Corbin was invited to speak on developing a downtown wayfinding system at the annual convention of the International Downtown Association on Sept. 17. It is an outstanding opportunity to pitch both the subject and his firm, Corbin said. About 800 city planners, downtown development directors and business district association leaders from North American cities and elsewhere around the globe are expected to attend. Malls are easy to find your way around, but historically in downtowns people spend a lot of time driving around and around trying to find hotels, stores, museums and other things. Philadelphia and Baltimore have done wayfinding programs with good success and all our members are interested in hearing about it from the Corbin group.
Signage is just one part of a complete wayfinding system but a very important one.
Corbin said people sometimes blanch when confronted with the idea of a massive new signage program, but he quickly soothes them with the fact that if one is done well, the net result will be fewer but more effective signs. That's part of the deal. There is also the idea that the signs should reflect something about the community or institution. Signs at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, another Corbin project, have a subtle, non-distracting background of deep green with a slightly darker pattern of pine boughs, which tie into the rustic setting of the center. Lettering is distinct but elegant, in tune with the feel of the institution.