City of Seattle's Waterfront Seattle
Waterfront Seattle is a program from the City of Seattle containing 12 projects to rebuild Seattle’s waterfront following the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. As lead designer on the program, I was responsible for branding development and consistency, delegating tasks, and designing materials to strategically build program awareness and disseminate ever-changing construction information.
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A contemporary color palette and distinctive symbols are used to stand out against the grey concrete currently on the waterfront, giving posters, banners, and wayfinding excellent contrast. Bright, cheerful renderings are a positive look at the new parks and amenities Seattleites and visitors will be able to enjoy in the future.
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Before construction began on the waterfront this construction toolkit went out to locally impacted businesses to familiarize them with the program and the work about to happen. Each piece was designed with the whole package in mind. A few fun takeaways were also included; a magnet with the construction hotline and branded buttons.
The brochure needed to explain each project, contextualize where and when construction would be happening, and be compact enough for people to easily take with them from public events. With a program area spanning 1.5 miles a map-style fold-out was the best option, allowing for the space to show off all the projects while still maintaining a typical brochure size when folded.
As construction began we took advantage of the surrounding fencing to share visions of the future space to educate and build excitement. The banner plan was designed in sections as the construction fencing was frequently moved and rearranged. These sections allowed us to cover 3 panels of chainlink fencing, a small enough area for workers to move the fence effectively while still giving enough space to focus on big, dramatic visuals and tell a story.
Waterfront Seattle held events periodically in order to inform and receive feedback from the public. My goal was to distinguish each event as well as make the topics clear. Imagery for events was repeated across materials to brand the event. Seeing ads online, posters, or receiving a postcard in the mail would then reinforce the topic of that particular event.
