Big Rapids, MI

Ferris State Library

Every detail of Ferris State University’s new library was designed to help students and researchers find the information they need. Guiding users to those information sources is a comprehensive signage system designed by Corbin Design that complements the building’s dramatic architecture.

The 173,000-square-foot FSU Library for Information, Technology and Education (FLITE) was designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects of New York, in association with Neumann Smith & Associates of Southfield, Michigan. Corbin Design teamed with the architects early in the design process to assure that the wayfinding system blended well with the architecture, from its simplicity of design to the use of similar brushed metal surfaces. The Corbin Design team was already acquainted with the university, having developed a vehicular and pedestrian signage system for the entire 425-acre campus.

The Corbin Design wayfinding solution involved placing building directories at the entrances, floor directories near elevators and main staircases, and stack maps at regular intervals throughout the extensive collection. The system was also designed for easy and inexpensive updating.