USC Health Sciences Campus is located east of downtown Los Angeles about eight miles from the primary campus. The campus includes hospitals, healthcare centers, research facilities, and academic buildings. Unlike the main “University Park” campus the Health Sciences Campus encompasses public streets and sidewalks that circulate through the campus and connect to major city corridors. Our first task as part of the Wayfinding Master Plan was to help identify the entries and edges of the campus and engage visitors with the USC brand. As we collaborated with the landscape architect team, the program resulted in primary and secondary entry experiences that utilize a combination paving treatments, planting materials, architectural monuments, and graphic signage to create a welcome statement. In addition to the identity experiences we designed a program to identify destinations and facilitate circulation.

USC Health Sciences Campus consists of three hospitals and several healthcare centers. One of the most important tasks for this scope of work was to clearly identify each destination to the general public to help ease the anxiety of patients coming for treatment and consultation. The sign system for these medical buildings utilizes specific brand elements that unify the system while also making the signs prominent and visible to visitors. Each primary building identification sign is internally illuminated with push through lettering to ensure maximum visibility in the evening and night hours. The wayfinding program clearly directs visitors to guest parking lots and primary destinations while maintaining the visual brand character.