This comment regarding Corbin Design’s Kingsport, TN wayfinding project was submitted to the Kingsport Times News by D. Bruce Shine, a Kingsport resident:

“In a time when complaints appear more often than praise, when it comes to discussing matters close at hand, I want to sing a song of praise for the city of Kingsport. Have you noticed the uniform signage instituted by the city? Whether you are entering downtown or getting off I-26, the signs announcing you are in Kingsport are attractive and functional. In Kingsport the signs leading you to downtown, Dobyns-Bennett, Netherland Inn or any point of interest or significance in this community are conveniently located, easy to read and follow.

I have no idea who or what group in city government is responsible for implementation of this project. Whoever is responsible deserves our respect and appreciation. As I travel, I observe similar attempts in other cites to create uniformity in signs by providing strangers to those communities helpful and easy directions. Generally midway through the project it ends, or the uniformity is lost. In some instances I’ve seen attempts which are downright unattractive.

Not because I live here but because it’s the truth, I think our uniform signs and their convenient placement beat anything I’ve seen elsewhere. The signs are where they are needed, the color (green) is unobtrusive, and their size is large enough to notice and read.

Bravo, city of Kingsport, for a job well done and worthy of a Model City!”

An updated wayfinding system for Indianapolis in advance of the Superbowl.

Weeks before the Giants and Patriots teams took the field in SuperBowl XLVI, a team consisting of Jeff Frank, Senior Designer and Rick Stringer, VP of Technology, descended on Indianapolis for a week. Were they scouting the Giants? Interviewing the Patriots? Nope, they were making final adjustments to the updated system of wayfinding elements that Corbin Design had been working on since June, 2010. Designed in tandem with Robert Brengman, Principal-in Charge and Becky Douthitt, Project Manager, it brings a new generation of wayfinding logic and regulatory compliance to downtown Indy.

Back in 1999, Corbin Design completed the first large-scale civic wayfinding program in Indianapolis, taking advantage of the fact that the City Plan is divided into ‘quadrants,’ centered on the Monument Circle. Destinations and visitors locate themselves using cardinal directions for each ‘Quad,’ relative to the Monument. The system originally included pedestrian signage (that doubled as vehicular guides) and pedestrian mapping. Throughout the aughts, the IDI team was equipped to make smaller changes to the program as Indy grew and changed via their City Sign Shop. Midway through the decade, the system was updated to include Indy’s new Cultural Districts, allowing visitors to identify and experience each unique part of the city.

But at the end of the decade, federal and state guidelines for wayfinding information had changed considerably. In 2010 we were invited back for a repeat performance by our clients from Indianapolis Downtown Inc. so that the system could be upgraded to meet new MUTCD and INDOT guidelines prior to the influx of visitors for the SuperBowl.

Original signs were taken down and retrofitted with updated information

The original signage elements proved to be in great shape even after 12 years, so they were ‘repurposed’: removed, stripped down to the raw metal and repainted or powder coated. The frame was then upgraded to support larger panels that hold vehicular guide information. While not required to meet all MUTCD guidelines, the overall type size on these signs was increased, and the number of destinations displayed was decreased to four.

With fewer destinations and larger type, drivers can more easily see and comprehend the messages as they approach. The logic in the system relies on the use of primary destinations as landmarks near which other destinations are located. Secondary destinations, such as restaurants and bars, can use these to provide direction: “From I-70, take Exit 79A, then follow the signs to Lucas Oil Stadium; we’re across S. Missouri Street on the west side of the stadium.”

Small pedestrian map guide directs to nearby destinations and provides distances in city blocks.

Once parked or coming from transit, pedestrian guides and maps supported football fans with updated destination directories and maps – these included local amenities and businesses. Finally, we added a new sign type to the program: a pedestrian map panel located on vehicular guide posts. This provided an at-a-glance view of the location’s corresponding map and walking directions to nearby destinations. These were placed in areas where pedestrian circulation was anticipated to be heaviest, and helped visitors by suggesting the most intuitive and safest routes within the City.

With everything locked in place, there was a last-minute roster change for IDI: the stadium formerly known as Conseco Fieldhouse was renamed ‘Bankers Life Fieldhouse’. Wayfinding signage required a quick change, since this venue was a key component of the SuperBowl Village. Because our game plan was flexible, we were able to account for this last-minute change, allowing Downtown Indy to be current by kickoff. As before, the Corbin team has prepared IDI to quickly manage any changes that may come their way going forward. Along with an excellent Web site created by the Indianapolis Host Committee, visitors to Indy were well-supported throughout their Superbowl Experience.

Pedestrian map kiosk, updated with new information

Jeff Frank shares a pre-game interview story that makes the project complete: “I was coming down to the hotel lobby when I noticed a TV crew interviewing the concierge. He was telling them about the City’s updated sign system, and what a help that will be to him as he directs new visitors to downtown destinations.”

