If you’ve been in downtown Seattle over the past few days, you’ve probably noticed some large, colorful pylons around town. These 25 markers—a trail from Pioneer Square to the Seattle Center—are part of the Seattle Design Festival’s Design Marks event.
The event’s goal is to tell the stories of the city’s landmarks. Studio SC’s marker, located on Jackson Street and 3rd Avenue South, celebrates the King Street Station and its influence on Seattle’s culture and history.
Historically, King Street served as Seattle’s social hub, playing a role in the life stories of thousands of people—each of whom left their mark on the train station. We wanted our marker to be a physical manifestation of that idea, a place where people could share the basic details of their life journeys. Inspired by the design of classic baggage tags, we created a mosaic of blank tags for passers-by to leave behind a piece of their story—from their destination to the reason they travel to the items they can’t live without.
To complement the marker we created a short video about traveling and the many reasons people do it. Baggage tags appear throughout the video, creating a narrative connection among the participants, and also referencing the design of the physical marker.
The markers will be on display until September 25, so you only have a few more days to come down to King Street Station and share your story. We can’t wait to hear about your journey!
You can find more information about Design Marks here, and be sure to check out the markers and the videos made by other participating firms.
