Design of Community Signage for Tourism Promotion in Osun State Heritage Sites

Osun State, South West Nigeria, is home to several nationally significant heritage sites including the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Ile-Ife museum complex. Despite the tourism potential of these sites, inadequate directional signage and interpretive information systems limit visitor experience quality and reduce economic returns for host communities. This project undertakes the design of a community-centred heritage tourism signage system for Osogbo and Ile-Ife, addressing wayfinding, interpretive information, and cultural branding needs. A visitor experience audit involving sixty domestic and international tourists documented navigational frustrations, interpretive information gaps, and aesthetic inconsistencies in existing signage. Community consultations with heritage site custodians, tourism board officers, and local artisans informed cultural appropriateness and narrative content. The signage system designed includes primary gateway markers, heritage trail directional posts, multi-panel interpretive boards at key sites, and community-made ceramic mosaic map installations. Visual identity integrates Osun State's official tourism brand colours with motifs drawn from traditional Yoruba brass casting and Osogbo artist school aesthetics. Prototype installations at three sites were evaluated by visitor groups and cultural custodians. Results confirmed improvements in visitor orientation efficiency and reported satisfaction with interpretive depth. The project recommends formalisation of the signage system as part of Osun State's cultural tourism master plan. Keywords: heritage tourism signage, interpretive design, Osun State, cultural identity, wayfinding.