Waterfront 5K

Friends of Waterfront park

I collaborated with Friends to design a logo and brand identity for their inaugural 5K, one of the first public events leading up to the park’s grand opening.

client overview

Friends of Waterfront Park is a nonprofit responsible for fundraising, stewardship, and community programming for Seattle’s Waterfront Park.

deliverables

Logo and visual identity
Poster
Limited T-shirt
Socials

Timeline

1 month

tools

Illustrator, Photoshop, Fresco

Goals and challenges

We had less than two months to develop the brand and the launch materials.

For the poster some inspiration was derived from the Seattle World’s Fair marketing materials from the 1960's. I pulled references from my grandfather’s original World’s Fair program and fell in love with the duotone printing treatment and stark imagery. As a Seattle native, I wanted the poster to feel nostalgic and local, blending this duotone energy with the gritty textures of grunge era concert posters and the ever present seagulls along the waterfront.

Limited T-Shirt

Creative process

I split my time between researching Friends' brand, and sketching characters, icons, and illustrations to help the public easily recognize the event and its vibe. We ultimately decided a straightforward wordmark was the right direction. Once that was set, I focused on adding as much character as possible to the type, while pulling in subtle elements inspired by the route’s streets.

Color Exploration

Final Poster

The end result was a little more punk rock than I thought a client might sign off on. To their credit, we landed on imagery tied directly to the Waterfront, with a nod to grunge-era World’s Fair nostalgia. Built using Photoshop and Illustrator.

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