Walk This Way for Summer Fun: Imagine Iowa Great Lakes Outdoor Pedestrian Signage

Lake Okoboji is synonymous with summer in Iowa. It is a hub for water sports, summer camps, and family vacations. Any Iowa native will recall beloved trips to Arnold’s Park, an amusement park with a classic wooden rollercoaster along the shores of Lake Okoboji.

Imagine Iowa Great Lakes is a community organization committed to preserving and enhancing the Okoboji area. Recently, part of their beautification project was to update signage near the nostalgic Arnold’s Park. Leading the project was the team at 818 A Tiny Design Empire.
(Photo credit: all photos thanks to our friends at 818)

Outdoor Wayfinding Signage Locally Inspired

Inspired by the iconic arched promenade that leads visitors to Arnold’s Park, 818 team designed a comprehensive signage package that emulates the promenade’s arched architecture and honors the local community.

“Latitude brought our signage and wayfinding designs to life,” says Abel. “Their excellent craftsmanship and attention to the details really helped showcase the artistic elements of the signs and allowed for a final product that stands out visually. We know every time we work with Latitude, we can expect not only high quality fabrication, but a determination to collaborate and align with the desired design intent.”

Whether guests arrive by car, bike, or on foot, there are charming signs to lead them throughout the historic waterside park. There are also digitally-printed interpretive signs overlooking the lake and green spaces that honor donors and provide information on native plantings.

A Collaborative Signage Partnership

“We were thrilled to play a part in revitalizing this space for the community,” says Justin Hart, Business Development Manager for Latitude Signage Latimer Group. “Seeing beautifully designed signs as you walk along the lakefront gives the space feeling of permanence and importance. It signals to guests that this small-town community has rallied around this place as a premier vacation destination.”

To accomplish this project, our signage experts worked side-by-side with the 818 design team. Adding signs to an existing environment is very different than planning signage for a new building. “You can’t just plot things on a plan and hope it works,” Hart says. “There may be a water fountain or a park bench that’s not listed on the official plans. So we literally walked the area together and marked the physical location of where every sign would be installed,” Hart says. This precise attention to detail identified the best location for the signage and prevented any potential installation issues.

The teams also talked through every detail of production, including what materials and installation styles would produce the best results and be most cost-effective. “Suggestions such as adding reflective vinyl to a sign near the parking lot and providing a series of options for the posts led to signage solutions that hit the mark for the client and reduced costs.” In the end, the signs elevate the look of this iconic Iowa destination and welcome a new generation to make memories at Lake Okoboji.

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