A thriving downtown area, the RiverWalk hosts events throughout the year and serves as the center for many of Milwaukee’s most famous festivals. Downtown residents, employees and visitors use the three-mile-long walkways on either side of the Milwaukee River as a main corridor to area restaurants, performing arts centers, parks and nightclubs. Along the way, they’re treated to historical facts about the city and displays of modern sculpture.
Pedestrians and boaters alike need to be able to easily navigate this central city pathway; to facilitate that navigation, Corbin Design developed a system of wayfinding logic that pulls together all the sign types into one cohesive signage package. Boundary markers on roadways surrounding the RiverWalk lead drivers and pedestrians to the route, while kiosks provide information at key entrance points. Directional signs lead visitors to main destinations. Regulatory signs politely define rules governing mooring, skating and access to the waterway.
Corbin Design worked with the City of Milwaukee, the RiverWalk District, local business leaders, architects and designers to develop both the information and the visual components of the system, through a wayfinding master planning process. The result is a clearly distinguishable urban brand that informs and directs visitors all along the river.
