Located in Skagway Alaska, a focal point of the great gold rush, the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park exhibit space tells the stories of the locals, the gold-seekers and the town that arose to support their efforts.
As part of the graphic design team at Formations, I took a lead role in establishing the graphic style of the exhibit space and laying out the interpretive panels, under the supervision of my creative director.
The roughened typography, textured panels and vintage swashes are meant to hearken back to the historical events described in the text with an emphasis on the rugged struggle involved in chasing gold. The color scheme and big, bold graphic treatments bring a sense of modernity to help the visitors engage with the historical stories they are 'witnessing' and to signify that the effects of the gold rush endure to this day.
This remote location is visited primarily by cruise ships and their patrons. Telling a historical story in a way that is fun and engaging to such a varied audience was a particular challenge for this project. Working with the National Park Service, it was imperative that we met all ADA guidelines with our design solutions. It's always a rewarding experience to design exhibit graphics in a way that allows all visitors to enjoy themselves and learn something along the way.
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This area serves as an introduction to the main exhibit space.
These stylized banners hang in an historic railroad building and tell the story of how the railroad impacted the region.
Exhibits recount the agonizing journey that many made during the Alaska gold rush.
This exhibit explained some of the tough choices that gold-seekers had to make.
This interactive exhibit shows visitors the sobering reality of how small a percentage of gold-seekers were actually successful in their endeavors.
An overview showing one of the main exhibit spaces.
Custom-shaped interpretive panels and reader-rails make for a truly unique experience.