The Soul of a Place: Wendy Evans Joseph on Experiential Design

Cybelle Jones

Episode 10: Voices of Experience with Wendy Evans Joseph of Studio Joseph

  1. SEGD 2023 Fellow Wendy Evans Joseph

Architecture is about program, but I always think in terms of narrative or metaphor—the underlying soul of a place.
—Wendy Evans Joseph, FAIA, FSEGD

Wendy Evans Joseph, FAIA, FSEGD, has built her career on uncovering the deeper layers of design. That instinct—to move beyond function and find meaning—has shaped her journey into exhibition and experience design. As founder of Studio Joseph and a 2023 SEGD Fellow, she approaches each project as a process of listening, interpretation, and cultural storytelling. Her work asks us not only to see, but to reflect on what we choose to remember, what we choose to forget, and how those choices shape who we are.

  1. The Senses—Design Beyond Vision at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
    Thomas Loof, Studio Joseph

  2. Webb Chapel Park Pavilion
    Eduard Hueber 

An Experiential Approach

Joseph distinguishes experience design from architecture not in scale, but in method. “Experience design is a process of listening and doing,” she explains. “It’s a conversation between curatorial ideas and what the visitor is taking away.” This emphasis on dialogue—between content and audience, memory and message—is what grounds her practice.

Her exhibitions, whether for the National Museum of the American Indian, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, or the Folger Shakespeare Library, share a clarity of intent: to immerse visitors in stories that matter, and to design experiences that resonate long after leaving the gallery.

Monumental casework display ticketing/info gallery at the National Building Museum.
Yassine El Mansouri

Design Excellence Across Disciplines

Studio Joseph has built a reputation for elegant, interdisciplinary work that fuses architecture, exhibition design, media, and graphic systems into cohesive experiences. Projects such as the Welcome Center at the National Building Museum set the tone for civic institutions, while the Museum of the City of New York celebrates cultural legacy in ways that feel both authentic and contemporary.

This breadth is a hallmark of Joseph’s approach. Rather than imposing a signature style, she focuses on the underlying narrative—shaping each project around cultural context, visitor needs, and institutional mission. That adaptability and rigor are why her work is celebrated as both innovative and enduring.

  1. Wendy Evans Joseph, FSEGD, receiving her Fellow Award

Leadership and Recognition

Joseph’s influence extends beyond her projects to the larger design community. A Rome Prize recipient and Academician of the National Academy of Design, she has also led the Architectural League of New York, the AIA New York Chapter, and the AIA National Committee on Design.

Within SEGD, she has deepened her commitment to the profession by serving on the SEGD Fellows Committee in 2024 and 2025, helping to identify and honor peers who exemplify excellence in experiential practice. Her leadership underscores her belief that the field thrives when designers are engaged in collective dialogue and mentorship.

  1. Americans at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C.,
    Thomas Loof, Studio Joseph

  2. Close up of seating, films, and armature.
    Thomas Loof, Studio Joseph

Memory, Equity, and Cultural Impact

Joseph’s projects consistently foreground equity and cultural resonance. The Women’s Museum in Dallas elevated underrepresented narratives, while her work on Americans invited audiences to reconsider how stereotypes of Native peoples are embedded in U.S. culture. “Experiential design is thinking carefully about how we present a message as much as what we’re presenting,” she reflects—a statement that encapsulates her careful approach to interpretive responsibility.

Her commitment also extends to environmental responsibility: As a LEED-accredited professional, Joseph integrates sustainable design into her practice, ensuring that stewardship of memory includes stewardship of the planet.

Wendy Evans Joseph and Bruce Mau at the 2023 SEGD Conference in Washington D.C. where they were both named SEGD Fellows

A Lasting Legacy

From her early career at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners to over two decades leading Studio Joseph, Wendy Evans Joseph has built a body of work that exemplifies design excellence. Her projects are notable not for a singular style but for their depth of thought, interdisciplinary integration, and ability to honor both place and people.

As a 2023 SEGD Fellow, Joseph stands among the designers who have most profoundly shaped how we experience culture and history. Her work reminds us that experiential design is not about spectacle but about meaning—an act of listening, a practice of care, and, always, a search for the underlying soul of a place.

Episode 10: Wendy Evans Joseph | SEGD Fellow

In this short documentary film, Wendy Evans Joseph reflects on her philosophy of narrative, listening, and memory in experience design. She shares insights on collaboration, mentorship, and the responsibility of designers to shape cultural messages with equity and care.

Learn more about SEGD Fellow Wendy Evans Joseph.


Filmed and produced by Abigail Honor on behalf of SEGD.

Explore SEGD's Voices of Experience Series

Join us every two weeks as we continue honoring SEGD Fellows whose work has shaped the environments—and experiences—that define our world.

Because great design doesn’t impose—it reveals.

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