Quad Cities Mayors Speak to the Value of Wayfinding
Posted in Government, Points of Interest, Wayfinding Concept on July 2nd, 2010 by Mark VanderKlipp – Be the first to commentA blog post on the Quad Cities CVB Web site addresses in detail (much better than we could!) the anticipated benefit to the region once a comprehensive wayfinding signage program was implemented. Joe Taylor, President of the Quad Cities CVB, was a dedicated project champion and truly brought the region together in support of this initiative.
The Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa are home to many unique tourist destinations, such as Lagomarcino's.
The post features each mayor of the Quad Cities (actually five cities in two states) speaking to the value that the wayfinding system brings to their local area and the region as a whole:
- “The idea for the wayfinding system has been a long time coming. The system will be a wonderful addition to each city’s signage. Not only will it assist visitors, but it will show the continued support the communities in our area have for each other. This is a progressive move that will benefit everyone.” City of Bettendorf Mayor Mike Freemire
- “Wayfinding signage is a great idea for helping people navigate the riverfront and all the attractions the Quad Cities has to offer. It’s another example of how cooperation among cities shows that we are all livable communities with a lot to offer visitors and residents alike.” City of Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba
- “Those of us who have called the Quad Cities home all of our life know the boundaries of our cities, but for visitors it can be confusing. The new Wayfinding system is an easy to understand, color coded system that will make our community more user friendly” City of East Moline Mayor John Thodos
“The new wayfinding system allows the Quad Cities to come together as one destination while preserving the unique characters of each community.” City of Moline Mayor Don Welvaert
- “The Wayfinding System provides us with an excellent method of making the Quad Cities region more friendly and accessible to visitors to our area. With our multiple jurisdictions and a river that runs east to west, the new signage will help newcomers find their way more easily, around our diverse and beautiful area.” City of Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert
Corbin Design’s strategy involved developing a wayfinding icon that visually describes the orientation of the Mississippi to the cities in the region. This icon serves as a landmark of sorts, visibly identifying wayfinding elements from a distance.
For the complete story, including how community support and funding were managed, link to the blog post here:
People Get Lost and New Wayfinding System Will Fix That
Kudos to the Quad Cities CVB for the takeoff on our tagline!
Our work has been showcased as part of a series on “Placemaking” within Northwestern Michigan’s Second Wave online magazine. The article features several projects from our portfolio, and an explanation of the phrase “Good design goes unnoticed.”
We came across this gem on YouTube, an interview with our client Arthur Mullen, Director of the Mount Clemens DDA. Among the comments featured in this interview*:
“The wayfinding system is especially important because we have a lot of out of town visitors who are coming into the city and we have a couple different grid systems … and it makes getting around downtown for someone who’s… More...
For the Sept.-Oct. 2011 edition of Medical Construction & Design magazine, Corbin Design president Mark VanderKlipp researched and wrote an article that places wayfinding signage in context with the entire range of brand communications that a healthcare system engages. Using Scripps Health as a case study, the article addresses how internal teams can organize to best approach staff, volunteers, patients and visitors with simple messages that reflect an institution’s culture… More...
Heidi Jones
Hesper Smyth
Mark VanderKlipp
Rick Stringer