Bayan Signage designs and builds you are here map signs for gated communities, parks, campuses, hospitals and business parks. Our designers draw the map itself, simplified and turned to face the reader, and our Ajman factory prints it in UV-stable inks and mounts it on a welded, powder-coated structure covered by our 5-year outdoor warranty.
A you are here map sign is the board people use when the directional signs have not answered their question, or when they want to plan a route before setting off. It sits at arrival points: the car park exit, the bus stop, the main gate, the junction where five paths meet. Its one job is to let someone say: I am here, I need to be there, and that is the way. Gated communities, public parks, hospital campuses, universities and business parks use them where there are many destinations and few obvious landmarks.
The structure is the easy part. What makes a map work is the drawing on it, and most site maps fail because they are an architect's plan with a red dot added. Visitors scan a map for five to ten seconds. They need building footprints, main paths, entrances, car parks and toilets, not contour lines and every tree. The map must also be turned so the direction the reader faces is at the top. Our designers redraw your site plan for each board position, then we print and assemble every map in our Ajman factory.
Bayan Signage has made outdoor signage in Ajman since 2016, as the production arm of Bayan Advertising, which has 15 years in the UAE market. We print on large-format UV printers up to 3.2 m wide, weld galvanised steel frames in-house and test any illuminated boards at full brightness before they leave. More than 500 clients across the UAE, including national retail groups and international brands, have trusted us with signage that has to stay accurate and legible for years.
Trusted by 500+ UAE businesses, including
The right format depends on the space around the board and how long people will stand at it. These are the versions we make most often, with the sign families they belong to.
Map boards designed as part of a full campus system, sharing typography, colours and names with the directionals and building signs around them.
View details →Tall double-sided signs with a map on one face and directions on the other, for plazas, car park exits and main junctions.
View details →Sealed, LED-lit map boxes with backlit film faces, for parks, communities and campuses that stay busy after sunset.
View details →Simplified maps for school gates and drop-off areas, showing reception, classrooms and sports facilities in a way parents and pupils understand.
View details →Touch or screen-based maps for sites that change often, using manufacturer screens that we supply, integrate and install.
View details →A different map with a different purpose: escape routes and assembly points, drawn to Civil Defence expectations rather than for everyday visitors.
View details →We walk the site from each arrival point, choose where boards will be read and record which way each one faces. The survey is free in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.
Designers redraw the site plan in a clean, simplified style, set the key and symbols, and rotate a version for each board so it is heads-up for that position.
You review a full-size printed proof at the actual position. It is the quickest way to spot a missing building, a confusing label or a wrong you are here marker.
Galvanised steel frames are welded in-house, clad in CNC-routed aluminium or ACP and powder-coated. Lit boards are wired with IP65 LED modules and tested at full brightness.
Maps are UV-printed on aluminium composite or backlit film, then laminated with a matt, UV-resistant film that cuts glare and protects the colours.
Our crews fix base plates or wall brackets, fit the map faces and check each marker against its real position. You receive the artwork files for future updates.
This is our standard outdoor map board. We vary it for lit or unlit versions, the space available and how often you expect the map to change.
| Component | Our standard | Upgrade options | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map face | UV print on 4 mm aluminium composite | Backlit film in a lightbox, angled lectern face | Composite stays flat in heat and can be swapped when the map changes. |
| Laminate | Matt UV-resistant overlaminate | Anti-graffiti laminate | Gloss faces wash out in sun; matt laminates stay readable and slow fading. |
| Frame | Welded galvanised steel | Stainless trims, curved or custom profiles | The frame carries the panel through wind and heat for the life of the board. |
| Finish | Powder coat in a light RAL | Two-tone or textured powder coat | Light colours stay cooler to the touch and show less dust. |
| Face fixing | Removable panel with tamper-resistant screws | Hinged lockable frame | When buildings change, only the printed face needs replacing. |
| Lighting | Unlit | LED lightbox or top-mounted downlight | Lit maps keep working for evening visitors in parks and communities. |
A map board is only as good as the drawing on it. These are the points we raise before anyone talks about frames and finishes.
A heads-up map is rotated so the direction the reader faces is at the top of the board. Two boards on the same site may therefore show the plan rotated differently, which often feels wrong to the client and feels right to every visitor. North-up maps only work when the board happens to face north. We add a small north arrow but never let it decide the layout.
People give a map five to ten seconds. Keep building footprints, main paths, entrances, car parks, toilets and prayer rooms; drop contours, individual trees and minor doors. Use a numbered key for small items, and label only the main destinations directly. A map that shows less is read faster, and people trust it more.
