Operation Signage: Angkor Archaeological Park, Day 2

Well, the good night’s rest that I hoped for in the last post didn’t come to pass, so I’ll try to fall asleep shortly, but not before regaling you with my day’s doings. I joined my colleagues Konstanze and Glenn early this morning (I’d been awake since 3), for a somewhat inscrutable ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating the completion of the restoration of a portion of the Bayon—that’s the temple in the middle of Angkor with the serene faces on the towers. Then it was off to ponder the state of signage here at Angkor. It’s all over the place design-wise, an amalgam resulting from several regimes of park administration and a few well-meaning WMF colleagues who don’t run things past the home design office (that would be me). So the goal is to pull together a comprehensive set of standards and procedures, so that all the visual communications (not just the signage itself, but also the walkways, rails, stairs, and other public furnishings) at WMF projects have a consistent look and message. It’s a daunting but exciting task I plan to tackle as soon as I get the aforementioned good night’s sleep. Perhaps a gin and tonic or two will help me achieve my goal—I’ll let you know tomorrow…