The City of Waupaca and The Waupaca Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (WACVB) invite highly skilled design teams to submit proposals to assist with the development and implementation of a Branding Initiative and Wayfinding Signage Program. The City and WACVB are a partnership that seeks proposals from firms that are capable of capturing the unique attributes of Waupaca while also designing a system that is both functional and beneficial for residents and visitors alike.
Background:
The Waupaca Area is known by many to be a place of abundant opportunities for recreation and relaxation. By developing a new branding initiative the intent is to advance the City’s identity as a destination location by focusing on the economical, residential, and community traits that make Waupaca a great place to play, visit, and live. Your goal as the selected consultant will be to envision the area’s future while promoting the strengths identified through the RFP process. The City of Waupaca and The Waupaca Area Convention and Visitors Bureau believe that wayfinding is a crucial way for visitors and residents to discover the attributes that make Waupaca a destination location. Wayfinding should be simple to understand and functionally sound in order to guide people through a space. The information should be delivered in a way as to enhance the space while being accessible to all forms of movement (walking, biking, driving, etc.). The right candidate will provide a high quality system that compliments the values of the area while being financially feasible.
The Wayfinding signage program for the City will be directly correlated with the current project of redeveloping Downtown Waupaca. The redevelopment of downtown has undergone a yearlong “visioning” process that involved community members and outside firms to establish goals for the city to re-emerge as a destination location. The reconstruction of Main Street has a tentative start date of 2018-2019. Interested candidates should correlate their proposal as closely as possible with the themes of the proposed downtown district. More information on the Downtown Plan can be found online at: http://rdgusa.com/sites/waupaca/.
Scope of Work:
01 – CITY OF WAUPACA OBJECTIVES
Task 1A – City Branding Initiative
Task 1B – City Wayfinding System
02 – WAUPACA AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU OBJECTIVES
Task 2A – Regional Branding Initiative
Task 2B – Regional Wayfinding System
It is expected that the design development process will include: review by a committee comprised of key City and WACVB staff across several departments, at least two public meetings, and final City Council and WACVB approval for each task. The chosen consultant will participate in regular team meetings to give updates; coordinate, participate in, and provide collateral materials for public meetings and City Council and WACVB meetings, and acquire necessary information as appropriate to complete the scope of work. Tasks will be separated into two different committees working exclusively of each other. One committee will be leading the completion of tasks for the Waupaca Area Convention and Visitors Bureau while the other committee will be focusing on the City. Through a partnership between the City of Waupaca and the Waupaca Area Convention & Visitor Bureau, along with the chosen consultant, the established goal is to create a cohesive network of signage that establishes an ongoing administration and maintenance plan.
Task 1A:
The City Branding Initiative aims to provide Waupaca with a clearer vision into who we are as a community. The branding will consist of visual elements, messaging and brand expression. The purpose of the branding initiative is to create a simplistic, clear, unified and memorable design to reach targeted audiences who come from a wide variety of backgrounds. While the City already has a seal in place it will be the consultant’s responsibility to develop a new brand that incorporates the existing seal. Please refer to Appendix A for the existing City seal.
Deliverables for this task include: a style guide for visual and graphic standards, templates for common needs such as letterhead, web page layout, report covers, and specific extent of colors, fonts, sizing, and schema of all branding components.
Task 1B:
As a proposed system, this task will aid in the accessibility of noteworthy locations within the city such as: parking lots, the business districts: specifically Churchill and Fulton streets, downtown, community parks and other places throughout the area. Please refer to Appendix B for an existing wayfinding sign.
The City is interested in potential partnerships with teams that can identify critical components necessary to producing an effective system. Teams should work to produce signs that are apparent to be an integral part of a system. Types of signage should include: gateway signage, vehicular directional signage, pedestrian and bike signage. The ideal proposal will include a system that incorporates locations throughout the city; easily accessible from all major points of entrance. The signage should be detailed enough to promote efficient travel to and from points of interest.
Consultants shall design a system that includes but is not limited to:
- Three (3) proposed themes to communicate the characteristics of the City of Waupaca through the Wayfinding Signage System
- Three (3) main commercial corridors
- Location of individual signs
- A map layout with flow paths from major entrances and exits to the city
- Expected routes taken by both residents and first time visitors from location to location
- Specific sign dimensions
- Font size/styles, color palette(s), symbols, and layouts
Task 2A:
The Waupaca Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has utilized the theme ‘Where Memories are Made’ for several years in all of its advertising outlets. WACVB would like to determine if a new theme or brand should be established and if so what would that be. The theme is used in multiple media outlets to attract new visitors and ensuring return of long time visitors to the Waupaca Area.
Consultants shall:
- Lead discussion and help determine whether to use our existing brand or if a new brand should be developed
- If determined to use current brand, redesign brand image by providing 3 examples
o With graphic design and color choices
o Guidelines of placement and use
- If determined to create a new brand, provide 3 examples
o With graphic design and color choices
o Guidelines of placement and use
Task 2B:
Developing a wayfinding program that will encompass a 10-mile radius of the City of Waupaca which we refer to as the Waupaca Area. The programs purpose is to direct visitors to attractions and points of interest and at the same time increase awareness of these hidden gems in the Waupaca area. Attractions and points of interest could include but is not limited to parks, camps, historical sites, silent sport locations, natural resources and businesses. As a part of this task the consultant will help in developing a comprehensive list of these locations, determining if segmenting or districting our area is needed and determining sign locations.
Consultants shall design a system that includes but is not limited to:
- Three (3) proposed themes which portray the Waupaca Area as a prime place to visit
- Wayfinding sign design specifications
- Determine list of sign locations, type of sign to use and content
Due Date:
April 20th, 2018
Address:
Firms with city experience includes APCO Worldwide and DKC PR.