The Society for Environmental Graphic Design’s (Washington, DC) Board of Directors has voted to change SEGD’s name to the Society for Experiential Graphic Design, to acknowledges the role of experience, new media and technology in the future of design.
“This change recognizes the transformation our design discipline has been undergoing for years,” says Amy Lukas, SEGD president and a partner at Infinite Scale. “With the addition of the word ‘Experiential,’ we have broadened the description of what we represent to express the much-expanded scope of work that our members have already been doing for the past 10 years.”
“The impact of new media will totally transform the definition of environmental design in the next few years,” says Patrick Gallagher (Gallagher & Associates), past SEGD president. “There is not a design firm in our industry that will not look completely different in the next five years, and those who don’t realize it will find themselves unprepared to meet the demands of future communications.”
SEGD was established in 1973 as a professional community for designers who create architectural signage. In the ensuing four decades, SEGD has extended beyond its roots in signage to encompass a broad spectrum of visual communications in the built environment, from wayfinding to branded environments, public art and exhibition design.