As part of an unprecedented $2 billion investment dedicated to revitalizing the city’s tourism and travel infrastructure, Applied was commissioned to prepare a wayfinding masterplan, with the aim of providing an outline of how wayfinding could be used to encourage more visitors to Cleveland and increase walking and public transportation use amongst its residents.

The wayfinding masterplan was published to coincide with the Destination Cleveland Annual Meeting and was unveiled in conjunction with an exhibition space designed by Applied. The masterplan documented the results of an analysis of the city’s existing wayfinding infrastructure and proposed how journeys in the city could be joined together to create a seamless system of travel. It introduced ideas for the use of online planning tools, maps, signage and mobile systems, with details of how each medium could contribute to a consistent and integrated system.

Following the success of the masterplan, Applied has been commissioned to create guidelines governing design, information architecture and wayfinding strategy of the system to ensure its successful rollout. A prototype system connecting Cleveland’s busy Tower City transit hub to its global visitor attractions is currently being implemented, including a printed visitors map and an on-street monolith, which incorporate directional information and detailed city mapping.