Public restrooms have become a focal point for LGBTQ+ people whose needs are not met by current design standards. Motivated by questions from several clients, senior designer Anna de Jonge realized it was time to rethink wayfinding for restrooms.
The half-man, half-woman-in-a-dress symbol – popular for all-gender restrooms– left Anna and a fellow colleague, both wearing jeans, perplexed.
‘This symbol just doesn’t cut it. Its focus is on people and their choice of clothes, when it should really be on the functions of the restroom.’
For the past year Mijksenaar has been exploring this complex topic by conducting various types of research in which the LGBTQ+ community was actively involved.
This resulting whitepaper documents our findings, and provides a wayfinding design toolkit for inclusive restrooms.
We hope it will help us, our clients, and our peers make informed decisions that work for everyone.
Het all-gender toiletpictogram? Een simpele wc-pot. (in Dutch)