You Are HERE
YOU ARE HERE is a conceptual wayfinding and placemaking project designed for SEGD’s 2021 Conference. Through the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Design Partnership, the project was created to introduce the general public to SEGD and Experiential Graphic Design. Through a placemaking installation in Dilworth park and a three month long phased AR wayfinding experience, You Are HERE playfully asks visitors to consider how they navigate spaces and find themselves at their destination.
Project Vision
Through the words of the SEGD Manifesto, visitors to Dilworth Park and Philadelphia’s City Hall explore the concepts of “perception” and “vantage point” through an oversized optical illusion creating the word “HERE”. The installation requires viewing at a specific angle to be fully understood, giving visitors immediate context for the importance of Experiential Graphic Design. For SEGD members and conference visitors, the installation and wayfinding have additional meaning by exploring how the “vantage point” of a designer translates to the viewer.
Angled View – HERE installation
Right Side View – HERE Installation
Back View – HERE Installation
Design + Execution
The primary installation in the Dilworth Park Green Space gives visitors a place to explore how placement, scale, font, and visibility of signage helps them navigate their daily lives. The front and back of the installation will be made with powder coated aluminum in SEGD colors, with the sides and masking for the support structures made with acrylic mirror and frosted vinyl text, reflecting Philadelphia and the viewer in the signage itself.
The directional wayfinding rolls out in phases with temporary paint pathways and orientation pylons appearing around Philadelphia’s City Hall over three months, each exploring a different area of the SEGD Manifesto in augmented reality. The paths and content are designed to generate excitement for the upcoming conference. At the culmination of each path, visitors place a virtual pillar of their own including a short statement answering the prompt “How Did Design Get You HERE?”.
In the final month before the 2021 Conference, the paths will expand, leading guests to the Loews Hotel. There, a final installation will include a QR code to view the virtual pillars with comments left by the public in augmented reality. This augmented reality environment provides inspiration for visiting SEGD members, brings an interactive element home for remote guests, and reinforces community for the participating general public.
Path 1 – HERE Orientation Pylons
Path 1 – HERE Orientation Pylons
The first two images from left to right are art direction renderings, the third image is an AR
prototype screenshot.
SEGD Final Installation – HERE
Project Details
Design Team
Ciera Iveson, Master’s Student, Fashion Institute of Technology
Photo Credits
Ciera Iveson