CITY OF COLUMBIA
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
A New Community Wayfinding Program for South Carolina's Capitol City.
In 1786, South Carolina’s legislature sought to establish a new state capital so that the citizens of the state could benefit from greater political representation. Planners carved out a two-mile square in the center of the state, and Columbia was born. Today, the city has grown into what the original planners had envisioned as the center of government, commerce, and education and is home to the South Carolina legislature, the University of South Carolina, and an emerging cultural and social scene. With an ever increasing volume of visitors to Columbia each year, the City sought to replace their old and outdated wayfinding program. We were hired by the City to plan and design a new branded wayfinding program to direct visitors to Columbia’s public destinations, vibrant Districts, and public parking. Working in collaboration with Experience Columbia, District representatives, City staff, and SCDOT we created a new wayfinding program for the City that promotes the attributes and attitude of today’s Columbia.
Columbia is a city of Districts, and promoting and recognizing these Districts was a key element of the new program. Extensive planning was required to design a branded system that clearly distinguishes each District; promotes the City and its assets; and seamlessly directs visitor’s to important public and historical destinations. The program’s common layouts and sign forms are personalized for each District through the use of District-specific accent colors and the prominent display of the District’s name. Another important decision was to use the backs of all the sign panels as an ‘urban gallery’ that promotes the diverse character of Columbia, its Districts, attractions and ambiance. In the final program, over 100 carefully located and curated images—including many photographs shot by Yazi—are featured on over 200 signs throughout the City.
See more at www.yazimiami.com
