Blog

On the 32nd Anniversary of the ADA, Reflections by Margaret Drew, Mayer/Reed Designer
08/30/2022

Read Time: 3 minutes
I’m 3’6”. Life at this altitude has given me a unique perspective on the built world and inspired me as both a designer and an advocate for disability rights. For those of us in the design world, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a familiar standard; the civil rights law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation and guarantees access to public and private places that are open to the general public. On July 26, 2022, the ADA celebrated its 32nd anniversary. This year, I turned 33. It’s humbling to know that I am the last generation born before this groundbreaking act was signed into law.  

Experiential Graphics and Trauma-Informed Design: Supporting the Whole Child
08/24/2022

Read time: 4 minutes
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 34.8 million children in the United States have experienced some form of trauma – an adverse event that has long-lasting effects on their well-being, self-esteem, and ability to learn. Trauma-Informed Design (TID), a series of patterns which address the needs of the Whole Child, is quickly gaining traction as a series of design patterns that best help our children build resilience and become ready to learn. Bassetti Architects based in Seattle and Portland, has created a downloadable open-source Trauma-Informed Design Workbook, and Experiential Graphic Design (EGD) plays an important role in the design of these spaces.

Metaverse? More Like Meh-Taverse
07/25/2022

Written by Steve Williams, CEO Harbinger Sign

We Are Human: Celebrating AAPI Identities
06/25/2022

Read Time: 3 minutes
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States, and in honor and recognition, SEGD presents this essay by contributor Shayla Hufana, Senior Art Director at Cognizant (Seattle, WA), a member of SEGD’s Racial Justice Commission and Co-Chair of SEGD’s Seattle Chapter. In her piece, Shayla writes about a work of public art she created in Seattle and how she hopes to empower AAPI youth “to reach beyond what any stereotype says of their background, identity or culture" and to be whoever they want to be.

Wayne Hunt, Ann Dudrow and Philips Engelke at the 2010 SEGD Conference.
04/07/2022

Read Time: 2 minutes

Designing the Road Less Traveled: Encouraging Exploration through Wayfinding
01/26/2022

Read Time: 5 minutes
“People do not travel, nor experience life, in a rigid way that can be wholly preordained,” contends SEGD guest contributor Lisa Bambach. In this essay, inspired by International Wayfinding Month, Lisa examines how experiential designers can create wayfinding systems that go beyond “pointing in the right direction,” and instead encourage exploration, allowing individuals to make their own way, no matter where they might find themselves along their journey.

SEGD President Kathy Fry
01/11/2022

Read Time: 2 minutes
Dear SEGD Community, I’m honored to serve as SEGD President. I want to start by thanking Anna Crider for serving as President for the past two years. Anna’s leadership helped SEGD navigate a CEO search, the onset of the pandemic, and rethinking our education and community building through virtual and hybrid platforms. For those of you that I haven’t met, I’m a Principal at Mayer/Reed, a Pacific Northwest firm practicing experiential graphic design, landscape architecture and urban design. I co-founded the SEGD Portland Chapter and then joined the SEGD Board of Directors in 2016. To prepare for this role, I have served on the executive committee as Anna’s Vice President for the past two years. 

Tapping into Opportunity: Designs for Community Refreshment
10/06/2021

Read Time: 6 minutes
In her designs for a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) in Cincinnati’s Westwood neighborhood, SEGD member and contributing writer Lisa K. Bambach faced a big challenge: how to define an outdoor public drinking area without erecting barriers to separate the “legal” space from the “illegal.” To do this, Lisa designed a series of information touchpoints—digital, physical and even disposable—to alert imbibers about the DORA’s rules and boundaries. Read Lisa’s account to learn how she did this.

2021 Q3 SEGD CEO Update
09/08/2021

Read Time: 5 minutes
"It's through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good." Paula Scher, SEGD Fellow
I have always been an advocate for experimentation and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable in order to be truly creative. I think that Paula Scher’s quote is a good reminder particularly in these times for doing just that. We are all yearning for a crystal ball to understand what our workplaces will be like and how our businesses will need to adapt in the future. I’m guessing that over the last 18 months many of you have tried something new with your clients and peers. Most likely some things failed and others resulted in new ways of thinking and doing. 

