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Messages Issue 6, Volume 25

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:44:02 -0400

SFO Hosts Airport Workshop July 14-15

San Francisco International Airport will host SEGD’s fourth annual Airport and Transportation Systems Design and Wayfinding Workshop July 14-15. The workshop will also include a tour of SFO's new Gensler-designed Terminal 2 and a peer review of the airport.

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Hampton, Gibson Join SEGD Education Initiatives

Monica Hampton, former schools program manager in the education department at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (New York), is SEGD’s new Director of Education and Professional Development. In addition, SEGD CEO Jessica W. London announced that David Gibson, principal of Two Twelve (New York) will serve as SEGD’s Professional Advisor for education and content development.

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Selbert and Perkins Join Ranks of SEGD Fellows

Clifford Selbert and Robin Perkins, partners in Los Angeles-based Selbert Perkins Design Collaborative, have been named SEGD Fellows, environmental graphic design’s highest professional honor.

Selbert and Perkins join the ranks of EGD laureates Massimo Vignelli, David Gibson, Deborah Sussman, and others recognized for promoting the highest standards in EGD and significantly contributing to the direction and growth of the field.

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2011 SEGD Design Awards Celebrate the Best in EGD

Projects ranging from a multi-million dollar, high-tech world exposition pavilion to a low-budget supergraphics paint job at a middle school were top winners in the 2011 SEGD Design Awards. The 28 winners—including 7 Honor, 19 Merit, and 2 Jury awards—were officially announced during the 2011 SEGD Conference+Expo+Awards in Montreal June 1-4.

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SEGD Academic Summit Promotes Innovations

Mirroring trends in the professional design world, the most innovative university-level programs in environmental graphic design are encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration, applied research, and integration of technology to improve user experiences.

SEGD’s third annual Academic Education Workshop, held June 1 at Concordia University in Montreal, showcased EGD programs, award-winning student work, and trends affecting how environmental, exhibition, and experience design programs are being shaped.

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2011 SEGD Conference: Designing the Difference

How do we celebrate diversity in a world that is made more challenging each day by changing technology, lack of time, and limited resources? How can we respect complexity and use innovation to create beautiful, even delightful, human-centered experiences?

“I am not sure we are generous enough to do that,” challenged Ruedi Baur, the Swiss/French designer and design educator during his the opening session of the 2011 SEGD Conference+Expo+Awards June 1-4 in Montreal.

See the conference photo album at PhotoBucket.

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Member News

3M (St. Paul, Minn.) announced that its Scotchprint wrap film series 1080, a new vehicle wrap, was named “Coolest New Product” at the International Sign Association’s International Sign Expo 2011. The wrap film was selected from more than a dozen new products.

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Collaboration in Academic Education

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:29:20 -0400

Over the last year, SEGD has participated in two academic education programs that have shown how ideas developed in the classroom can serve as experiments for the professional world, particularly in the area of collaboration. A key issue facing environmental graphic designers, collaboration can be between design disciplines, between fabricators and designers, or between groups of designers. Two academic experiments explored these issues and produced important lessons for the professional world.

Final Drexel exhibition

Drexel University
Drexel University has, over the last five years, developed one of the most comprehensive environmental graphic design programs in the country. The co-op program, led by Jody Graff and taught by a combination of professional designers and academics, has one foot in the professional world and benefits from the collaborative energy that exists there. In a conceptual urban design project developed for Phoenixville, Pa., Drexel utilized a number of experiments in design process collaboration. Students developed individual design concepts that were presented to the entire class. Three themes were developed from these concepts based on designer and design critic surveys. The surveys formed the basis of the next stage, a group process where the specific design concepts were explored in depth. Finally, the three concepts were displayed in a town-wide exhibition where the public was surveyed on specific design ideas in the three projects. The important lesson of this approach was the importance of education in successful collaboration between designers and project stakeholders. By providing formal presentations and specific surveys, collaborative participation expanded from the individual designer to the design class to the outside community.

Final design concept developed by one of the University of Kansas interdisciplinary groups.

