CivicBrand

09/19/2026

Ketchikan, Alaska has a population of around 8,000 people, but welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors a year, many of them arriving by cruise ship and exploring the city on foot.

That creates a pretty unique wayfinding challenge.

We spent a few days on the ground walking the city, auditing the existing system and looking at Ketchikan through the eyes of both locals and first-time visitors.

Here’s a quick behind-the-scenes look at how we approach a pedestrian wayfinding audit and why getting out on the street is such an important part of the process.

09/11/2026

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/941558566/civicbrand-selected-to-develop-new-pedestrian-wayfinding-system-for-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.

08/18/2026

Sat down with one of our favorite people in the industry, Phil Eich of Storyville, to talk about the power of storytelling on the latest episode of Eyes on the Street.

Phil describes himself not as a storyteller, but a “story advocate,” helping people share stories that might otherwise go untold. This is one you don't want to miss.

In this episode, Ryan talks with Storyville founder Phil Eich about the power of telling the real stories of people and places. Phil describes himself not as a storyteller, but a “story advocate,” helping people share stories that might otherwise go untold. They explore the impact those stories ...

07/28/2026

“New ideas must use old buildings.” - Jane Jacobs

After being fully remote for the last six years, we’re excited to once again have a physical home for CivicBrand. While our team remains distributed across the U.S., we’re proud to call the historic Sherman Hotel building in downtown Salida, Colorado home.

For more than a century, the building has been part of the community’s story, continually adapting to new uses while remaining an important part of downtown. As a company dedicated to helping communities strengthen their identity while embracing change, it felt like the perfect place for our own next chapter.

02/24/2026

Most place decisions are made with incomplete insight.

Budgets get set and projects move forward, but the insight behind them rarely connects identity, behavior, and economic performance in one clear view.

That’s why we’re excited to introduce CivicBrand SIGNAL.

“Research has always been a part of our work,” said Banner Short, Co-Founder of CivicBrand. “CivicBrand SIGNAL reflects a deeper commitment to helping place leadership measure what matters most so they can confidently move forward.”

CivicBrand SIGNAL is our expanded applied research practice, designed to help place leaders measure what truly shapes identity, behavior, and results so they can act with clarity and confidence.

It’s organized around three core lenses:

CONNECTION
How people experience, relate to, and trust a place. Identity, belonging, alignment, and perception.

MOVEMENT
Traffic counts, pedestrian activity, and location data that reveal how people physically move through place and where opportunity exists.

IMPACT
How place strategy influences economic performance, investment decisions, and long term resilience.

This is not research for research’s sake. It is grounded in rigorous analysis and real data. It is designed to guide policy, shape investment, align stakeholders, and translate identity into measurable outcomes.

CivicBrand SIGNAL will also publish original research exploring the forces shaping communities and local economies available for free download.

Places that measure what matters lead with clarity.

08/28/2025

I’m excited to share that my first book, The Civic Brand: The Power and Responsibility of Place, comes out September 30.

This book grew out of seventeen years of working with communities of all sizes and is a call to rethink how we approach city planning, tourism, economic development, and community engagement so that we can create healthy, sustainable places that work for everyone.

I’m deeply grateful to Charles Marohn of Strong Towns for writing the foreword and believing in this project. His support means the world, and I hope the ideas in this book unite the important conversations he’s been leading for years.

The Civic Brand is a bold but practical call to city leaders, planners, business owners, developers, and residents to recognize the power, and responsibility, we all hold in shaping our places.

📖 You can preorder today (link in comments).

📦 Bulk orders are available if you’d like to share it with your team, board, community, or classroom. Send your city council a copy!

And in this algorithm-driven world, the small things make a big difference. Here are ways you can support this project and movement around place:

Like & share posts

Add it to your “Want to Read” list on Goodreads

Preorder a copy today at https://civicbrand.com/book

And the holy grail - leave a review when it’s out!

I’m so thankful for any and all support, it means more than you know. 🙏🏼

07/28/2025

Just wrapped up editing photos from our project trip and shoot in Boone, NC - what an amazing mountain town! Had to share a few favorites. Grateful for the people, the views, and the energy this place brings. 📸🏔️

01/20/2025

CivicBrand co-founder Ryan Short will be speaking at the City Nation Place Americas conference which will take place in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, on May 21st & 22nd. CivicBrand will be announcing some exciting new things leading up to and at the event and we hope you can attend!

In addition to Ryan’s session, we are excited that a couple of our clients will also be speaking including Kelly Groff of Visit Montgomery, MD as well as Casey Ressler of the Mat-Su Alaska CVB.

11/05/2024

Updated highlight reel showing the work we do at CivicBrand - check it out and lets make plans to work together in 2025!