Pictobraille , a Brisbane-based manufacturer of tactile and Braille signs, recently undertook a marketing campaign targeting building certifiers and surveyors. The aim of the campaign was to build recognition about the brand and products among the market that essentially controls the industry. Part of the campaign involved sponsoring the conferences being held by the Victorian and Queensland chapters of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors (AIBS).
Managing Director, Ian Ferrier, says, “We chose to sponsor the AIBS conferences to raise awareness about our products among the people that give it the tick. If building surveyors and certifiers are aware that Pictobraille meets the BCA requirements, it makes life much easier for all those involved in the construction and specification process.”
Pictobraille began in 2002, after the change to the BCA (Building Code of Australia), which denoted that all new and refurbished buildings must have tactile and Braille signage to identify amenities.
Building certifiers were directing builders and architects to install tactile and Braille signs, but it seemed to Ferrier that sourcing signs that meet these requirements was a struggle for many specifiers, architects and builders.
“Tactile and Braille signs were something new and not commonly understood or available. The majority of people don’t use Braille and therefore experienced difficulty with the BCA requirement. We decided to make it simple for them,” Ferrier says.
“Since the change in the building code, we have been heavily involved in developing products that meet all the requirements of the BCA, while satisfying design elements as well. In conjunction with the Queensland Braille Writing Association and access consultants, we developed a range of products we now guarantee to be BCA compliant.
“In addition to our standard Pictobraille range of acrylic, aluminium and stainless steel signs, we have had extensive experience in manufacturing custom tactile and Braille sign products to meet the design criteria of some of Australia’s leading architects and graphic designers. We can customise tactile and Braille signs to suit any specification.”