CEO Update "A Year in Review"
05/05/2021

Read Time: 5 minutes

LAX Gateway, photo courtesy of Selbert Perkins Design
03/10/2021

Read Time: 7 minutes
How do experiential designers respond to society’s growing reliance on technology to connect everyone? And how might the design of physical spaces, defining “place,” evolve to meet this challenge? Guest contributor Jessica Finch (Principal at Selbert Perkins Design) explores the future design possibilities and how those possibilities can best foster human connection.

Tribute to Michael Bryce, photograph of Children's section signage at Five Dock Library
03/02/2021

Read Time: 3 minutes
SEGD pays tribute to Michael Bryce – Australian architect, environmental graphic designer and longstanding member of SEGD – who died on January 15, 2021, after a long illness. Bryce is perhaps best known for his accomplishments as Principal Design Adviser to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

SEGD Staff Introductions: Cybelle Jones, CEO
02/24/2021

Read Time: 7 minutes
It takes a lot of coordination among staff members to keep SEGD running smoothly—and each one is dedicated to you, the 2,200 SEGD members from 35 different countries who gather in 34 local chapters. During February, we would like to introduce you to each of the four SEGD staff. Last week we spoke with Jennette Foreman, Director of Operations. This week we present Cybelle Jones, CEO.

SEGD Staff Introductions: Jennette Foreman, Director of Operations
02/17/2021

Read Time: 5 minutes
It takes a lot of coordination among staff members to keep SEGD running smoothly—and each one is dedicated to you, the 2,200 SEGD members from 35 different countries who gather in 34 local chapters. During February, we would like to introduce you to each of the four SEGD staff. Last week we spoke with Nadia Adona, Director of Membership and Media. This week we present Jennette Foreman, Director of Operations.

SEGD Staff Introducations: Nadia Adona, Director of Membership and Media
02/10/2021

Read Time: 7 minutes
It takes a lot of coordination among staff members to keep SEGD running smoothly—and each one is dedicated to you, the 2,200 SEGD members from 35 different countries who gather in 34 local chapters. During February, we would like to introduce you to each of the four SEGD staff. Last week we spoke with Sarah Miorelli, SEGD’s Communications Manager. This week we present Nadia Adona, Director of Membership and Media.

SEGD Staff Introducations: Sarah Miorelli, Communications Manager
02/03/2021

Read Time: 5 minutes
It takes a lot of coordination among staff members to keep SEGD running smoothly—and each one is dedicated to you, the 2,200 SEGD members from 35 different countries who gather in 34 local chapters. During the month of February, we would like to introduce you to each of the four SEGD staff, one per week. First up is Sarah Miorelli, SEGD’s Communications Manager.

2021 President's Update
01/13/2021

Read Time: 3 minutes
Happy New Year and welcome to 2021! We made it! SEGD continues to adapt to this unprecedented time that we are all living through, ensuring we stay connected even when we are apart. We have many things to look forward to this year.

Sarah Sze Installation at LaGuardia Airport, Photo credit: LaGuardia Gateway Partners
12/15/2020

Read Time: 3 minutes
The holiday season is here! And while many of us cannot travel this year, SEGD has decided to bring two travel-themed stories to members, just in time for the holidays. The first features artist Sarah Sze’s stunning new installation inside LaGuardia’s Terminal B and the SEGD members of DE Powder Coated Graphics who helped make this showpiece a reality. Enjoy!

2021 Achievement Awards Call for Nominations
12/14/2020

Since 1987, SEGD has recognized the individuals, companies and institutions whose work has significantly advanced the environmental and experiential graphic design fields through its Achievement Awards program. Now it's time to submit your nominations for 2021!

Designing Down Under
11/04/2020

Designing Down Under
Read Time: 4 Minutes

In the Sydney metropolitan area and across the Australian state of New South Wales, BrandCulture has implemented new wayfinding strategies for the region’s rail systems. In the Sydney suburb of Randwick, BrandCulture developed wayfinding and interpretive signage for Newmarket, a new mixed-used commercial and residential development.

