Jack Biesek Loses Battle With Cancer

Jack Biesek, a member of the Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD) for more than 30 years, and a former president of the organization, passed away June 30 in his San Luis Obispo, CA home after having battled esophageal cancer.

He operated his eponymous design firm in a studio next to his home overlooking See Canyon. His portfolio includes such prominent landmarks as Utah’s Zion National Park and the Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. He was also active in advocating for regulations amenable to accessibility signage. He served on SEGD’s project-design team for its system of healthcare-wayfinding symbols for Hablamos Juntos, an organization that seeks to improve care and accessibility for non-English-speaking patients.

He wrote his own obituary, which was published in the San Luis Obispo Tribune on July 7. He reflected, “To my friends and acquaintances … I say thank you for a lovely life, and for your kindness and affection. At the end of the day, it is love that that we take with us, and I’ve had a mountain of love in my life. I hope you all get to live your dreams to the fullest. Life is short. Take that trip. Take that risk.”

Several longtime SEGD members also reflected on Biesek’s professional and personal contributions:
“We’ve known Jack since SEGD’s [formative] Cranbrook days. He was a kind and gentle soul. He was the go-to guy for ADA and code information, and he was one of the few who would share information openly and help anyone solve a problem – even a competitor.
“He’s probably already completed a wayfinding program for heaven.”
— Constance Beck & Terry Graboski, Beck & Graboski Design (Santa Monica, CA)

“I’ve worked with Jack since 2005. No other colleague or employer has had a bigger impact on me. Like the best guru, Jack was a source of wisdom and patient instruction. He encouraged me to learn by experience. But, what really set him apart was his gracious style of doing business. He moved through an agenda with precision and humor, demurred to architects’ aesthetics and handled clients’ peculiar comments and questions with good-natured aplomb. Jack was not only a designer’s designer, but he was a human’s human.”
— Ken Leonard, principal, Leonard Creative (Seattle)

“Jack was one of the first SEGD members I met after joining the organization in the early ‘80s. I wish I possessed the same abundance of his humility, gentle spirit and calming manner. He was always encouraging, and treating people with dignity and respect. He often began and ended his conversations with the same word: Peace.”
— David Vanden-Eynden, co-principal, Calori & Vanden-Eynden Design (NYC)

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“Throughout the years, when there was an opportunity collaborate, our first call was to Jack’s office. He came through when we received our greatest challenge and opportunity, develop the Hablamos Juntos healthcare-accessibility project for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He was enthusiastic, and brought great concepts to our planning sessions. We didn’t always see eye to eye during the deliberations, but that was the point. The end goal was a strong set of symbols. Jack’s insights and understanding of wayfinding played a large role in achieving that goal.”
— Jamie Cowgill, co-principal, JRC Design (Tempe, AZ)
 

"As the oldest of three sons, I have no real sense of what it would have been like to have an older brother – but, if I could have chosen, it would have been Jack. I would be the young, awkward, aspirant mimicking everything I could to try to be just like him. I have no doubt it was probably annoying at times, but Jack saw something in me worth cultivating and generously spent time with me as a friend, a mentor, a fellow artist and as a EG design collaborator. His roots were firmly in craft and he had an appreciation for and love of getting his hands dirty. It’s something we definitely had in common.

My interest in sculpture, carving and general expertise with things stone interested him and he was as generous with me as I was with him while working out the how of potential EG projects, as well as discussing our individual sculptural projects that we shared with one another. I’m proud to have been able to be a part of a few of his creative processes & public successes during the past few years and now find myself wishing that more of the projects that we discussed and prototyped together could have been realized.

Over the years Jack generously hosted me numerous times at his home in See Canyon – truly an Eden – when I was passing through or to discuss a project or just to meet to share a meal and fellowship together for a few hours. I felt welcomed and enjoyed getting to know his wife Susan, as well. So many happy memories in such a peaceful place that he created.

He enriched my life & I am a more complete person because of our time together – he will be sorely missed."
 

                               — Pete Andrusko, Founder, Andrusko Group (Portland)

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