Helping Visitors Find Their Way

The Family Sports Park is one of the most active recreational destinations in O’Fallon, Illinois — hosting leagues, tournaments, and community events year-round. As the park expanded, visitors needed a clearer, more cohesive way to navigate fields, facilities, and parking areas.

Matchbox partnered with O’Fallon IL Parks & Recreation to design a comprehensive wayfinding system that makes the experience intuitive from the moment families arrive.

What we did

Branded map
Directional signs

Industry

Parks and Recreation

Navigating a High-Traffic, Multi-Field Environment

With multiple athletic fields, parking lots, concession areas, restrooms, and pedestrian paths, the park had grown more complex over time. During tournaments, thousands of visitors flow through the space — many of them first-time guests.

Establishing the Foundation: Park Map & Wayfinding Strategy

Before a single sign was designed, there was no cohesive wayfinding system in place. The park had grown really quickly over time, but without a unified naming structure, hierarchy, or orientation tool to guide visitors.

We began by designing a comprehensive park map that clarified the layout of fields, parking lots, pavilions, and amenities. This map served as a foundation for the signage system, and will continue to evolve as more is added.

Flexible Post & Panel System

The signage was designed using a modular post-and-panel structure, allowing individual panels to be removed, updated, or replaced without rebuilding the entire sign.

As the park continues to grow – adding fields, renaming areas, or adjusting traffic flow – updates can be made efficiently and cost-effectively. Instead of fabricating new monument signs, the Parks & Rec team can simply swap out a single panel.

This flexible system protects the city’s investment while ensuring the wayfinding can evolve alongside the park itself.

The Impact

The new wayfinding system improves traffic flow, reduces confusion during tournaments, and creates a more welcoming experience for families and visiting teams.

By simplifying navigation, the Family Sports Park can focus on what matters most: bringing the community together through sports and recreation.