Place Branding in a Post-Lockdown World
09/09/2020

Read Time: 6.5 minutes
By Tim Hill, Client Development Director at Noë & Associates, and Alison Richings, Wayfinding Design Director at Endpoint
Having enforced time away from all of those distractions of life has helped us think more consciously about how and where we choose to live, work, socialize and spend our money in the soon to come post-lockdown world. For developers, urban planners, and architects the challenge will be creating living and working spaces that are both strategically and creatively attuned to a new world.

E+E Recap How Soon is Now? Designing Change
09/02/2020

Read Time: 10 minutes

Signs of Change—Adapting to a New Visitor Experience
08/25/2020

Read Time: 2.5 minutes

By Melanie Daigle, ALTO™️ I FOLIA™️ by SH

BrandCulture: The Future of Built Environments After COVID-19
08/05/2020

Read Time: 4 minutes

The Future of Design Education (image courtesy of FIT)
07/29/2020

Read Time: 2.5 minutes

Changing Design Education for the 21st Century
07/21/2020

Read Time: 4.5 minutes

Chad Hutson hosted the awards ceremony
07/01/2020

Read Time: 2 minutes

What Are Your Secret (or Not-so-Secret) Talents?
06/03/2020

Read Time: <1 minute

Instead of the usually cool and quirky items that reflect the local culture and community of the conference location, this year we are going to offer experiences.

Present Yourself Becomes a Biannual Mentorship Event
06/03/2020

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

How Will Buildings and Places Communicate Following the Pandemic?
05/27/2020

Read Time: 6 minutes 

Will reopened businesses greet people with a warning message? Or should the message be more nuanced?

Bringing Optimism Back to our Cities One Color at a Time
05/11/2020

Read Time: 1.5 minutes
By Gensler Seattle: Over the last several weeks, a lot has changed in our daily lives. Today our world revolves primarily around the inner walls of our homes. When we do venture out, our neighborhoods are virtually unrecognizable with plywood façades shuttering the doors and windows of our favorite local haunts. With unprecedented repercussions from COVID-19 weighing heavily upon us, optimism is one thing that continues to propel us forward.

Creating Flexible Commercial Environments for a Post-lockdown World
05/11/2020

Read Time: 4 minutes

M&L Virtual Event a Success
05/05/2020

Read Time: 4.5 minutes

What began as a live management and leadership event in Cincinnati became SEGD’s first full-day virtual event offering—complete with virtual tote bag!

Cybelle Jones to be SEGD’s New Chief Executive Officer
04/30/2020

Read Time: 2.5 minutes

Dear SEGD Community, 

Equitable Public Space, More Important than Ever Before
04/29/2020

Read Time: 2 minutes

Increasingly, we grasp the value of friendly, walkable neighborhoods and flexible open spaces—places where we can spend time outdoors with our kids, family members and neighbors (at an appropriate distance) during these times of crisis.

SEGD President Anna Crider
04/15/2020

Read Time: 1 minute

Dear SEGD Community,

A Week Seen Through My Lens
04/13/2020

Read Time: <1 minute

Each week is not planned nor defined. I observe and then design...

A visual blog by Lucy Holmes,

Ann Makowski, Interim CEO
04/03/2020

Read Time: 1.5 minutes

Mustafa Yigit Ecer—My SEGD Xlab Journal
02/12/2020

Read Time: 8.5 minutes
By Mustafa Yigit Ecer
Today, I will be at Gallagher and Associates for a couple of hours. I am intimidated by this—I wish I could do it without having to talk to industry professionals face-to-face.

Alt: Hilary Jay joins SEGD as the new Director of Education
01/21/2020

Read Time: <1 minute
Hilary Jay joins SEGD as the new Director of Education

A Week Seen Through My Lens
01/07/2020

Read Time: <1 minute
Each week is not planned nor defined. I observe and then design...

SEGD President Anna Crider
01/07/2020

Happy New Year and welcome to 2020!

Bryan Meszaros, CEO of OpenEye Global
01/01/2020

As the decade comes to an end so does my time as President. Over the past 10 years SEGD has seen unparalleled growth through the leadership of numerous dedicated and passionate individuals. I am honored to have had the opportunity to play a small role in the success of our organization.

