With a new city brand and slogan to showcase, Fairborn, Ohio, sought to install new wayfinding signage in their 13.2 square-mile city home to Wright State University. The goals of the program were to showcase this new logo, better highlight the city boundaries and diversity of destinations, and create a system that is easy to update and maintain.
Highlighting the city boundaries was a major priority with this system. With many unique destinations offered and neighboring cities close by, identifying when a visitor is entering or exiting Fairborn was important. The National Museum of the US Air Force, located in neighboring Dayton, is located just outside of Fairborn. Despite being outside of city limits, the museum was included in the wayfinding system to support the large amount of visitor traffic traveling from Fairborn to the museum and back. Another priority of the system was to reinforce the brand once visitors and residents are exploring within the city limits. This goal was accomplished through the unique design of vehicular and pedestrian signage.
With a rich history in aviation, the design needed to reflect both the history along with the city slogan, “A City in Motion.” To achieve this, Corbin Design designed the system with a digital printing process in mind to produce a dynamic gradient and subtle nods to jet streams. The panels are a unique shape inspired by the city. The final result is a cost-effective single-panel design that has a unique, high-quality look.