University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is building a fledgling EGD education program based on interdisciplinary participation between architects, graphic designers, and multi-media designers. The program, led by Greg Thomas, began with a collaborative course sponsored by SEGD with the participation of Tucker Trotter of Dimensional Innovations. The project, which was a gateway to the university football stadium, took two distinct approaches toward collaboration. The first was to develop a joint analysis using specific competencies from each of the discipline groups. For example, while the architects built computer models and the graphic designers analyzed the campus material palette, all participants shared in the development of a wayfinding experience hierarchy that linked the individual contributions together. In the second stage, shared modeling techniques allowed group members to integrate design contributions into one integrated concept. The interdisciplinary approach highlighted difficulties including the relative lack of computer modeling knowledge among the non-architect members and difficulties understanding how to bring graphic motifs into evolving models. But in the end, all participants were able to develop their own unique communication approaches using a combination of hand sketching, computer modeling, and multi-media animation.

Video developed for one of the University of Kansas projects

From the Client Side

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:28:54 -0400

Client Side, a new column that will appear periodically in Messages, is born out of the idea that a little perspective into clients’ minds is a good thing. If you have a client whose insights would be valuable to SEGD members, contact pat@segd.org.

Sara Elliott is the project director for The Nature Conservancy’s Design for a Living World exhibition. Sara has worked with designers frequently in that role and in her previous work as a client representative for conservation development and planning projects.

Q: What is the most confusing or challenging part of the design process for you, and what part of the process do you wish designers would explain better?

A: Designers are visual. Often they will present drawings, renderings, and other materials that look complete but are meant to be preliminary or exploratory. Non-designers almost always respond to these materials literally because they do not understand them as sketches. The best designers I’ve worked with guide clients/teams through defining the problem, outlining a process, and defining success before sharing images. At the right moment, an image can provide a crucial breakthrough, but that moment is usually not in the first or second meeting.

Q: What part of your business or operation do you think designers have the least level of understanding about?

A: The importance of internal communication and buy-in within a large organization. Good design is not done by committee, but committees often decide whether good design will be implemented. I think designers respect that, but they often seem mystified by the need to put so much energy into internal communication. To be quite honest, sometimes I am as well!

Q. Does being a nonprofit add any challenges to the client/designer relationship?

A: Yes, budget! The fee contract and overall project budget are crucial in the nonprofit context because we have an obligation to manage our resources carefully. That can become a challenge when the scope changes. Trade-offs are often involved, and that can be painful for both the client and the designer.

Q: Fill in the blank: “I really wish designers would (or wouldn’t) ___________________.”

A: I really wish designers would spend quality time defining the problem and the project with their clients. Clients usually go to designers with an RFP or a project brief, which represents their best thinking at the time. But there is almost always room for the brief to evolve. Designers can often add very specific information to the brief: examples of successful outcomes, analytical tools such as precedent studies, etc. They can help define both the problem and what success will look like. Time spent on the front end almost always makes for a better working relationship and a better end product.

Q: For you, what’s the most challenging aspect of working with designers?

A: Good designers are easy to work with because they’re trained problem-solvers. But they have a specific methodology that can be mysterious to non-designers who are grappling with other realities— budgetary, mission-guided, or political. The only time it is truly challenging is when designers don’t respect those other realities, but I find that to be a rare occurrence. Good communication—quantity and quality—is crucial.

2010 SEGD Conference + Expo: Whow?

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:27:23 -0400

A good piece of communication answers the questions: who, what, when, where, and why. (The question of how is an annoying add-on that subverts the beauty of all the questions starting with the same letter. Let’s call it whow.)

So whow do you know that you should attend the upcoming event, this year in Washington, D.C.?

Let, Cybelle Jones of Gallagher & Associates, chair of this year’s conference tell you, that’s whow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgZ_ZQppKg

Certificate Programs and the Power of the Membership

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:25:49 -0400

Certificate Programs and the Power of the MembershipSEGD members debate the merits of certificate programs. But the real story is member leadership in developing educational content—and the importance of this in obtaining respect for any program. When SEGD first began developing these programs, a member committee strategy was central to the process. A review of SEGD’s success in this area shows how the rigor of member support is critical to long-term success.