Experience Design Insights From SEGD Wayfinding & Placemaking 2019
12/03/2019

Read Time: 3 minutes

By Laura Gunther

My two-day visit to Philadelphia for the 2019 SEGD Wayfinding & Placemaking Event included many of the classic attractions you might expect—

Newcomers Guide to EGD
11/25/2019

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

By Jake McCoy

I graduated college a few months ago. And, in the process of looking for a job, I kept in the back of my head my love for art history. So, working in some capacity at a museum piqued my interest, leading me to the mysterious field of work that is experiential graphic design.

Ann Makowski, Interim CEO
11/19/2019

Read Time: <1 minute

The SEGD Board of Directors and SEGD staff are thrilled to announce that as of November 18, Ann Makowski has rejoined the SEGD team as Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Wayne Hunt's "Waynefinding"
11/01/2019

Read Time:  4 minutes

By Wayne Hunt

October 2019  “Before Wayfinding; Before SEGD”

Read about SEGD's continuous upward progress in the latest CEO Update by Clive Roux
10/16/2019

And don't we all know it?

A Week Seen Through My Lens, Lucy Holmes
10/15/2019

Read Time:  1.5 minutes

Each week is not planned nor defined. I observe and then design…

A visual blog by Lucy Holmes

Always Going Home, with Glass Art, Heart and Architecture
09/18/2019

Read Time: 4 minutes

By Christina Amri, Amri Studio
Imagine my surprise when my long-ago business partner (and high-school sweetheart) called me the other day to say, “Hey, our stained glass is in the new movie ‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco’—and it looks good!”

A Week Seen Through My Lens, Lucy Holmes' Blog
08/27/2019

Read Time:  1.5 minutes

Each week is not planned nor defined. I observe and then design…

A visual blog by Lucy Holmes

Wayne Hunt's "Waynefinding"
08/20/2019

Read Time: 4.5 minutes

By Wayne Hunt

August 2019 "A Great Place to be Lost"

Struggling to Ask for Money? Here's why.
08/12/2019

Read Time: 2 minutes
When we have an encounter with someone who can give us the money, we need we’re naturally nervous.

Achievement Awards Nomination
08/09/2019

Since 1987, SEGD has recognized the individuals, companies and institutions whose work has significantly advanced the environmental and experiential graphic design fields through its Achievement Awards program. Now it's time to submit your nominations for 2020!

A Week Seen Through My Lens—Lucy Holmes' Blog
07/23/2019

Read Time: 1.5 minutes

Each week is not planned nor defined. I observe and then design…

A visual blog by Lucy Holmes

Three Myths About Technology in Museum Experiences
07/16/2019

Read Time: 7 minutes

When you mention “multimedia” to some museum professionals, certain narratives immediately come to mind about what that might be in a museum experience.

SEGD CEO Update Q2, 2019
07/10/2019

This year's SEGD Annual Conference Experience Austin really rocked, but don't take my word for it. Take theirs.

A Week Seen Through My Lens—Lucy Holmes
06/24/2019

Read Time: 1 minute
I don’t usually do repeat visits to exhibitions; I get visually saturated quite quickly.

Wayne Hunt's "Waynefinding"
06/18/2019

Read Time: 4 minutes
It's hard to get lost in Utah towns and cities. That is, after you learn the somewhat unusual system of street names and numbers.

A Week Seen Through My Lens—Lucy Holmes
05/28/2019

Read Time: 1 minute

Each week is not planned nor defined. I observe and then design…A visual blog by Lucy Holmes.
Leaving my apartment (the Richard Rogers building Montevetro ‘mountain of glass’) and heading out to a meeting, I spotted the rainbow of light from a floor spot on the internal concrete walkway.

Clive Roux, CEO SEGD, Q1 2019 CEO Update
05/11/2019

There is an SEGD event somewhere in the world every 2.4 days. And, with 38 Chapters currently and more coming this year, it's become one of the liveliest design communities you can join.

2019 SEGD Business & Leadership a Success (image: event attendees sitting at tables)
05/08/2019

Read Time: 1 minute
Passionate designers from across the country came together to gain and grow their business and leadership skills as their careers move into management positions. Join us as we review and wrap-up this fantastic event.

