibition, restaurant, store, and exit.

About the project

Created by Sebrae (Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service), CRAB opened in 2016 as a platform dedicated to repositioning and elevating the craft industry. Beyond showcasing the diversity of Brazilian crafts, CRAB functions as both a research hub and a commercial center. Its 80-seat auditorium hosts seminars, debates, and business events aimed at expanding opportunities in the craft market.

During the development of the Center's wayfinding system, we carefully considered the building's architectural details, including its materials. We chose a lightweight material that could be easily mounted on various wall types.

Elements such as color, texture, typography, and finishing were meticulously designed to provide CRAB visitors with comfort, safety, modernity, and visual appeal. Typically, the text and pictograms are precision-cut from gray acrylic, which is then painted. Beneath this layer, another piece of acrylic is added, featuring black paint on the front and gray on the edges. This assembly is mounted on a lightweight wooden board, serving as the base for wall installation. For areas with glass surfaces, adhesive elements are used for attachment.

A woman in business attire leaning on a railing, with long hair tied back, near a red brick wall with a sign indicating an exhibition and lift direction.
Indoor signage with a directional arrow pointing down and to the right, indicating the way to exhibitions, a restaurant, a store, and an exit, written in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, mounted on a light-colored wall near a glass door leading to an outdoor area with wooden planters and green plants.
Sign on a textured stone wall with black arrow pointing left, indicating direction to a store, locker, and accessible facilities, with icons of a man, woman, and wheelchair, in a modern indoor space.
Indoor area with three vertical signs indicating directions to various sections like Kids' Space, Auditorium, Workshops, and Management, set against a rustic stone wall. A blurred person is walking past.
Interior view of a modern office space and meeting rooms with glass walls, chairs in various colors, and signage indicating workshops and exits.
Indoor scene showing a white wall with a gray directional sign pointing to an auditorium and administration offices, including symbols for men, women, and wheelchair accessibility, next to a gray door with open panels leading inside.
A gray sign with an arrow pointing up and to the right, indicating the direction to a rooftop terrace, is mounted on a beige wall near a staircase. Above the sign, there are two electrical outlets.
Indoor signage with directional arrows in an office or public building. The left part shows a sign for "Media Center" above a staircase, and the right part shows a sign for "Auditorium" and "Management" near an open door, with icons indicating accessible facilities and people.
Indoor scene with two potted green palm plants near a stone wall with a sign indicating direction to restrooms, including accessible facilities.
Social distancing signs with various figures representing different social groups and accessibility symbols.
Collection of technical signage design diagrams, including interior signage plans, icons for accessibility, and photos of different signage types and installation instructions.