SEGD certificate workshop on the ADA and accessibility in Orlando, Fla

Long-Term Sponsors

ASI has led the ADA and accessibility practice area committee for the last eight years. Nova Polymers has been a green leader for the last five years. Developing educational content at a high level is an expensive and time-consuming process and continuing financial support is important.

The Power of Practice Area Committees
SEGD practice area committee members include designers, fabricators, and manufacturers committed to developing and advancing program content. All committee members are required to participate in at least one event yearly and coordinate all presentations and published content. The goal is for practice committee members to be able to teach an entire workshop on their own, or any piece of a workshop.

The Power of Publication
SEGD has developed a number of White Papers in different areas, including documentation, the ADA, and sustainability. These publications, entirely developed by the SEGD membership, have allowed our certificate programs to have extensive resource support. In addition to these White Papers, every piece of local content developed during a certificate program is added to the resource CD provided.

Chapter Chairs and Certificate Programs
Nearly all certificate programs are coordinated with the close participation of the Chapter Chair in each location. This is not just for logistical reasons but content as well. Chapter Chairs recruit people to handle local code issues and can survey their local members for issues to discuss in the workshops. Every workshop contains both national and local information.

Documentation and the design process certificate workshop in San Francisco

The Importance of Academic and Research Links
The strength of certificate programs is not just linked to our professional members, but also to academic and research programs. The workshops are not meant to be static, but to advance the practice of EGD. All certificate workshops have a section on new technologies and practices derived from academic research.

Power in the Community
Design leadership by SEGD members at the local and national level has given the organization a seat at the table during the development of codes and guideline. In the end, the power behind any certificate program will be its role in achieving respect in the design community, which can only be attained by the success of SEGD members through their professional conduct.

Future Certificate Programs

SEGD will be exploring additional certificate programs over the next five years. Currently scheduled for 2010 are programs in the ADA and accessibility, documentation and the design process, material selection, and sustainable design. Plans are also under way for programs in outdoor wayfinding and identity, facility wayfinding and identity, and design research and analysis.

SEGD blog celebrates one tasty year

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:22:40 -0400

Reading the SEGD blog is like visiting a good buffet. You can get your fill by subscribing to the RSS feed. Or you can dip in here and there for a taste.

Regardless of how you access the blog, it’s hard to believe that just 12 months ago, there was no blog. Now it’s such a part of the SEGD landscape that it’s getting almost 5,500 visits a month from over 3,300 unique visitors.

During the redevelopment of the website, it became evident that SEGD needed a way to convey information on current projects, new processes, and interesting materials—on a timely basis as the information became available. Over the last year, the blog has developed into a source for that—and much more, including entries on allied fields of design, regulatory information, and humor. (Who can’t afford to waste a little time on a Friday afternoon watching the Oscar-winning short film Logorama?)

SEGD staffers Pat Knapp and Ann Makowski contribute most of the content, with occasional entries from staffers Leslie Gallery Dilworth, Nadia Adona, Sara Naegelin, and guest bloggers Ken Ethridge and James Keppel. Ronald Shakespear, while not a guest blogger, is a frequent contributor and the source of more entries than we can thank him for.

If you haven’t visited the blog, you’re missing out on a smorgasbord of categories including wayfinding, branding, traffic, symbols, human interaction, color, and more.

Drop by sometime for a taste. Or send us a link to something you find particularly delicious.

Slate Series Showcases “The Secret Language of Signs”

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:21:55 -0400

A six-part series by Slate, the Washington Post Company’s general interest online magazine, shined the spotlight on directional signage and why it’s so important in today’s complex built environments. The series also focused on the role of SEGD and its members in developing effective wayfinding systems and in advocating for user-centered highway traffic signage standards.

Slate’s goal with the series was to explore the role of directional signage in today’s world. “Initially I was focused on what makes directional signage good, and why some places have better signage than others,” says Julia Turner, Slate deputy editor.

