SEGD Riga Chapter | Design for Democracy

The event will take place on November 12, from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM Riga time (EET, UTC+2).

Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83922779351

Design can help strengthen a democratic society; its power lies in creating an inclusive, accessible, and participatory environment.

On November 12, the international online event “Design for Democracy” will explore the synergy between design, well-being, and equal access for all. Expert speakers will share their insights and real-world experience, demonstrating how design can directly impact democracy and uncover meaningful ways to foster inclusion, active participation, and quality of life across public life.

Speakers:

Peter Post, Germany – Democracy Won’t Design Itself

Democracy needs more than strong institutions; it needs a strong civil society. Peter Post will share projects ranging from independent journalism and digital empowerment to circular economy initiatives in public spaces, demonstrating how brand, communication and service design can give civil society a stronger voice and empower people to shape the society they want to live in.

Peter Post is an award-winning Brand and Service Designer, Partner at Studio Peter Post × Petra Esveld, and founder of Circular-Experience.org. His work is centered on sustainable innovation and driving systemic change through design. Peter’s approach focuses on creating positive customer experiences in the circular economy and developing optimistic brands for NGOs and purpose-driven initiatives. His projects have received widespread recognition, earning prominent honors including the German Ecodesign Awards, the UX Design Awards, the German Designer Club Awards, and Redesign Democracy accolades. Peter is actively engaged in leadership and advisory roles across the design industry, serving on the Board of the International Design Center Berlin (IDZ), as an Ambassador for the UX Design Award, and as a Council Member for the German Federal Ecodesign Award. He is also a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation community.

Traci Sym and Daniel Meyers, USA – Ireihi, A National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration

Sharing a behind the scenes look at the process of designing the Ireihi monuments, which will invite visitors to participate in ritual actions which honor and commemorate victims and their ancestors.

Traci Sym is an award-winning Experience Designer, Creative Director and co-founder at Plus And Greater Than. Her early career in the performing arts shaped the foundation of her design practice. Traci’s approach centers on exploring the emotion and intent of design. Her collaborative process leverages diverse methods of inquiry and experimentation. She has directed the development of significant permanent exhibitions and immersive installations across North America, designing large-scale interactive projects for global brands and institutions including the National Building Museum, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, to name a few. Prior to founding +&>, she served as the Media and Experience Design Director at Skylab Architecture and Second Story Interactive Studios. She has a BA in Theater and Literature from UNCW and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London. Traci serves as the Past President of the International Board of Directors for the Society of Experiential Designers, SEGD.

Daniel Meyers RA is an architect working at the edges of the profession. As co-founder of Plus And Greater Than, he’s helped to build a practice focused on the interweaving of cultural and physical contexts, to create places of lasting symbolic significance and deep utility. Daniel’s architectural practice has produced numerous award-winning exhibitions, residential & commercial buildings and interiors. In addition to his architectural practice, he has served as a Creative Director in experience and digital design studios – an experience that positions him to better understand the cultural context of built work, and to better appreciate and address the dynamic nature of communities that our projects are meant to serve. Daniel is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Navy. Daniel holds a BA in English Literature from Reed College and a M.Arch, University of Oregon. He is a Registered Architect in the state of Oregon.

Plus And Greater Than is a design studio known for producing emotionally and intellectually provocative work. In collaboration with institutional, educational, historical, civic, and cultural clients, we create participatory experiences that optimistically address 21st century challenges. We’ve built a talented community around our studio that produces world-renown work for cultural clients both big and small. As a group, we’ve delivered projects for everyone from the National Building Museum and Las Vegas’s Sphere to the Deschutes Public Library and the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry. Our practice is an active workshop located in Portland, OR, USA. We are a women-owned, veteran-owned practice.

Kitija Norenberga, Latvia – Liepāja polling station. Designing an inspiring public space for democracy

Kitija Norenberga will present a project by H2E Design Studio, developed in collaboration with the Liepāja State City Municipality’s polling station, demonstrating how environmental graphic design can transform conventional polling stations into open, inspiring and welcoming spaces that encourage citizens to participate in elections.

Kitija Norenberga is a designer at the design studio H2E in Riga, Latvia, specializing in identity, wayfinding, environmental graphics, and exhibition design, transforming spaces into clear and engaging visual experiences. Her approach combines functional spatial navigation with storytelling to create intuitive, human-centered environments for public spaces. Kitija graduated from the Art Academy of Latvia with a bachelor’s degree in Design.

Moderator:

Dagnija Andersone, Latvia

Partner and managing director of the design studio H2E. Educated in Business Administration at SSE Riga and Creative Industries Business Management at BA School of Business and Finance.

Dagnija has over 20 years of experience managing design projects of diverse scales and complexities, including the development of exhibitions for the Riga Motor Museum and the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, the realization of the Soviet Occupation Memorial, among others. She has overseen numerous international and local projects that have received the highest industry recognition, both nationally and internationally, including the Red Dot Design Award, SEGD Design Award, iF Design Award and ADC Award.

H2E Design Studio

H2E Design Studio is an interdisciplinary design practice driven by inventive, bespoke solutions that bring together top-tier specialists, in-depth expertise, and state-of-the-art multimedia and technology. The studio expertly approaches space as a visual experience and design as an essential communication tool that meaningfully impacts everyday life. H2E is a member of the international professional organization SEGD and the founder of the SEGD Riga Chapter (segd.org), focusing on the intersection of spatial environments and graphic design. Since 2018, the practice has also been a member of the Latvian Design Council, an advisory body to the Ministry of Culture. The studio’s work is consistently celebrated on the international stage, demonstrating its excellence through some of the industry’s most prestigious accolades. Design Studio H2E’s portfolio features multiple SEGD Design Awards – including the top honor, SEGD Best of Show – as well as the German Design Award, Red Dot, and the iF Design Award. The studio’s global standing and leadership in experience design are further underscored by the 2026 SEGD Global Design Merit Award for the exhibition “The Great Void. Holocaust in Liepāja”.