Designing wayfinding for Shop–House by DECK

The Project
Practice Theory created a spatial wayfinding system and custom display typeface for Shop–House, establishing a continuous brand presence for DECK within its permanent Geylang gallery and residency home.

The Brief
Following the closure of its iconic Prinsep Street container structure, independent arts organisation DECK relocated to a pair of adjoining heritage shophouses in Geylang. As DECK’s first permanent home, the new venue required a directional identity that honoured the brand equity of its previous industrial site. The challenge lay in crafting a physical navigation system that respected heritage architecture while signaling an open, enduring chapter for contemporary photography.

The Approach
We anchored the spatial strategy in a philosophy of seamless continuity, balancing familiarity with architectural sensitivity. Rather than discarding DECK's established visual capital, our approach evolved its utilitarian aesthetic into an inviting vernacular suited to the domestic rhythm of a shophouse. This framework translates the organisation's communal ethos into physical space, ensuring visitors experience the gallery as an open house for visual arts.

The Execution
The identity centres on Shop–House Display, a bespoke typeface that reinterprets DECK’s original stencil typography with softened, rounded terminals. We deployed this custom letterform alongside playful iconography across gallery rooms, communal areas, directional plaques, and retail merchandise. Physical signage sits naturally against traditional timber and plaster finishes, guiding visitors intuitively through the rooms while retaining an approachable, tactile gallery atmosphere.

What did we deliver?

• Environmental graphics and wayfinding: Planned and executed a comprehensive spatial navigation scheme across two adjoining heritage shophouses.
• Custom typography and type design: Developed Shop–House Display, a bespoke headline typeface that softens industrial stencil forms for architectural use.
• Spatial iconography and merchandise: Created a functional set of navigation symbols, architectural room markers, and branded retail items.

The Scale
The navigation system spans multiple storeys across the space, accommodating public exhibition galleries, communal reading zones, and dedicated private rooms and studios for artists-in-residence.

The Impact
The new wayfinding system successfully bridges DECK’s DIYcultural roots with its permanent civic future. By marrying functional clarity with architectural warmth, the environmental design establishes Shop–House as an accessible, enduring cultural anchor for Singapore’s creative community.