Turner’s introduction to the series called signage “the most useful thing we pay no attention to,” and documented how good signage helps people get where they need to go, while bad signage can even be fatal. The in-depth series included:

Part I: The Secret Language of Signs
Part II: Lost in Penn Station
Part III: Legible London
Part IV: Do You Draw Good Maps?
Part V: The War Over Exit Signs
Part VI: Will GPS Kill the Sign?

Turner interviewed SEGD CEO Leslie Gallery Dilworth and Director of Education Craig Berger extensively about the evolution of wayfinding science, the new federal guidelines for highway signage embodied in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), and cities that have created effective wayfinding systems. Her series also featured interviews with David Gibson (Two Twelve founder and author of The Wayfinding Handbook), Lance Wyman (Lance Wyman Ltd.), and others.

“It’s so incredible—and certainly very prescient---of Slate to focus on wayfinding and signage in today’s urban environments,” says Dilworth. “And this has provided great exposure for SEGD and its members who provide invaluable expertise in the development of wayfinding programs. It’s rare that the general-interest press provides substantive coverage of signage, but the series was so well researched and written. Julia Turner is an excellent storyteller.”

Slate attracts 10 million readers a month. --P.M.K.

SEGD Members Help Honor America’s Fallen

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:21:00 -0400

The Lost Heroes Art Quilt is a contemporary artwork dedicated to honoring and remembering America's fallen since 9/11 in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also pays tribute to the families who are currently sacrificing with loved ones in peril. Created by artist Julie Feingold as a non-political work, the piece was dedicated in Washington, D.C. by the White House Commission on Remembrance and Families United, and began a tour around the United States.

An SEGD staff alumnus, Lynn Jeffery, participated in the project. She was able to find local printers to donate exhibit brochures in the thousands. However, once the piece garnered national attention, the need to adapt key exhibit information onto a traveling exhibit panel to go along with the artwork became critical.

With no budget for design or fabrication, Lynn put out a call to the SEGD membership, simply asking for advice on designing exhibit panels and suggestions on fabricating them on a shoestring.

From among many generous offers of help and information, Lynn was able to connect with three SEGD members who, in the end, donated their time and materials to the project. Lynne and Chris Faulk of Wayworks (Vashon, Wash.) and Julie Salestrom (Omaha, Neb.) designed the panels and stands, and Bryan Vasser of Baron Sign Manufacturing (Rivera Beach, Fla.) fabricated them. The three panels offer detailed information on the quilt that completes the exhibit experience.

And it all happened in just three weeks.

Lynn says, “I can’t say enough about the collaboration, professionalism, teamwork, ability, generosity, speed, resourcefulness, innovation, quality, and dedication from Bryan, Lynne, Chris, and Julie. At all hours of the day and night, they never let us down—even with unreasonable requirements! There would be no exhibit traveling to millions of people without them.”

The quilt is continuing its journey across country, much of the transportation by hand in a human chain led by Gold Star Mothers and families of the fallen. A companion book is available, which supports Snowball Express, the organization supporting children of the fallen.

Public Images: Truth or Dare in Signage

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:13:11 -0400

When partners Chris Calori and David Vanden-Eynden sent out their first batch of quirky sign postcards in 1987, they just wanted to promote their firm in a fun, creative way. Twenty-three years and 30 postcards later, their Public Images series has reached cult status, and they’ve published the collection in a new book called Public Images: The First 30. Messages recently spoke with the partners.

Public Image No. 9: Regulation Sign • Belfort, France
Q: How did the Public Images idea get started?

David: It was a way to keep the C&VE name in front of clients and potential clients. It was never our intent to send pictures of our completed projects—boring. They were simply intended to be good photos, interesting or humorous signs or graphics, curiosities, or, on occasion, social commentary.

Chris: They’re really more of an awareness-building campaign than marketing. They relate to what we do, but there’s obviously no designer’s hand involved. That’s what makes them interesting.

Q: Especially in this electronic age, how do people respond to receiving an actual artifact?

Chris: People who have received them over the years tend to keep them. Some have even framed them. So, we get good response, some phone calls, an occasional lead, and it’s a fun way to keep our name out there.

