Phase One
The Oak Leaf Trail is one of Milwaukee’s most popular recreation amenities - it's a network of multi-use trails that loop and criss-cross around the County for over 135 miles.
The origins of the trail system date back to the 1930's, when cyclist Henry 'Zip' Morgan planned out a county-wide loop for cyclists along parkways and city streets. In the 70's, ,miles of Over the off-street trails were added, known then as the '76 trail. As the system grew throughout the decades, it became known as the Oak Leaf Trail. Cyclists, runners and walkers love the trail - but they complained about the poor wayfinding and lack of maps.
When I joined the Milwaukee County Park system in 2016, I took a lead role in developing a comprehensive wayfinding system for the trails. With inspiration from the London Underground, I began by assigning colors and names to 'branch lines' of the trail. These became the eight, interconnecting routes, shown on the stylized map below.
Phase Two
Over the course of two years, our team designed a series of 30 map kiosks for installation around the county. Each kiosk featured a full system map on one side, and a smaller section map on the other.
Phase Three
During the third phase, we partnered with the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin DNR and Toole Design, to develop a comprehensive signage guideline, and directional signage.