Regardless of the outcome on the field, this was a big win for Indianapolis Downtown!

Read the article here.

“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 not familiar a little confusing.”

“The last thing you want to do when you’re driving is sit there and worry about being able to get to your destination without getting lost. It’s part about visitor experience.”

“It also shows that the community is making an investment in the downtown to make it more attractive for business. The wayfinding system is really geared to solving problems for merchants and businesses.”

“It’s a visual system, a uniform system, and will get rid of a lot of visual clutter that will be coming down as the wayfinding system goes up.”

“Another factor is that we’ve got signs throughout the surrounding area, which helps to highlight our location which helps the marketing component of our community as well.”

“I think people, when they come into a community and see attractive signage, receive a positive impression for how the community speaks about itself.”

“It says that we’re open for business; it’s a multi-tiered positive that feeds back on itself, encouraging economic development because business owners will say ‘the community is interested in us as well because they’re helping people get to our businesses.”

“The last thing you want is a visitor to your town becoming lost, being frustrated or frustrated when they finally find the business they’re looking for. This is the goal of the system.”

While this interview was done entirely without Corbin Design’s assistance, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

Special thanks to Nancy Berggren and the Bath City Beat for reporting this story.

*Some comments edited for clarity

The article also cites multiple research sources that demonstrate the return on investment for brand and wayfinding communications.

Summary excerpt: “Careful planning, thoughtful design and broad participation will ensure that everyone is prepared to represent an organization’s brand in a consistent way. Each person must take responsibility for understanding brand language, logic and tools so that he or she can become the embodiment of culture in ways that reassure, instruct and support the visitor. This ensures an organization effectively fulfills its caregiving mission in the communities it serves.”

View the article here.

Note that this is a browser-based e-magazine. The article begins on page 22.

The session takes place on Sunday, September 25, 2011 from 3:45pm to 5:00pm.

Corbin Design’s President, Mark VanderKlipp, is privileged to share the stage once again with Rachel Downey of Studio Graphique. While she will be covering the Experience Design portion of the presentation, Corbin will be demonstrating, via the use of videos, visuals and articles, how cities and institutions are making connections between physical and digital wayfinding.

Following is a list of companies and individuals we’ve contacted to help create the presentation. Colleagues all, they’ve expanded our view of the possibilities of the digital realm in terms of what’s being done today to enhance visitor experience by pushing the edges of technology, and what’s coming tomorrow. A list of relevant articles also follows each section header, where appropriate.

Thank you for attending the session and please let Mark know if you would like more information, or to see the entire presentation.

Links to Physical Environment

Reference: Geocentric

Contact: Jim Blakeslee <jim.blakeslee@geocentric.com>

Raleigh, NC Mobile App

QR Tags

Article: QR Tags Can Be Rigged to Attack Smartphones

Washington DC BID Mobile App

Augmented Reality

Reference: Winfield & Co

Contact: Vijay Mathews <vijay@winfieldco.com>

Location-Based Services

Retail Innovations: 3rd Ward Shopbox
- Retail Experience of the Future
- Despite The Hype, Smartphone Users Aren’t Buying

Coupons: Groupon

Check In: Foursquare
- Foursquare Baseball Article
- Creative Review Article: Location, Location, Location

Games: Loopt

Big Players: Google Latitude

Mapping: Map Doodles

Reference: Forge Media + Design

Contact: Gregory Neely <gneely@forgeinc.ca>

NFC: Near Field Communications

Reference: Mitten Communications LLC

Contact: Rob Franzo <rob@mittencom.com>

Gartner’s Hype Cycle Places NFC at ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’

To read the entire article, click on “Demonstrating Return on Investment” on the cover page

Excerpts:

“Early on in the project, even before we retained Corbin to assist in our wayfinding initiative, we tried hard to find data, measures, metrics that we could use to validate our business plan. We had to come to terms with the fact that we couldn’t put a value on the patient experience, or our success in managing the degree of change we anticipated. We had to ask ourselves ‘Is it the right thing to do conceptually? Is it going to benefit our patients?’”

“We knew that we should be concerned with the amount of staff time spent giving directions, but maybe we weren’t going to find a piece of data to validate this. Instead, we saw the potential improvements to the patient experience as an important part of our outward value proposition, and our internal core values. We then proceeded with managing costs and maximizing the value of the outcomes as the design process rolled out.”

Gundersen Lutheran's wayfinding system includes an interactive physician directory and static directories for wayfinding support

Once the team and tools were in place, a system of wayfinding signage could be designed and implemented. Rather than using old technology consisting of vinyl sign materials and considerable labor costs, Corbin designed a new system of interior signage using printable inserts. With this in-house capability, Gundersen Lutheran has seen significant improvements since the initial installation: Houser estimates that at least 50% of the original signage inserts have been redone at least 2 or 3 times. “If we hadn’t had that ability, we would have paid for new signage 2, 3 or 4 times over.”