David: It’s something you can hold in your hand or just keep on your desk for a while. It doesn’t ask anything of you: you don’t need to click, or enter your password or user name. What a relief.

Public Images: The First 30 is self published by Calori & Vanden-Eynden/Design Consultants.

Q: How often do you send them out?

Chris: On a quasi-rigorous schedule.

David: According to a notoriously haphazard schedule, but we try to send out two or three per year.

Q: Why did you decide to collect them in a book?

David: We had wanted to do it for a long time, but finally got a chance to put it together last year, during a bit of a slow period.

Chris: It’s that time/money continuum thing. When you have time to do self-promotion you often don’t have the money…and when you have the money, you don’t have the time. But it made sense to use our staff to work on the book while we waited for some projects to get started. Also, 30 seemed like a nice round number that would work well for book spreads.

Q: Who is publishing the book?

Chris: We are. Now the technology is such that you can print books on demand using web-based resources. We don’t mass mail them of course, but they’re great leave-behinds. It’s an opportunity to leave something that’s not business related, something that puts a smile on people’s faces.

You can order the book from our website.

David: We always talk about the fun factor. If you can’t have fun with what you do, what’s the point?

Q: Nowadays you ask fans to vote on the image for the next postcards. How does that work?

David: This is brand new and we haven't really had a chance to evaluate that yet. We started it primarily as a way to gauge feedback from the book. Usually we sit around the studio and select an image from my stash.

Q: Do you have an all-time favorite?

David: It's a toss up, as I love all my children. But my favorites include Curb Your Dog, Liquor Guns, Yale Sucks, and Child Bear.

Chris: I took Hung Far Low, the Chinese restaurant photo, during the SEGD conference in Portland. I had forgotten my camera, so I actually ran out and bought a disposable camera and took the shot. It’s been one of our most popular ones.

SEGD Conf + Expo: Making Change with Sagmeister, Freelon, and Bruges

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:11:47 -0400

SEGD Conf + Expo:
Making Change with Sagmeister, Freelon, and Bruges

Designer/provocateur Stefan Sagmeister, award-winning architect Phil Freelon, and innovative lighting and interaction designer Jason Bruges are among the headline speakers for SEGD’s Annual Conference + Expo June 2-5 in Washington, D.C.

“Designing for Change, Changing Design” is the theme of the 2010 conference, headquartered at the Gaylord National Hotel & Resort on the Potomac.

To explore how change happens, the conference will feature change agents from both the design and client worlds, says Cybelle Jones, creative director/senior associate with Gallagher & Associates and 2010 conference chair.

“We’re going to look at the ways design can make change not only in projects, but in the environment, in universal accessibility, in personal and business relationships, and in the world,” she adds.

The SEGD conference is unique in the design world, combining inspirational speakers, dynamic discussion panels, technical workshops, and “Workshops on Wheels” that allow attendees behind-the-scenes tours of design projects.

While most people don’t think of Washington as a design hub, the district holds an unmatched collection of architectural features, museums, and other cultural attractions.

“With 25 million visitors a year, the Smithsonian museums and Washington’s many other cultural destinations are a fantastic testing ground for what works in exhibition design, placemaking, and wayfinding,” says Jones.

Stefan Sagmeister

Stefan Sagmeister shares his down-to-earth worldview in unconventional, often startling ways—using the world and sometimes even his own body as canvas. The Austrian-born designer and typographer, based in New York, is also a believer in making personal change. Every seven years or so, he embarks on a one-year sabbatical, refusing client work and instead focusing on personal work and creative self-expression. His latest book, Things I have Learned in My Life So Far, is a collection of 15 typographic essays encased in a laser-cut slipcase. Changing the order of the essays inside the case creates 15 different covers.

Sagmeister’s work is diverse, ranging from books, brochures, and posters to award trophies and billboards. For his infamous poster promoting an AIGA Detroit talk, Sagmeister wanted to communicate the pain often associated with the design process. So he had the poster text cut into his own skin. Sagmeister’s father was a trained sign painter, and those influences are also a part of his work.

