Rieden School is made up of Rieden Primary School and Rieden Middle School, which are housed in two independent but connected building volumes. While the two school areas are essentially spatially separated, they come together in the rooms that are used jointly such as the gym, library, cafeteria, and administration. The aim, therefore, was to create clear signage and, using just a few accents, to provide easily understandable directions and routes within the school – starting with the school name above each of the three main entrances. The principal design elements are the nomenclature based on easily understandable terms, differentiation by means of colour, and spatial pictograms that employ the plans of the different storeys. Mixing the light blue for the primary school with the red of the middle school produces a rich shade of brown, which is the primary decorative colour in Rieden School. The colour concept borrows from the colour moods and the materials inside the building. Placing the lettering and illustrations directly on the walls obviates the need for additional panels and offers the requisite flexibility in choosing suitable positions for signs and names at important junctions.

As early as 1993 Atelier Gassner designed a guidance system for hiking trails throughout the State of Vorarlberg, working in collaboration with the state regional planning office. A simple system of signs made of natural coloured aluminium was developed, as tests had shown that this material and colour best remained visible in poor weather. In contrast to trails based on specific themes, the focus here was on providing orientation aid. In the intervening period around 20 000 signs have been erected at 6800 different locations. The guidance system on the Schlossberg trail augments the overall route guidance system and provides information on the newly developed “fitness track”. The goal was to provide an unobtrusive guidance system appropriate to a woodland trail – in the form of simple recurring accents in the forest. The design concept of Atelier Andrea Gassner made use of natural colours and materials. Deliberately, only parts of the sanded steel angles and steel tubes were sealed with a clear varnish. The protection against corrosion protection together with the natural oxidation of the untreated areas of steel generated two different colours in a single material. The grey steel takes up the colour of the gravel paths, the rock, and the other shades of grey in nature. The combination of materialisation, formal idiom and the neutral, easily legible lettering provides the information required, while avoiding being a disruptive element in the natural setting. The typography is based on the Corporate typeface used by Atelier Gassner in 2010 for the revitalised public appearance of the City of Bregenz. The graphics at the individual stations that provide orientation and offer illustrations are timeless, designed to appeal playfully to a broad target group (children, families, sports enthusiasts).

Behind the somewhat unwieldy acronym “BSBZ” is the name: “Bäuerliches Schul- und Bildungszentrum für Vorarlberg” (Farming School and Training Centre for Vorarlberg). In the five different wings on the campus various lecture courses for a different user groups are held. The wide range ensures a high frequency of various kinds of visitors. What led to the involvement of Atelier Andreas Gassner was the new “E” building wing and the need for self-explanatory signage and orientation in the constantly growing complex of buildings, approaches, storeys, levels, and rooms. The impact hazard regulations for wall-high glass elements in public buildings presented a further design challenge. A system had to be developed that, while meeting the standards required, would, at the same time, provide a playful graphic element that underlines the new architecture rather than detracting from it. However, the design work began with the start of every form of applied communication, i.e., with the name, the brand. In a moderated process the previous name “Landwirtschaftschule” (agriculture or farming school), which had never fallen entirely out of use, was revitalised and, with the addition of BSBZ, was recreated as a brand and logotype. The inspiration for the graphic elements of the privacy screens and the signage was drawn from the appearance of layers of clay, the textures of arable farming, the architecture of foliage, photosynthesis, the effects of sunlight and wind on the fields, the cycle of growth – the metamorphosis. For this theme and the elements that guide users Atelier Andrea Gassner developed patterns of movement, colour, typography, and plan graphics that are differentiated for each storey. Through the light and the movement of passers-by the patterns begin to oscillate and change constantly, they vanish and reappear, seem translucent and grow, as it were, through the building. The grids of lines and hatching are understood as a graphic echo of the vertically structured wood facade. The signage, the impact prevention patterns on the areas of glazing and the architecture all play together constructively. The very simple and clearly designed elements of the central and sub-orientation use the theme of hatching, too.