Citywide Wayfinding Guidelines for Medford

In collaboration with the City of Medford’s Planning, Development, and Sustainability Department, OverUnder has led a comprehensive wayfinding study for the city. Through detailed analysis and an extensive engagement process, OverUnder developed a network of citywide destinations while considering how a wayfinding system can encourage a more walkable city. A citywide map and family of signage and wayfinding system were also created to provide the city with a set of design standards for future implementation projects.

Engaging the community

Hundreds of community members contributed to this wayfinding master plan. The Discovery Phase provided an opportunity to engage with many different community members and stakeholders. The design team and City used a variety of engagement methods and outreach to receive information and feedback.

Respondents completed the survey online, and were briefly introduced to the project and the concept of wayfinding. They were asked to provide information on Medford’s character, popular destinations, navigational challenges, sign location and design preferences, and personal demographics. These responses informed the wayfinding framework and sign design.

14 Focus Groups

394 Survey respondants

4 Pop-up events

Building a network

The framework represents a way of organizing the city to develop the wayfinding strategy. This spatial framework organizes Medford into a logical navigational hierarchy to guide the wayfinding strategy. It serves as the structure for the final system, defining areas in Medford and destinations the signage guides users to, and routes users will use to reach destinations. By categorizing the city into five core components, this framework ensures that signage is both strategically placed and effectively guides users through the city.