The you are here marker is the most important symbol on the board. It should be large, high-contrast and always the same colour across the site, with a small arrow showing which way the reader is facing. We check every marker against its real position on site before handover, because a misplaced dot sends people the wrong way with total confidence.
An out-of-date map is worse than none: it sends people confidently to a building that has been renamed or demolished. Before ordering, decide who will update the artwork when the site changes. We hand over editable files, design faces to be swapped without touching the structure, and can reprint a single panel when one building changes.
UAE sun fades reds and oranges faster than blues, greens and blacks, and glossy surfaces wash out completely at midday. We use matt laminates, UV-stable inks and colours that hold up, and keep red for the you are here marker only, where its fading can be checked on routine visits.
Map boards are priced from the format, size and number of positions. Send us the site plan, the number of boards and photos of the locations, and we usually return an itemised quote within 24 hours, separating map design, fabrication and installation.
Redrawing a complex site plan and producing rotated versions for each board takes design time, separate from fabrication.
A wall-mounted panel costs far less than a freestanding monolith or a lit lightbox with its own structure and base.
Lit boards need LEDs, drivers, sealing and a power supply, which may mean trenching cable to the board position.
Several boards share the map artwork and setup, so each additional board costs less than the first.
Anti-graffiti laminates, stainless trims and curved or custom frame profiles add material, finishing and fabrication time to each board.
Foundation needs for soft landscaping are confirmed with your project team at survey; boards on existing slabs need base plates and coring.
Maps inside private communities usually go through the master developer or owners association, which often has its own design manual for colours, materials and positions. Maps in public parks or on municipal land may involve the relevant municipality. Larger freestanding boards near roads can need approval for their structure and position, and free zones apply their own criteria.
Where the project follows the Dubai Universal Design Code, maps are also expected to be readable from a wheelchair, with good contrast and a clear route to the board. Our draftsmen prepare drawings and submissions for each board position. Requirements differ by emirate, developer and site, so we confirm them for your location during the survey.
Our designers redraw your site plan for wayfinding and rotate it for each board, rather than printing an architect's plan with a dot on it.
UV printing, laminating, frame welding, CNC routing and powder coating all happen in our Ajman factory, under one team.
Structures, powder coat and any LEDs are covered for 5 years. Printed faces are designed to be replaced as your site changes.
Removable faces and editable artwork files mean a renamed building costs one reprinted panel, not a new board.
Every map is checked as a full-size proof at its real position, and every you are here marker verified before handover.
Our crews install the map boards we make in all seven emirates, with a free survey in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.
It depends on the map design work, the board format and size, whether it is lit, and the foundations. A wall-mounted printed panel costs far less than a lit freestanding monolith that needs a new foundation. Several boards share artwork costs. Send us your site plan, the number of boards and photos, and we will send an itemised quote, usually within 24 hours.
Map design and on-site proofing usually take the longest, because names and details must be checked. Once the artwork is approved, we give you a realistic production and installation schedule with the quote, and lit boards need extra time for LED wiring and testing. On site, each board is fitted once its base or foundation is ready.
No. Visitors read a map most easily when it is heads-up, turned so the direction they face is at the top. On a site with several boards, each board may show the plan rotated differently. We include a small north arrow, but we orient each map to its position, which is standard practice in wayfinding.
We design map faces as removable panels, so only the printed face needs replacing. We keep and hand over the artwork, and can reprint a single panel when one building changes. The structure and frame stay in place, which keeps updates quick and affordable.
All printed graphics fade eventually, but the right materials slow it down a great deal. We use UV-stable inks and a matt UV-resistant laminate, avoid red for main routes, and recommend positions out of direct afternoon sun where possible. Faded faces can be reprinted without replacing the board.
Yes. We build sealed lightboxes with IP65 LED modules behind a printed backlit film, or add a downlight above the board. Lit maps are popular in parks and residential communities, where many visitors arrive after sunset in summer. They need a power supply at the board position.
Yes, in almost every UAE location. Arabic and English labels compete for space, so we use symbols and a numbered key for minor items, and label the main destinations in both languages. All Arabic text is checked before printing.
Yes. Our crews install across all seven emirates from our factory in Ajman, including Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. The site survey is free in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, and further away we can start from your site plan and photos.
Send your logo, the fascia size and a site photo. Our estimating team replies with options and an itemised price, usually within 24 hours.