Wayfinding & Signage Initiative

Creating a Holistic & Engaging Experience

Community environments require visual cues for guests and users to navigate and clearly understand the context. These visual cues include identification signs, landmarks, specialty features, directionals, maps, and activity nodes.

The goal of this initiative is to provide a visual and engaging navigation "roadmap" or reference for residents and visitors to Port Aransas that will help ease navigation, create a sense of place, and encourage opportunities to explore and create memorable experiences—doing Port A their way.

By taking a focused approach and embracing intuitive wayfinding when developing a new navigation system for future implementation, it is important to reduce the complexity of any built environment by looking beyond just signage. All aspects of the visitor experience should be considered and engaged. By understanding the context and community, the audience, and how they navigate around the community, we get cues on how and where decisions are made to reach a destination. These observations are woven into the wayfinding's intuitive design solutions to influence how users will move into and around Port Aransas more comfortably and confidently.

With the support of the City of Port Aransas, The Port Aransas Tourism Bureau & Chamber of Commerce has engaged the services of RSM Design to assist in the development, design, and final design and construction documents to support a comprehensive signage and wayfinding program for Port Aransas. 

The project began in October of 2021 with initial audits and interviews with key city staff and council members, in addition to landowners that control public signage. We are currently in the design concepting phase of this project where we have gathered input and research on the series of connected signage opportunities. The team is putting refinement and expansion of the design concepts from a stakeholder meeting that was held in Port Aransas on April 28 and included representatives from Nueces County, County Coastal Parks, UTMSI, TxDOT, Keep Port Aransas Beautiful, Port Aransas Art Center, Port Aransas Preservation & History Association, Farley Boat Works, City of Port Aransas, Parks & Recreation, Port Aransas Nature Preserve, PAISD, Palmilla Beach Club & Golf Resort, Port A Escapes, Port Aransas Realty, and more. 

Feel free to review the original signage audit and current status of the initial concepts that are being updated by RSM based on feedback.

Port Aransas Signage Analysis (Fall 2021)

Additional Design Concepts (April 2022)

DRAFT Design Concept Public Review (May 2022)

Concept Add On (Feb. 2023)