Seamless Seattle Pedestrian Wayfinding Program

What's Happening Now

We are currently installing 65 new wayfinding signs throughout downtown Seattle, with a focus on the Waterfront, Chinatown-International District, Seattle Center, and Convention Center areas. The added signs are consistent with the existing core sign type family and will help people navigate between landmarks, common destinations, and key transit links. With the addition of these signs, there will be over 100 signs across the downtown and University District areas. This includes signs along sidewalks, building route markers, and maps within downtown Link light rail stations.

Additionally, we are doing a “refresh” to our existing signs across the downtown and University District areas. All signs are being updated to ensure that maps and directional content reflect existing conditions and destination naming.

Both the Seamless Seattle program expansion and existing sign “refresh” are expected to be completed by July 2026. To learn more, visit our Seattle Wayfinding Expansion project.

Program Overview 

Seattle aims to increase walking trips to 35% by 2035 to meet its growth and transportation goals. The 2017 Pedestrian Master Plan included a strategy to develop a coordinated wayfinding system, which led to the creation of the Seamless Seattle Pedestrian Wayfinding Program, or simply Seamless Seattle. 

Goals of Seamless Seattle 

• Clear Directions: Easy-to-read signs to help you get where you need to go.
• Useful Information: We give you the information you need to get to your destination.
• Connected Paths: Links all major pedestrian destinations, transportation services and landmarks for seamless travel.

Program Design Elements

1. Modal Integration: Walking information deployed in stations, stops and interchanges, and integrated digital tools, that will connect transit modes to each other and last mile walking journeys.
2. Local Distinctiveness: Development of a single, agreed city-wide wayfinding standard that will provide a consistent information layer, while allowing for local content, and potentially local design distinctiveness for historic landmark neighborhoods.
3. Design for All: Development of planning rules to prioritize safe and accessible walking routes, prioritization of content to support people with greater needs and system design guided by strong inclusive design principles establishing accessibility of information for all.
4. Systemization: Design standards with a high degree of commonality for planning and system design, to guide deployment of all city wayfinding. Supported by a back-of-house Content Management System run by the city and/or its partners to ensure system integrity.

Key Design Features

We incorporated the following key design features:

• Heads-Up Mapping: Street signs include heads-up mapping to help users quickly orient themselves with their surroundings.
• Pilot Integration: Collaborates with King County Metro and Sound Transit for a seamless customer experience.
• Accessibility Enhancements: Integrates illustrations, slope information, accessible transit entrances, and public Hillclimb assists to meet diverse user needs.
• Legibility: Ensures proper contrast for legibility, optimization for color blindness, large type sizes, balanced content, and simplified topography.
• Braille and Tactile Panels: Includes orientation information in braille and tactile panels on all signs.
• Multilingual Integration: Incorporates non-English languages in specific areas.
• Recognizable Design: Employs a tested, recognizable design deployed predictably across different areas for maximum system legibility.
• Historic Adaptations: Adapts designs to respond to historic landmark areas without reducing overall system legibility

Wayfinding Sign Core Family 

The types of signs we use in Seamless Seattle Wayfinding:

• Area Sign: Found at major junctions, key routes, and busy areas, these signs help people make decisions about their journeys with area maps.
  Example: A map at a downtown intersection showing nearby landmarks.
• Linear Area Sign: Specialized for areas with linear destinations, such as waterfronts and trails.
  Example: A map along a riverwalk highlighting attractions along the path.
• Bus/Streetcar Shelter: Local bus stops feature a map of the surrounding area.
  Example: A neighborhood map at a bus stop showing nearby shops and services.
• Bus Flag Area Map/Marker: Displays a vicinity map on the bus flag with transit mode details.
  Example: A map on a bus pole showing nearby metro stations.
• In-Station: Provides local area maps for onward planning, including bus stop locations.
  Example: A map inside a subway station showing nearby bus stops and amenities.
• Overview Sign: Located at stations, transit nodes, and major parking lots, these are often the first points of contact for city guidance.
  Example: A large map at a parking garage entrance showing the surrounding area 
• Nudge Sign: Placed at decision points to help inform simple binary decision-making about their onward direction. 
  Example: A sign at a path fork indicating "Left for Park, Right for Downtown."
• Interpretive Sign: Found at viewpoints, monuments, parks, and open spaces, as well as commercial, cultural, historical, and sporting venues providing enriching information.
  Example: A sign at a historic site explaining its significance.
• Public Art: Collaboratively designed with the community, these aid in wayfinding and place recognition.
  Example: A sculpture at a square known locally as "The Squiggle" serves as a place of recognition for giving directions, with a sign that says, "Turn right at the Squiggle.
• Site-Specific Overview Sign: Located at entrances to parks and venues, offering detailed information and maps.
  Example: An entrance sign to a park detailing trails, and historical facts.
• Route Marker: Indicates public routes through buildings, supporting step-free access.
  Example: A sign at a building entrance directing through a passage to the next street.
• Sidewalk Medallion: Embedded in sidewalks, these give qualitative route information.
  Example: A medallion indicating "Steep Route Ahead" or "Alternative Route 200 feet."
• Place ID Marker: Marks significant places and can serve as meeting points.
  Example: A sign at the entrance of a famous park displaying its name.

Various locations where you can install different types of wayfinding signs.

Community Engagement

Between 2018 and 2019, the Seamless Seattle team engaged with local communities in the areas where the first signs were installed to better understand what was relevant to them and how these signs could better serve their needs.

Throughout this process, input from the different communities and stakeholders was gathered using methods such as intercept surveys, end user focus groups, design workshops, community conversations, stakeholder working groups, and user testing at various locations, among others.   

In total, over 200 people were part of this engagement process. A report summarizing what we heard in these conversations is available in our materials section, titled the Engagement Summary.