CivicBrand Selected to Develop New Pedestrian Wayfinding System for Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan, Alaska

The project will address the unique navigation needs of a community of roughly 8,000 residents that welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors each year.

KETCHIKAN, AK, UNITED STATES, September 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CivicBrand, a place branding, placemaking and wayfinding firm, has been selected by the City of Ketchikan, Alaska, to develop a new pedestrian wayfinding strategy and system for the community.

Located along Alaska’s Inside Passage, Ketchikan has a population of roughly 8,000 but welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors annually. Many arrive by cruise ship, creating days when more than 15,000 visitors enter the community, most exploring downtown on foot and often with only a few hours to experience Ketchikan.

That unusual concentration of pedestrian activity creates both a challenge and an opportunity for wayfinding. Beyond helping visitors navigate between destinations, the project will explore how a stronger system can encourage exploration, connect different areas of downtown and strengthen the overall experience of the community.

“Wayfinding is about much more than signs,” said Ryan Short, CEO and co-founder of CivicBrand. “It’s about the experience of a place and how navigation, placemaking, identity and culture all work together to create a stronger sense of place.”

CivicBrand will begin the project on the ground in Ketchikan using a human-centered design process focused on understanding how people actually experience and navigate the community. The team will walk key routes from visitor arrival points into downtown, experience the existing system firsthand, observe how people move through the community and talk with visitors about their experience.

The fieldwork will also include a systematic audit of Ketchikan’s existing pedestrian wayfinding system, documenting signs, decision points, gaps and opportunities. Observation and feedback from the field will help the team identify opportunities, test ideas and develop a new wayfinding strategy and visual system.

The new system will be designed to make Ketchikan easier and more intuitive to navigate while encouraging exploration and reflecting the community’s distinct character, culture and sense of place.

The final work will include a comprehensive wayfinding plan, sign designs, location recommendations and fabrication-ready documentation to guide future implementation.

About CivicBrand

CivicBrand is a place branding and placemaking firm specializing in public engagement, place branding, placemaking, wayfinding and destination strategy. For 18 years, the firm has worked with cities, counties and destinations to help communities better understand, shape and communicate the places people call home.

CivicBrand approaches wayfinding as part of the broader experience of place, connecting navigation with identity, placemaking and the built environment.

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