Redesigning Street Signage for Enhanced Wayfinding in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State

Navigating the dense urban fabric of Ibadan, one of West Africa's largest cities, presents significant challenges for residents and visitors alike. This project focuses on the redesign of street signage systems in selected areas of the Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, with the aim of improving wayfinding clarity and visual communication standards. Current signage in the city suffers from inconsistent typography, faded colouring, poor placement, and inadequate multilingual representation. A field audit of two hundred and fifteen signage installations across five local government areas revealed widespread illegibility and structural deterioration. Drawing on principles of visual communication, colour contrast theory, and user psychology, this study develops a standardised signage system incorporating bold sans-serif typefaces, high-visibility colour palettes, and durable materials suited to Ibadan's humid climate. Focus groups comprising commercial motorcyclists, market traders, and pedestrians provided qualitative data to refine icon design and language hierarchy. Prototype installations were evaluated through observation and user surveys, yielding positive feedback on legibility from a distance and directional clarity. The project recommends a phased city-wide implementation plan in collaboration with the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project and Oyo State Ministry of Works. This work contributes to urban design scholarship in Nigeria and proposes a scalable model for street signage reform in other congested Nigerian cities. Keywords: wayfinding, street signage, urban design, Ibadan, visual communication.