Bayan Signage builds backlit mall directory signs for shopping malls, community centres and retail streets across the UAE. We weld the frames, clad and light the cabinets, print the maps and install at night, with each map drawn heads-up for the exact spot where its totem stands, so shoppers read it in seconds.
A mall directory sign has one job: in about ten seconds, show a shopper where they are, where the store is and which way to walk. Most are double-sided backlit totems at entrances, escalator landings and car-park lift lobbies, combining a floor map, a you-are-here marker and a store index by category. We build them for regional malls, community shopping centres, outlet streets and the retail podiums of mixed-use towers.
The metal box is the easy part. The hard part is the map. A good mall map is simplified to the routes people actually walk, uses unit numbers that match the shopfronts, shows prayer rooms, toilets and exits as clear icons, and is oriented so that up on the map is straight ahead for the reader. That means twenty totems need twenty slightly different maps, and we manage each one as its own artwork file.
Bayan Signage has fabricated signs in Ajman since 2016 as the production arm of Bayan Advertising, which has been in the UAE market for 15 years. Galvanised steel frames, ACP and aluminium cladding, LED assembly, light testing and large-format printing all happen in our own factory. That matters on a mall programme, because the cabinet, the lighting and the map face are made to fit each other, not bought from three suppliers.
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A mall rarely needs one format everywhere. We usually mix two or three, depending on footfall, ceiling height and how far the shopper has already walked.
The main-entrance directory: a lit map on each face, store index by category and a header readable from 15 to 20 m. Needs a slab fixing and a power point.
View details →Single-sided units for lift lobbies, corridors and food court walls. The map is fixed to the direction of that wall, so it is simpler to draw and cheaper to build.
View details →An 80 to 150 mm deep cabinet for narrow retail streets and corridors, where a full totem would block trolleys and prams. Smaller map area, very even light.
View details →Shows which mall entrance and floor each lift serves, plus the parking level name, so shoppers find the mall from the car and the car again on the way out.
View details →Sealed, shaded map units for outlet streets and community centres, with UV-stable prints and outdoor-rated LEDs, placed at each junction rather than one central point.
View details →A totem combining a touchscreen with a printed map, so the directory still works if the screen is off. Common at the two or three busiest entrances.
View details →We walk the mall with the operator, mark each directory on the plan, check clearances from exits, hose reels and escalators, and confirm where power can come through the slab or from a column.
Our designers simplify the CAD floor plan into a shopper's map, then rotate it heads-up for every totem and place the you-are-here marker on its own layer, with a key plan recording each view.
Galvanised steel frames are welded in-house, then clad in CNC-routed ACP or aluminium, powder-coated to the mall's colour, with radiused corners where trolleys and children pass.
LED modules or edge-lit panels are fitted behind an opal diffuser and run at full brightness in our test area, so we can check the map face for hot spots and dark corners before dispatch.
Maps, indexes and headers print on backlit film on our large-format printers, then each face is checked against the approved artwork and its own position on the key plan.
Totems are anchored to the slab during the mall's night window, levelled and powered. We stand at every unit to confirm the you-are-here point is where the shopper actually stands.
This is our starting point for a backlit mall totem. Most malls have design criteria that change some of it, and every change is itemised on the quote.
| Component | Our standard | Upgrade options | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Welded galvanised steel frame, bolted base plate | Concealed plinth, curved frame | A rigid frame keeps a 2.4 m totem steady when it is leaned on or knocked. |
| Cladding | 4 mm ACP or powder-coated aluminium | Stainless, timber-effect laminate, curved panels | The cladding has to match the mall's interior criteria and survive trolleys and floor scrubbers. |
| Face | 5 mm clear acrylic in a lockable hinged frame | Thicker 6 mm acrylic with a matt anti-glare laminate | A hinged face lets the mall swap maps in minutes, without tools or a sign company. |
| Graphics | Backlit film, separate map, index and header | Two-sided print for deep colour at night | Separate panels mean a tenant change reprints the index only, not the whole face. |
| Lighting | Samsung or Epistar LED modules behind opal diffuser | Edge-lit LED panels for slim cabinets | Even light makes small unit numbers readable and stops the map looking patchy. |
| Power and service | Driver behind a lockable service panel | Timer or connection to the mall's lighting control | Maintenance staff can reach the driver without removing the face or the cladding. |
These are the points we raise on almost every mall programme. They cost nothing at the planning stage and are expensive to correct across twenty totems.
A north-up map used everywhere forces the shopper to rotate the plan in their head, and many give up and ask security. Heads-up orientation means the top of the map is the direction the reader is facing. It adds artwork, one view per position, but people set off the right way first time. We still add a small north arrow for reference.
A directory placed squarely in front of an entrance or at the foot of an escalator makes people stop exactly where others need to walk. Set it 3 to 5 m past the doors and slightly to the side, so a family can stand and read without blocking the flow. This matters most in Ramadan, Eid and festival weeks, when footfall climbs sharply.
