Northline
Client
Northline Rail
Year
2026
Category
Identity
A wayfinding-led identity for a regional rail operator.
01
Challenge
Northline had grown by merging three local operators. Each brought its own signs, colors, and timetable formats. Passengers changing lines often could not tell they were using the same railway. Northline needed one system that would work on a platform at night, on a phone in the rain, and on a printed timetable.
02
Approach
We started in stations rather than in the studio, photographing every sign on the network for a week. That audit showed that passengers read line numbers before they read station names. We built the identity around a large numeric mark, one typeface, and a strict black-and-white palette that stays legible in poor light.
Passengers read the number before they read the name.
42
Stations
1
Shared sign template
2
Rollout phases
03
Outcome
The new system rolled out across 42 stations in two phases. The team now produces new signs from one shared template rather than commissioning each one separately.
Every week we saw real work rather than slides. That changed how our whole team reviews design.
Jonas Weil
Next project