Olympus Corporation
Signage and sculpture, engineered to work together.
Olympus wanted its lobby to make an impression before a single word was spoken. Wayfinder custom-designed and engineered the exterior monument sign and illuminated building logos, alongside a custom string art lobby sculpture that turns the entry into a landmark. The project brought together SMMA, Top Dog Design, Bluebird Signs, and National Sign — coordinated by Wayfinder from concept to completion.
The Challenge
A building doing this many things at once — produce distribution, retail, food production, youth programming, organizational headquarters — requires signage that works at every scale. Exterior sign types had to navigate Providence permitting along a gateway corridor between downtown and Upper South Providence. Inside, the wayfinding had to serve farmers dropping off produce, community members visiting the market, students coming for programming, and businesses operating out of the rental suites — often at the same time.
Our Approach
We started with a site survey and a conversation about who walks through those doors. SCLT’s mission is straightforward: they help people grow food. The signage had to carry that same clarity. We developed a sign type plan that covered the full building — exterior identification, entry directories, suite identification, program space labeling, and interior directional — then coordinated permitting and selected fabrication partners whose finish work matched the quality of Union Studio’s renovation. Every sign decision ran through one question: does this make the building easier for the community to use?
The Result
A complete interior and exterior signage system installed ahead of the building’s public opening. Exterior signs establish SCLT’s presence on Broad Street and connect pedestrians to the adjacent Somerset Hayward urban youth farm. Interior wayfinding moves visitors naturally through a building with a lot happening at once. The system is designed to grow with the organization — new suite tenants and program spaces can be added without starting over.
Client
Olympus Corporation
Location
Westborough, MA
Date
2021
Industry
Corporate
Scope
Custom-designed and engineered exterior monument sign, illuminated building logos, and custom string art lobby sculpture
Partner
SMMA, Top Dog Design, Bluebird Signs, National Sign
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