Wayne Hunt's "Waynefinding"
04/30/2019

Read Time: 3 minutes

By Wayne Hunt

April 2019 "Which way to the meatballs?"

Lance Wyman’s Proposal for 1976 Bicentennial
04/23/2019

Read Time: 4.5 minutes

This book is a near reproduction of the one-off, leather-bound ‘sketchbook’ that Lance Wyman made to document his design process for the creation of a logo and identity design for the 1976 American Bicentennial celebrations to mark the creation of the USA as an independent republic.

2019 Branded Environments a Wrap (image: speaker panel at event)
04/03/2019

Read Time: 3 minutes

SEGD Branded Environments 2019—held in partnership with Digital Signage Expo 2019—was a success story for all involved.

What is Wayfinding? Part 4—What's Next in Wayfinding? (image: person holding ipad)
03/18/2019

Read Time: 4 minutes

Although we are seeing great strides in the application of technology to wayfinding, it is clear today that there is much room for expansion and improvement in this field.

What is Wayfinding? Part 3—More than Just Signage, by RSM Design (image: shopping center)
03/06/2019

Read Time: 6 minutes

If wayfinding is more than just signage, where else can we find it? Architecture, landscaping, lighting, art and technology all play a significant role in a wayfinding system.

Ted Leonhardt: The Unprepared Pitch (Illustration of man holding book)
02/25/2019

Read Time: 7 minutes

Self-created failure: when failure is so fearsome that you invite it in, and then fail as expected.

What is Wayfinding? Part 2—The City as a Model (Image of Map)
02/19/2019

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

In the 1960s, an educator and urban planner named Kevin Lynch first used the term “wayfinding” in his book “The Image of the City" and, while this model is organized around the context and features of a city, it can be applied to most built environments—for example, a shopping mall also has paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks.

Wayne Hunt's "Waynefinding"
02/11/2019

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

You stand carefully on a slippery mountain top staring at an eight-foot-square map sticking out of the snow on six-by-six posts showing four mountains, 58 ski runs and 21 ski lifts. It’s 19 degrees out with light snow flurries and through your fogged up goggles you try to pick an interesting but safe route down to the lodge.

What is Wayfinding? Part 1
02/01/2019

Read Time: 5 minutes

What is Wayfinding? It’s a simple question that seems like it should yield a fairly simple explanation. And yet it is hardly so.

CEO Update Q4, 2018: Where we are Going Next
01/31/2019

Wrapping up 2018

In 2018, SEGD broke previous records for revenue, membership and demographics, attendance, website traffic, content and education resources.

Three Simple Stories About Power
01/24/2019

Read Time: 7.5 minutes

I would like to share three simple stories about culture and power that have inspired me since I first started in this field some 30 years ago. I hope they will inspire you as well. Some I’ve written about before, but I’ve added some new details about and snippets from my personal life experience.

Students—Why You Should Have a LinkedIn Account
01/14/2019

Read Time: 2.5 minutes

As any sort of designer, you have a main set of promotional materials: your logo, business cards, printed portfolio and in most cases, a website. That’s all you expect to need to be successful coming out of school—but what about searching for jobs, or building your professional network? Where does one even start?

Wayne Hunt's "Waynefinding"
12/31/2018

Read Time: 3 minutes

December 2018 "Why do a lot of otherwise really good graphic designers design ineffective maps?"

Bryan Meszaros 2018 SEGD President end of year update
12/13/2018

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

It’s currently 35 degrees out in New Jersey and my usual pumpkin beer has now become a winter lager. That can only mean one thing… The holidays are upon us and it’s time to reflect and plan ahead.

From Student to Studio Owner—It Could Happen to You
12/11/2018

Read Time: 1.5 minutes

EGD and SEGD have been part of my life for well over 22 years, from the beginning of my career in New York City.