A 1,000 mm wide totem gives a map area of about 800 x 800 mm. That works for one floor of a medium mall and gets crowded fast. Show the floor the shopper is on at full size and the other levels as small stacked diagrams. Unit numbers can be 8 to 10 mm if they are bold and high contrast.
In UAE malls the most common questions at the information desk are about prayer rooms, ablution areas, toilets, family rooms, ATMs and the taxi rank. Put those on every map as icons, in the same colour and position on every totem, rather than in a long index. Store names can stay in their brand form; facilities and floor names need proper Arabic.
A directory still showing a store that closed three months ago loses shoppers' trust. Most malls reprint faces quarterly, some monthly in peak season. Agree the cycle at the start, keep a master map file, and order index panels separately from map panels, so one tenant change costs a strip of film, not a full face.
We quote a mall directory programme from the positions plan and the operator's design criteria. Send the floor plans, tenant list and the number of positions, and we usually return an itemised quote within 24 hours, separating cabinets, map artwork and installation.
Cabinet production shares set-up across the set, but each position needs its own heads-up map, so artwork scales with the number of totems.
A double-sided totem needs two faces, two sets of lighting and two maps, which is more material and more design than a wall unit.
Powder-coated aluminium and ACP are the baseline. Stainless, curved panels and finishes matched to a premium interior add material and fabrication time.
LED modules behind a diffuser cost less than edge-lit panels. Edge-lit cabinets are slimmer and more even, which suits narrow corridors.
Turning CAD plans into simplified shopper maps takes design time, and regular reprints as stores change are an ongoing cost worth planning.
Drilling finished floors, running power through the slab and working only after closing all affect the installation part of the quote.
Indoor mall directory signs are approved by the mall operator rather than the municipality. Most UAE malls publish design criteria covering sizes, materials, colours, brightness and the fonts allowed, and their fit-out or operations team signs off positions, fixings and power routes. We prepare shop drawings, elevations and material samples for that approval and plan installation inside the mall's permitted night windows.
Positions must also respect fire and life safety. In Dubai, Dubai Civil Defence rules on escape routes, exit signage and access to hose reels and extinguishers usually decide where a totem can and cannot stand. Open-air retail directories may need further approval from the municipality or master developer. Requirements vary by site, so we confirm them for your mall before production.
Frames, cladding, LED assembly and backlit printing all happen in our Ajman factory, so the map fits the face and the light fits the map.
We keep a key plan and a separate artwork file for each totem, so a tenant update reprints every directory correctly, even years later.
The crew that builds the totems installs them, inside your mall's working windows, and checks every you-are-here point on site.
Floor names, categories and facilities are set in Arabic and English with equal weight, and checked by our own team before printing.
Cabinets, map artwork, reprints and installation are priced separately, usually within 24 hours, so you can phase a programme by floor or by entrance.
More than 500 clients across the UAE, including national retail groups and international brands, many of whom return to us project after project.
It depends on the number of positions, whether each totem is single or double-sided, the cladding, the lighting method and how much map design is needed. A set of wall directories for a community centre costs far less than double-sided totems for a regional mall. Send us the floor plans and positions, and we will return an itemised quote, usually within 24 hours.
Usually not. Heads-up orientation, where the top of the map is the direction the reader is facing, is easier to follow and is the approach most wayfinding designers recommend. It means each mall directory has its own map view. A small north arrow can still be shown for reference.
Most malls reprint faces quarterly and some monthly during busy seasons, with urgent updates when an anchor store opens or closes. Keeping the map, index and header on separate panels makes routine updates cheap. We keep every map file, so a reprint matches the original position and layout exactly.
Backlit is better in most malls, because a lit totem stands out against busy shopfronts and stays readable in dimmer zones. Non-illuminated directories can work in small centres, bright atriums or shaded outdoor streets, and cost less to build and run. Many malls use backlit totems at entrances and simpler units elsewhere.
The directory itself is approved by the mall operator, but its position must respect fire and life safety rules, such as clear escape routes and access to fire equipment. In Dubai these come from Dubai Civil Defence. We work with the mall's operations team and confirm the current requirement before installation.
It depends on the number of totems, the cladding finish and how quickly the map artwork and positions are approved, so the programme is confirmed with your quote. Map design and operator approval often take as long as fabrication, so we start the artwork while positions are being agreed. We give you a realistic programme with the quote.
Yes. Many malls put touchscreens at the main entrances and static mall directory signs at car parks, corridors and quieter entrances. A hybrid totem with a screen and a printed map in one cabinet also works well, because the printed side keeps working during a network or power problem.
Yes. Our crews install in malls and retail centres across all seven emirates, from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah, working from our factory in Ajman. The site survey is free in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, and we plan installation around each mall's night working hours.
Send your logo, the fascia size and a site photo. Our estimating team replies with options and an itemised price, usually within 24 hours.