Brussels’ new digital information signs at metro station entrances won a Red Dot Award for Product Design, public transport operator STIB/MIVB announced on Wednesday.
The international design prize recognises the redesign of the network’s station totems and their integration into the urban environment, STIB said.
A total of 130 new digital totems have been installed over the past two years outside the 69 metro and premetro stations in Brussels.
Metro totem. Credit: STIB/MIVB
The contract was awarded to Bauer Outdoor Media, which worked in partnership with design agency Yellow Window.
The new design retains the iconic “M” created by Jean-Paul Emonds-Alt in 1976, previously set within a simple rounded rectangle.
It has now been given a new backdrop: an irregular blue surface intended as a nod to the natural forms associated with Art Nouveau. STIB said the same reference can also be seen in the design of its trams and metro trains.
Credit: STIB/MIVB
Below the real-time waiting time display, the signs include two screens.
One is dedicated to mobility information, with an interactive journey planner that includes a street map as well as timetables for STIB and other transport operators.
The other side of the panel is used for advertising, including STIB campaigns. The content is managed remotely by the company.
