Williamsburg, James City County & Upper York County, Va
As a region heavily invested in tourism, Virginia’s Historic Triangle recognized the opportunity to dramatically improve the visitor experience by better welcoming, guiding, and cross-selling regional attractions. The region has multiple attractions, multiple entry corridors, heavy traffic, sign clutter, and demonstrated visitor confusion. The presence of these indicators, combined with the Jamestown 2007 celebration, prompted the region to form the Historic Triangle Wayfinding Group.
The Group was founded “to design, install and maintain a system of highway and street directional signage to guide visitors to primary and secondary attractions and destinations located in the City of Williamsburg, James City County and Upper York County.” This inter-municipal focus on a coordinated signage strategy was, at the time, unprecedented in Virginia.
The Wayfinding Group retained Frazier Associates to assess existing conditions, make recommendations for improvements, and develop a regional sign identity. Frazier Associates delivered designs that were attractive, cohesive, and functional. The sign system facilitates self-navigation and leaves visitors with a more positive image of the entire region. In 2009, Frazier Associates returned to complete a final evaluation of the system and prepare a report for the Wayfinding Group.
Since the successful launch of the Historic Triangle wayfinding system, two additional regional wayfinding systems have been approved by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Both Loudoun and Stafford County have recognized Frazier Associates’ unique expertise in knitting together the needs of stakeholders with the functional design necessary to connect their communities and visitors.
