Any visitor to Calgary’s famous Stampede was certainly aware of Calgarians’ legendary hospitality. But in many ways, the experience of coming to City Centre was still challenging for visitors. At the outset of the project, our clients presented us with this challenge:
“We want to become a world-class city. Help us understand how to get there.”
So we began with a thorough analysis of the assets that Calgary’s City Centre already enjoys. Together with a large internal working team, we built a list of recommendations to design the built environment as a reflection of their welcoming culture: clear, accessible, friendly.
We developed three primary objectives, under which all wayfinding tactics reside:
- Speak Calgarian: capture the language used by Calgarians and reflect in all wayfinding tools.
- Connect Centres of Activity: Build a wayfinding system that connects people to places and events.
- Build Awareness: Allow every Calgarian to be part of the wayfinding experience by explaining the tools that will be used to guide, direct and inform.
While our scope was limited to the built environment, our working team is developing initiatives in print and digital media that incorporate the logic and look of the wayfinding system.