Philip Freelon is leading the Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup consortium designing the Smithsonian Institution’s $500 million National Museum of African American History and Culture, opening in 2015 near the Washington Monument.

Like other projects located on the National Mall, the museum will be developed in collaboration with a huge cast of federal and district government agencies, including the National Park Service, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Navigating the labyrinthine design and review process will challenge the team’s ability to retain the essence of the original design concepts that won them the work.

“This kind of work poses some fascinating questions about the nature of collaboration, how change happens in Washington, and how to use change as a positive force,” notes Jones.

Freelon’s Durham, N.C. firm designed the Museum of the African American Diaspora in San Francisco and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History and Culture in Baltimore. It is also designing Atlanta’s Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Jason Bruges

Jason Bruges’ groundbreaking work occupies the in-between spaces that mix architecture and interactivity. The multidisciplinary design team at Jason Bruges Studio, which he founded in 2002, is renowned for its innovative light installations, interactive interventions, and placemaking projects that sit between the worlds of architecture, site-specific installation art, and interaction design.

Wallpaper magazine recently recognized Bruges as one of 10 “world-changing designers” and he was listed in Design Week’s “Hot 50” in 2009. Current and recent work includes the dynamic art installations at Toronto subway stations, the first artist commission for London’s Olympic Park; installations at the Tate Britain and Victoria & Albert Museum; permanent urban interventions across London; and “Panda Eyes,” a piece designed for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness of climate change. Recently shortlisted for the
Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2010 in the interactive category, “Panda Eyes” will be exhibited at the London Design Museum in spring 2010.

In addition to Sagmeister, Freelon, and Bruges, conference keynoters will include Robert A. Peck, Commissioner of Public Buildings for the U.S. General Services Administration. A former managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle, Peck is responsible for 354 million square feet of government-owned and leased space. Other speakers include Sherril York and Ray Bloomer of Indiana University’s National Center on Accessibility, which advises the government and other clients on universal accessibility in design.

The conference will also include a one-day Expo on Friday, June 4. Attendees will have the chance to learn about new products and techniques as they meet and interact with potential collaborators from supplier and fabrication companies.

Click here to get on our conference email list.

SEGD Design Awards Program: Quicker, Easier, and No Shipping Charges

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:56:28 -0500

Entering the SEGD Design Awards Program is easier than ever thanks to a new online system that allows you to upload your images, text, and other entry information in a flash. Designers, fabricators, clients, and students are invited to submit work at www.segd.org.

2010 SEGD Conference + Expo: “Design for Change”

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:55:50 -0500

The city where time seems to stand still is also the epicenter of events that cause global change every minute of every day. This paradoxical place is Washington, D.C., the venue for SEGD’s 2010 Conference + Expo June 2-5, themed “Design for Change.”

Board of Directors: Hello/Goodbye

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:02:30 -0500

The Board and staff of SEGD would like to thank departing board members Michael Reed, Amy Owen, Jamie Cowgill, Michele Phelan, and Isaac Marshall for their hard work and dedication to SEGD during their terms. You will be missed!

Joining the board are Peter Dixon, Sue Gould, Lonny Israel, Jennifer Bressler, John Lutz, Mark VanderKlipp, and Edwin Hofmann. We welcome them and look forward to working with them.

Wayfinding: New MUTCD is a step in the right direction

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:15:30 -0500

MUTCD CoverThe newly adopted federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) includes a new Community Wayfinding section that reflects many changes SEGD and its members have fought to achieve over the last several years.

Wiki this: SEGD launches new Dynamic Environments site

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:51:55 -0500

SEGD and Unified Field (New York) have teamed up to create SEGD’s first wiki site, devoted to the emerging field of dynamic environments.

Summit: Teach design in K-12

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:55:29 -0500

Introducing design curriculum into K-12 education was the top policy proposal emerging from The U.S. National Design Policy Initiative summit held in Washington December 1. The proposal to incorporate design creativity and innovation modules into elementary through high school curriculum garnered 23% of the 324 votes solicited from the design community prior to the meeting.