Cincinnati Metro Signage and Wayfinding System: From Pole to Place

Cincinnati Metro needed to transform an inconsistent and difficult-to-read bus-stop system into a unified, accessible, and highly legible wayfinding system—one that could scale across 3,700 stops while improving information hierarchy, rider recognition, and access to real-time transit information.

Transform Cincinnati Metro’s bus stops from simple transit markers into clear, accessible, and recognizable places within the public realm. The project combines evidence-based typography, intuitive information hierarchy, real-time information, and a flexible modular system to help riders identify stops, understand routes, and navigate with greater confidence. Designed to scale across neighborhoods and transit contexts, the system also reimagines each stop as a small civic place—supporting safety, dignity, accessibility, neighborhood identity, and a more connected transit experience.

The project was developed through a multi-year Research-through-Design process that moved systematically from observation and benchmarking to prototyping, testing, fabrication, and implementation. The team began with extensive field documentation—including audits of 220 stops along Metro’s Route 17—and analyzed 43 Midwestern transit signage systems, alongside international precedents, to identify recurring problems in visibility, information hierarchy, typography, redundancy, and accessibility. These findings established the design criteria for a system that needed to remain immediately recognizable, highly legible at distance, adaptable to different route conditions, and economical enough to scale across thousands of stops.

The resulting design organizes information through four coordinated modules: a highly visible bus-stop indicator; a stop-identification panel with location and stop ID; modular route panels containing route numbers and destinations; and an accessible information module incorporating QR-enabled digital information and contact details. A 0.25-inch modular grid and proportional system informed by the Fibonacci sequence established consistent dimensions, spacing, and relationships across sign variations. Structural studies explored bolting, brackets, aluminum extrusions, attachment systems, materials, durability, installation requirements, and cost in collaboration with fabricators and Metro’s technical team.

Typography became a central performance component rather than simply a graphic choice. The team evaluated the limitations of Metro’s existing Optima typeface, particularly character differentiation and readability at distance, reviewed several hundred alternatives, and narrowed the study to 17 typeface candidates based on x-height, open counters, glyph differentiation, spacing, efficiency, and visual personality. Candidates were tested at full scale and with 30 diverse users, leading to the selection of Navigo, whose open forms, consistent proportions, and distinctive numerals improved both readability and user preference. Color was similarly tested for accessibility; refinements to Metro’s established green-and-blue palette achieved a higher measured contrast ratio while retaining public familiarity with the brand.

The system was repeatedly evaluated through full-scale mock-ups, physical prototypes, construction drawings, field testing, and visual-attention analysis. Eye tracking software was used to study areas of interest, gaze sequence, and hierarchy across iterations, while feedback from Metro leadership, engineers, fabricators, bus drivers, facility managers, and the STEER community advisory group informed refinements to visibility, scale, content, and usability.

The final system accommodates different route volumes—from individual modular route panels to larger matrices displaying up to 15 routes—and integrates street-location information, QR access to real-time transit information, tactile/Braille elements, and reflective identification elements for improved nighttime and long-distance visibility. The execution therefore translated evidence-based typography and user research into a build-ready, modular public infrastructure system designed for accessibility, durability, consistency, and large-scale implementation across Cincinnati Metro’s network.

Design Team

Muhammad Nafisur Rahman, UC DAAP School of Design (project design lead and wayfinding research direction)
Micah Shannon (designer and research assistant)
Anh Hoang (designer and research assistant)
Khaled Shammout, SORTA (client strategy and transit planning)
Steve Anderson, SORTA (transit development and implementation)
Danilo Palazzo, UC DAAP School of Planning (project management)
Vikas Mehta, UC DAAP School of Planning (project management)

Collaborators

A&AGraphics

Photo Credits

Muhammad Rahman, DAAP, SORTA (photography)

Open Date

April 2026