126 the first night onboard, so we made do with tablecloths. The crossing was a “crazy adrenaline rush”, says Graboski. “Our days were filled with sign installations and our evenings with dinners and dancing with paying guests and dignitaries, including the Princess of Norway. Working at that intensity was stressful but invigorating, an experience hard to duplicate anywhere else other than a cruise ship project.” Building on those tumultuous beginnings, Graboski struck out on his own to found TGA Design and began a series of projects for the brand now operating as Royal Caribbean International. The firm took part in renovations for Sun Viking, Nordic Prince and Song of Norway, before winning its first newbuild project for the largest cruise ship in the world at the time, Sovereign of the Seas. Projects on 40 more ships for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises as well as 40 more for a range of other lines. Graboski’s approach to cruise ship signage combines the fundamental principles of wayfinding – which he describes as “the ability to visualise movement through complex environments and communicate that information as directly as possible” – with a design sensibility that appeals to the guest. “We were one of the first firms to start the design of a wayfinding and sign programme for a ship by taking a holistic approach to every sign and with a goal of enhancing the guest experience,” says Graboski. “We started branding and theming the entry features of the public rooms by adding architectural details, art and objects, not just a plaque on the wall. This allowed us to achieve a greater integration of design than previously used, creating ‘experiential design’ before the phrase was invented.” By the 1990s, cruise ships were growing larger, and signage needs were changing. The labour-intensive process of producing a silk-screened image was replaced by digitally printed images, opening up a new range of possibilities for designers like Graboski. “Theming and branding moved forward with digitally printed signs and DESIGN LEGEND “ We were bringing design to an area on the ship that had previously been viewed as strictly utilitarian” Graboski’s first involvement in the cruise industry was the conversion of SS France into Norwegian Cruise Line’s SS Norway (right), while one of his biggest projects was for Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class (left)
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