Wayfinding System Design for the University of Maiduguri Campus

The University of Maiduguri, one of the largest universities in North East Nigeria, accommodates tens of thousands of students, staff, and visitors across an expansive campus characterised by complex building arrangements, inconsistent signage, and inadequate pedestrian navigation infrastructure. This project undertakes a comprehensive audit and redesign of the campus wayfinding system to improve directional clarity, accessibility, and institutional identity expression. A walking audit involving twenty new students and fifteen campus visitors documented fifty-three navigation failure points across the campus, including confusing building number sequences, absent departmental signage, and unmarked pedestrian crossings. Drawing on environmental graphic design principles and wayfinding hierarchy theory, this study develops a four-tier signage system comprising primary gateway markers, secondary zone identifiers, tertiary building signs, and quaternary room and facility labels. Signage designs incorporate the university's official colour palette, indigenous Kanuri geometric motifs as decorative accents, and bilingual text in English and Hausa. Digital mock-ups of all signage types were evaluated by a jury comprising three faculty members, two student representatives, and a facilities management officer. Feedback was incorporated into revised prototypes approved for pilot installation in the Faculty of Engineering precinct. User trials following pilot installation recorded a sixty-eight percent reduction in self-reported navigation difficulty. The project recommends university-wide rollout in phases aligned with the annual facilities maintenance budget. Keywords: wayfinding, campus design, environmental graphics, University of Maiduguri, signage system.