Ottawa-Gatineau
A unified pedestrian wayfinding system for Canada’s capital region.
Canada’s capital is home to many national museums and attractions, making it a year-round destination for local and international visitors.
In 2020, a multi-agency wayfinding committee including Ottawa Tourism and the City of Ottawa selected Steer to realize the final design for their long-standing ambition to establish a world-class unified pedestrian wayfinding system in the capital region.
In consultation with stakeholders representing local and regional government authorities, destination marketing agencies, and transit operators, we refined and developed a final family of signage products, a visual identity, and a data-driven mapping base.
Colour schemes, fonts, and graphics reflect both the city’s ceremonial heritage and its aspirations as a modern urban centre, with a palette drawn from Ottawa’s civic architecture and unique natural environments.
Upon completion of the detailed design, Steer supported the fabrication and installation of a prototype sign unit in the busy ByWard Market area, as part of the revitalization of the William St pedestrianized street.
This prototype helped to build support among stakeholders for a wider rollout, and created the opportunity test the product and graphic design in real world conditions.
After evaluating the prototype and refining the design in order to improve ease of fabrication and maintenance, Steer supported a wider implementation throughout ByWard Market.
The system is now positioned for further expansion in busy tourist areas in Ottawa and the neighbouring city of Gatineau.
To unlock the most value from the program’s investment in high quality mapping, Steer also adapted our wayfinding basemap of the city into a handheld paper map that is distributed to visitors at hotels and attractions.
This product shares cartographic assets and design language with the mapping that appears on signage, and serves as one more step toward a unified information and wayfinding system for the entire capital region.
Clients: Ottawa Tourism, City of Ottawa
Partners: Jedco Product Design