My Downtown Tampa

The City of Tampa is installing new directional signs, so visitors can find their destinations easier.

Directional Signs in Downtown Tampa

The old directional signs to local landmarks have been bamboozling downtown Tampa visitors and locals for years, with some pointing to destinations that no longer exist or have moved.

MERJE, a environmental graphic design practice based in Philadelphia, has designed the new downtown Tampa wayfinding program.

“The selected design focuses on deep blue and vibrant green colors, these colors were chosen based on the surrounding and natural features of downtown, this helps the colors of the system to remain timeless within the environment,” said Glen Swantak, Senior Designer of MERJE.

“Tampa is the business core of Florida’s West Coast, it is a modern, sophisticated city, and is also the lightning capital of North America. This idea of light is a brand concept that is informally promoted by the downtown community, whether it is in the special lighting of the buildings and bridges or the name of the hockey team,” said John Bosio, Director of MERJE. “Designing around the light concept also is a permanent aspect of Tampa, it’s not a trend, single icon or physical landmark that will become dated. It is something that can be translated in many different ways, sometimes literally, some times graphically or through shapes and materials, and combined with the desired overall direction of a contemporary style made a lot of sense to us.”

The wayfinding program will also link to the city’s 2.4-mile-long Riverwalk project, which aims to integrate the history, natural scenery, social activity, and residential and business life of Tampa. The walkways and open spaces are being planned and designed to complement its surroundings and to attract families, runners, skaters, river gazers, and anyone appreciative of the outdoor experience.

According to the St. Pete Times article, the city will also be replacing signs on all the downtown parking garages, because, according to Downtown Tampa Partnership transportation director Karen Kress, “30 to 40 percent of downtown traffic is people looking for parking.”

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