Reflecting on Six Amazing Years with SEGD
12/04/2018

Read Time: 2.5 minutes

Top 5 Ways SEGD Provides Marketing ROI
12/04/2018

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

Wayne Hunt's "Waynefinding"
11/08/2018

Read Time: 3 minutes

By Wayne Hunt

October 2018 "Wayfinding in Washington DC"

Differentiating Between Artist, Artisan & Craftsman
11/05/2018

Read Time: 5 minutes

by Peter Attila Andrusko

Design To Go
10/31/2018

Read Time: 1.5 minutes

When You Aren't the Smartest Person in the Room—Impostor Syndrome
10/17/2018

By Ted Leonhardt

Read Time: 5 minutes

Click to read the CEO's sum up of the progress made during Q3 2018
10/02/2018

This past summer was a very busy one for SEGD—and for SEGD Members, I've been told. 

Wayne Hunt's "Waynefinding"
09/25/2018

Read Time: 3 minutes

By Wayne Hunt

September 2018 “Saved By an Icon”

In the late summer of 2014 my experienced hiking buddy, designer Dave Funk, and I parked his SUV at a trail head in Oregon’s Three Sisters Wilderness.

Design To Go
08/28/2018

Read Time: 1.5 minutes

SEGD forges ahead on creating membership value
08/21/2018

Why should you and your Firm be members of SEGD? There are many reasons, but the one most often cited and cherished is the warmth, friendliness and helpfulness of the members.

Service Animal—Pet Relief Airport Sign
08/13/2018

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

Humans aren’t the only ones looking for a relief area.

Wayne Hunt's "Waynefinding"
08/03/2018

Read Time: 2 minutes
In a confounding mess of confusing and ambiguous street naming, the terrific downtown area of Minneapolis has one of the worst street name systems of any medium size US city.

Match Headquarters, Dallas (Photo: Thomas McConnell)
07/30/2018

Experiential Graphic Design is an increasingly dynamic facet of IA’s practice, and one that reached a tipping point last year.

Subcontracting Freelancers without Losing Work
07/24/2018

This happens to freelancers and independent workers more than you might think. There are a few reasons why, and a few things you can do.

The Power of Experiences, Jan Ashdown
07/17/2018

By Jan Ashdown,Senior Design Consultant at ptc.
If in the past, goods manufacturers added services to their offer to differentiate themselves, today we see organizations staging experiences to get ahead of the competition.

Read the SEGD CEO 's Update for Q2 2018
07/09/2018

Minneapolis Rocked!

The 2018 SEGD Conference Experience Minneapolis delivered the highest satisfaction score for an SEGD conference since the great recession. Read about the progress we are making on our education resources and more.

International Symbol of Access: the Challenge of Updating an Icon
07/05/2018

I’m a firm believer in the development of new and more powerful ways to visually communicate important messages non-verbally. But caution is appropriate when attempting to replace a well-established and vitally important societal icon with something that has not been fully usability tested, approved by relevant public regulators, or that has survived the rigors of a comprehensive design process.

Acoustic Design: an Esoteric Art?
05/23/2018

Design solutions have ranged from absorptive ceilings to baffles and even plantings. Vertical and horizontal surfaces covered in expensive materials and scattered throughout a design seem to be the standard solution. But what if acoustic comfort hinges on something entirely unexpected?

Six Ways to Handle the Dreaded Salary Question
04/24/2018

If you are asked what you were paid in the past, and most interviewers do ask, here are some things to say.

Read what Clive Roux, CEO of SEGD has learned about SEGD members satisfaction with their association
04/11/2018

SEGD has been working on a continuous cycle of improvements to its programs and content to ensure that it remains relevant and becomes more vital for members. How satisfied are members with the changes? Did the organization get a thumbs up or down for the on-going improvements? How has SEGD's membership changed over the past five years?

Off Grid 18 in Summary
03/30/2018

“Off Grid 18,”the second-annual international experiential graphic design event created by the Wellington Chapter of SEGD, transpired over four days and four cities in late February. The theme was “Experiential City,” which posed the question, “What is the ‘experiential city’ and where does design fit in?”

Ted Leonhardt: Defending Your Ask with Confidence
03/27/2018

Even after you’ve worked with a client to define the project scope, there will be other challenges. Often, these include internal pressure to reduce costs.

Design To Go
03/13/2018

In this week's installment of Design To Go, Diane Burk travels to Greece, visiting Athens, Crete and Thessaloniki.

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Upcoming SEGD Events

2023 SEGD Academic Summit
2023 Wayfinding and Placemaking
2023 Experience Washington D.C.