Forty years ago, the Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD) was a fledgling organization that attempted to impress upon architects, general contractors, property owners and managers, and other interested parties, the importance of signage and environmental graphics – not as utilitarian identifiers of facility amenities, but rather as essential branding and placemaking tools.
Now the Society for Experiential Graphic Design, it’s grown into a broad-based organization that represents designers, fabricators, vendors, academics and end users, all of whom share the common interests of staying informed about evolving technologies, materials, issues in dealing with governmental entities and general contractors, and numerous topics that impact built-environment graphic treatments.
Several SEGD-member designers and fabricators from diverse backgrounds have graciously answered questions about trends in the environmental-graphics market. In an industry whose diversity grows daily, one voice can’t speak as an all-encompassing industry authority, but these experts embody the industry’s breadth. For this Q and A, I approached Bryan Meszaros, Managing Director and Founder of OpenEye Global (NYC).
What types of markets do you serve, and how would you describe your electronic signage?
We primarily focus on retail, financial and museum environments, though we’re starting to explore healthcare. We see many emerging opportunities with specialty/private-label retailers as they strive to create engaging environments that incorporate today’s trending technologies.
In a sense, we’re digital architects. Our typical engagement starts by helping clients clarify their objectives for their environment, and define what’s relevant and financially tenable. We develop strategies that tie the experience to the environment by looking at the content strategy, display technologies and their integration opportunities. We may involve third-party agencies to execute our defined program, and we evolve into project managers.
How has dynamic-digital-sign (DS) technology evolved during OpenEye’s 11 years?
When we started, plasma was the “it” technology before we learned about how its cells burn out. Now, we’re looking at OLED displays that are barely 1 in. thick. We incorporate an array of display technologies, but cost and functionality drive most projects. LCDs are being phased out, and the days of standard, 42-in. displays are far behind us. Today, we look for high-contrast images, low total cost of ownership and heat dissipation, which is important for integrating displays into a confined space.
The most significant development technology has been iBeacons (transmitters that, when in close proximity to smartphones, enable specified phone activities), which made it easier to establish a “physical” relationship between the visitor and the space through digital engagement. Before, (DS) was merely a visual tool, impactful but often unconnected or irrelevant to the space. IBeacons technology enables better relationships between the facility and the visitor.
Tell me about a project that presented a unique challenge, and how you overcame it.
We recently worked with British Telecom to help them create a “store of the future” concept to showcase emerging technologies. It features 1 x 3-cube video wall, and three, 46-in. displays, one of which is interactive. We worked with a series of technology developers and a design firm to create a cohesive space that demonstrates how technology can be seamlessly integrated into a retail environment.
We created an initial strategy to determine what technologies would be appropriate, and then served as the project manager that supervised each group’s execution of the strategy.
How do you see OpenEye evolving over the next several years?
I’m very happy with our development, but I see more opportunities as owners and managers of environments seek to work digital content into their spaces. This is especially true for collaboration with EGD firms, who are often asked about incorporating (DS) for their clients,and they sometimes struggle to answer. We welcome partnering on these types of projects, but we don’t enter relationships looking to change what a client does. We educate them and create collaborative environments.