Corbin Design

Corbin Design was established in Traverse City, Michigan in 1976. Since then, we have earned a reputation as a leader in wayfinding planning and signage design throughout North America. We employ ten people, including five designers and three project managers. In 2002, we became employee-owned, giving each staff member an increased stake in the success of our firm and its clients. Our wayfinding clients include over 185 hospitals, 110 cities and towns, and 55 colleges and universities.

Our Mission Statement is “To design intuitive and creative wayfinding systems that guide users through complex environments.”

Our work has been recognized with awards from the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) and the International Downtown Association (IDA). We have also been featured in periodicals such as Healthcare Design, Medical Construction & Design, FacilityCare, Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development’s (SHSMD) Spectrum, American Trails, Architectural Record, Health Facilities Management, American School & Hospital Facility, College Planning & Management, American City & County, The Urban Transportation Monitor, Nation’s Cities Weekly and Signs of the Times.

Wayfinding is ...

We define wayfinding simply as “direction for people in motion.” In this discipline, we merge information and visual design to help people find their way through complex environments more comfortably and more successfully. 

It considers all the tools you use to share wayfinding information with visitors: signs in the environment, internal education, print and digital media.

Properly designed, it ties together verbal and visual cues throughout your organization: brand, visitor communications, architecture, interiors, lighting and landscape design.

Community Service

As individuals and as a firm, we at Corbin Design are dedicating ourselves to making a positive difference in the communities where we live and work. We hope that our efforts serve as an inspiration to other individuals and firms seeking to make a difference in their communities. Our team volunteers at the State Theatre, a local volunteer run theatre. We also donate money and volunteer for the local Father Fred Foundation Blessings in a Backpack campaign that provides low income students with food for the weekend.

Other organizations that Corbin Design staff members have donated their time and effort to include: Adopt-a-Highway, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Cherryland Humane Society, Child and Family Services, City Opera House, Father Fred Foundation, Goodwill Inn, Habitat for Humanity, Old Town Playhouse, the Salvation Army, Seeds, TART Trails and The Watershed Center and Women's Resource Center.