Project overview: Engage a specialty firm to develop a coherent, modern, intuitive system of wayfinding signage for visitors.

The backstory: This one-year project will employ an outside design agency that specializes in wayfinding design to develop a coherent intuitive system intended for today’s visitors. From the parking lots at the east end of the village through to the museum/education center on the west end, this new design will help visitors clearly understand where they are and how to get where they want to go.

Many visitors feel lost as they move through the Yosemite Village. Several construction projects currently underway will help partly resolve this issue, including expanding the parking lot and constructing the new Welcome Center. A cultural landscape report is also underway that will examine historic viewsheds, the first step to opening up the vegetation around these structures and restoring lines of sight that will help visitors move through the village. The missing element, however, remains good signage.

The current wayfinding signage in the Village is unfortunately a patchwork of different designs from different eras and is often in poor condition, significantly contributing to visitor confusion. This project will employ an outside design agency that specializes in wayfinding design to develop a coherent intuitive system intended for today’s visitors. From the parking lots at the east end of the village through to the museum/education center on the west end, this new design will help visitors clearly understand where they are and how to get where they want to go. The consultant will survey existing signage, analyze current site conditions to determine the locations of all identification and decision points, and collaborate with National Park Service staff and partners to establish a sign design standard, including sign forms, sizes, materials, fabrication methods, and color and graphic elements. The consultant will also consider how technology might be used to add additional information. The final deliverable will be design documents including detailed location plans, sign message schedule, design drawings and details, and specifications sufficiently detailed for fabricators to bid on.

Project partners: Yosemite National Park