Theresa Besse, an interior designer, adds: “The biggest time and money saver has been the methodology that was implemented for updates to signage. Prior to this new program launch, we used to try every way imaginable, hoping to stumble across a solution. Today, when a signage change is brought to our attention, we have the necessary tools to help identify weak points in communication, and make improvements to the systems that support communication rather than attempting to reinvent the program.”

“I can tell you that our customer service department finds the results of your work PHENOMENAL” Kari Houser, Director of Construction and Facility Planning, Gundersen Lutheran

Directional signage works in tandem with visual landmarks on patient floors

To quantify the return on the investment from an interior signage standpoint, supporting the old program using their internal sign shop was costing in excess of $55,000 annually for materials alone. In 2009, the first year the program was fully implemented, materials costs dropped to just over $15,000. But materials costs are not the only indicator of success; Houser says that “the methodology put in place is delivering a qualitative value far in excess of what we ever spent on signage.”

The success of the wayfinding program has had broad implications throughout the organization. Armed with the proper knowledge and tools, the Wayfinding Team works each day to build awareness of the importance of multiple communications to support the patient experience.

With all of the changes that Gundersen Lutheran has been making, it’s difficult to quantify the specific benefits of the wayfinding system. But the success of this program is due to the broad approach that the team took to the entire range of wayfinding communications, and the individual responsibility of people within the organization to build on the patient experience. The Gundersen Lutheran team has built a flexible infrastructure to manage the intricacies of massive change while always staying true to their mission and values. And that, for them, is priceless.

OHSU's Marquam Hill Campus

In May, 2011, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) selected Corbin Design to conduct an assessment of existing wayfinding conditions and develop a comprehensive exterior and interior wayfinding master plan for their Marquam Hill and South Waterfront campuses. The work will focus on the primary patient care buildings and academic buildings, and external circulation on the campuses.

Because Portland, OR is a city known for its focus on public transportation, the scope of the project includes wayfinding for arrivals via public transportation, bicycle, private vehicle, delivery vehicle, and foot traffic. Corbin Design’s recommendations will include creative wayfinding solutions across media, including signage, print and digital communications.The primary patient care buildings at this location include approximately 2,000,000 square feet in nine buildings:

• OHSU Hospital
• Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
• Hatfield Research Center
• Kohler Pavilion
• Physician’s Pavilion
• Sam Jackson Hall
• Multnomah Pavilion
• Casey Eye Institute
• Portland Aerial Tram
• Center for Health & Healing
• Future Projects in planning phase

The primary academic and research buildings at this location include approximately 2,100,000 square feet in ten buildings:

• Mackenzie Hall
• OHSU Auditorium
• OHSU Student Center
• School of Nursing
• Richard Jones Hall
• Baird Hall
• Biomedical Research Building
• Childhood Research and Development Center
• Biomedical Information Communication Center (Library)
• School of Dentistry

For more information on OHSU, go to www.ohsu.edu

The New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences was launched in 2002 as a joint effort of research institutions, government, industry and philanthropic organizations to create a hub of life sciences expertise in Upstate New York.

In advance of developing an exterior wayfinding signage standard for the many entities that reside within the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), the campus partners took the unique step of challenging Corbin Design to help frame the scope and deliverables of a comprehensive wayfinding plan, to better define the objectives and outcomes of such a process.

This scope of work included research with representatives from individual campus partners to better understand each entity’s specific assets and challenges, and how they relate to the overall campus visitor experience. Undertaking this research process helped us describe the BNMC features that make this wayfinding project unique from other medical campuses.

We then developed a document that frames the challenges to be addressed, and outline the recommendations for a successful placemaking and wayfinding system for BNMC. We reviewed these recommendations with the campus partners, and provided a detailed proposal of process and costs for the larger wayfinding signage program. Recently we’ve been informed that the second phase of the project should begin in late summer, 2011.

Our three primary objectives detail:

• First, how the BNMC entities will be organized, establishing protocols for sharing information both internally and with campus visitors;
• Second, clarifying terminology and wayfinding logic on the campus itself, and
• Third, designing the tools that will carry that information, including print, electronic and signage media.

Kari Bonaro, Director of Communications & Government Affairs at BNMC, complimented Corbin on our process to date: “This is the farthest we’ve ever gotten in talking about a shared wayfinding signage program. It’s a testament to your team and process that we’re moving forward with the project!”

More information:

The BNMC is cultivating a world-class medical campus in downtown Buffalo, NY as the premier address for clinical  care, research, education, and  entrepreneurship. Find out more about  our 120-acre campus in the heart of a great city.

For more information on the Association or the conference, go to www.michigandowntowns.com