A visitor can reach the right property and still have no idea where to go next. A parking lot may have several entrances, a lobby may serve multiple floors, and a directory may list tenant names without showing which elevator bank, corridor, or suite door leads to them. Without a planned system, every gap in that chain sends someone back to square one.
That’s why wayfinding signage planning for multi-tenant buildings starts before individual signs are designed. At FASTSIGNS® of Markham - Richmond Hill, ON, we help property teams connect visitor routes with graphic design, sign production, project management, and installation planning so the finished system works as one coordinated experience.
Start with the Visitor Journey
Before deciding where signs belong, map how people actually move through the property. Visitor journey mapping follows a person from the moment they arrive at the site to the moment they reach a tenant, amenity, or exit. For property managers planning wayfinding signs in Markham, that means tracing the route from the street, parking area, transit drop-off point, or accessible parking space through the correct entrance, lobby, tenant directory, elevator or stairwell, floor directory, corridor, and suite door. A missing instruction at any point can send a visitor back to the lobby or into the wrong part of the building.
Review each visitor type:
- First-Time Visitors: People who don’t know the property layout, tenant names, or entrance locations.
- Patients and Clients: People arriving for an appointment who need a calm, direct route to a particular practice or office.
- Delivery Personnel: People who need clear receiving, loading, elevator, and suite directions.
- Employees: People who may use staff entrances, parking areas, amenities, or secure access points.
- People Using Accessible Routes: People who need to locate accessible parking, entrances, elevators, washrooms, and other features without guessing.
A decision point is any place where someone has to choose a direction or confirm they’re still on the right path. Intersections, parking exits, lobby entrances, elevator banks, floor landings, and corridor turns are all decision points. Each sign should answer the next question, not repeat information a visitor has already passed.
Build a Complete Wayfinding Sign Family
A tenant directory is important, but it can’t carry the full navigation burden for a multi-tenant building. A complete sign family gives visitors information in sequence, from confirming they’ve arrived at the right property to identifying the correct suite door.
Arrival & Entry Signs
Property identification, monument signs, parking signs, and entrance markers help visitors confirm they’re in the right place before they step inside. Where a site has more than one public-facing door, entry signage should make clear which entrance serves which building area, tenant group, lobby, or accessible route.
Directories & Directional Signs
The lobby tenant directory answers who’s in the building and where they’re located. Directional signs then guide visitors to an elevator, stairwell, floor, wing, corridor, washroom, reception point, or shared amenity. Floor directories are especially useful when several tenants share one level or when a corridor branches in more than one direction.
Suite & Amenity Identification
Suite identification signs confirm that a visitor has reached the right door. Amenity signs identify washrooms, meeting rooms, loading areas, recycling rooms, and accessible facilities. Where accessible navigation is required, tactile signage (signs with raised characters or other touch-readable elements) may also be needed.
Typography, colours, icons, materials, mounting methods, and illumination should work together across the entire sign family. Consistency reduces the amount of information a visitor has to decode at every turn. The goal is a predictable visual language, not a collection of unrelated signs.
Create Tenant Standards That Can Scale
Tenant changes are normal in a multi-tenant property, so a signage system should be built for updates from the start. Without clear tenant sign standards, each new occupant may request a different format, finish, size, or placement, gradually making the property harder to navigate.
A signage master plan is a documented framework covering sign types, locations, visual rules, and update procedures. It establishes approved dimensions for suite signs, logo areas on directories, placement heights, materials, finishes, and the process for submitting tenant information before fabrication begins.
Standards worth defining early:
- Directory Format: Decide how tenant names, suite numbers, logos, and building information will appear.
- Branding Limits: Set the space available for tenant identity while preserving a consistent building-wide layout.
- Update Method: Select modular sign systems with replaceable panels, inserts, or other components for expected turnover.
- Information Ownership: Assign responsibility for confirming tenant names, suite numbers, contact details, and move dates.
- Property-Specific Needs: Account for different requirements in office, medical, retail, and service settings.
Medical buildings often need especially clear suite identification and discreet navigation that respects patient privacy. Retail tenants may need more visible customer-facing identification from parking areas or public corridors. Office properties tend to rely more heavily on lobby and floor directories. A well-built system accommodates these differences without abandoning the core visual standards.
Coordinate Accessibility, Approvals & Installation
Accessibility should shape placement and legibility decisions during planning, not become an afterthought once signs are already in production. The City of Markham Accessibility Design Guidelines include a signage and wayfinding section with guidance on placement, legibility, and viewing distance. That guidance is useful when reviewing mounting location, text size, contrast, and whether a sign can be approached easily. It also reinforces the importance of mapping accessible routes alongside general visitor routes, particularly between parking, entrances, elevators, public areas, and tenant spaces.
Property teams should confirm any applicable municipal review or approval requirements before fabrication and installation. Landlord approvals, building conditions, and construction requirements can all affect the final design, mounting approach, and project schedule.
Installation phasing means arranging work in stages that align with construction and occupancy. Exterior identification may need to go up before opening, while lobby directories, floor signs, and suite signs can follow as corridors are completed and tenant information is confirmed. Coordinating these steps prevents the common problem of installing temporary signs in permanent locations or producing directories before suite assignments are final.
Choose Materials & Plan for Maintenance
Materials should match where the sign will live and how often its information is likely to change. Exterior signs face weather, sunlight, cleaning cycles, and foot or vehicle traffic. Interior signs need to suit the finish level of the property while remaining legible under the building’s lighting conditions.
High-turnover locations benefit from durable, replaceable components. A modular directory or corridor sign reduces disruption when a tenant moves, changes a business name, or relocates to another suite. Fixed architectural elements are better reserved for building names, major destinations, and information that isn’t likely to change.
Keep a signage record:
- Sign Locations: Record where each sign is installed and what route or decision point it supports.
- Current Messages: Maintain approved tenant names, suite numbers, directional copy, and amenity labels.
- Production Details: Note dimensions, materials, colours, mounting conditions, and replacement components.
- Update Responsibilities: Identify who approves tenant changes and who initiates replacement work.
- Maintenance Needs: Schedule periodic checks for damaged panels, outdated listings, faded graphics, and obstructed signs.
Wayfinding signage is most effective when it’s treated as a managed property system after installation, not a one-time project. Clear routes, consistent tenant standards, and practical update procedures keep the building navigable as occupants and spaces change over time.
When your property needs a coordinated signage program, we can support planning, graphic design, production, project management, and installation. To discuss wayfinding signs for your Markham site, contact us at (905) 756-4243.