WASHINGTON, DC (December 9, 2014)  – Graham Hanson, founder and president of New York-based branding, strategy, and interactive design studio Graham Hanson Design, is Chair of the 2015 SEGD Global Design Awards jury. The multi-disciplinary awards jury will evaluate projects in seven categories, including two new digital experience categories that reflect the impacts that technology is making on the field. 

"Like all areas of design, EGD and XGD are evolving rapidly due to a variety of factors,” says Hanson. “Most importantly, designers’ ability to execute on a large scale has become more practical due to more efficient production methods, better environmental options, and economical digital technologies. Corporations and organizations are realizing what design and technology can bring to the workplace, the retail environment, exhibits, and the urban landscape."

The new Interactive Experience category reflects the fact that user experiences are increasingly complex, media-rich, and interactive. The new Digital Experience Content category recognizes the important role that content plays in experience design. Awards will also be made in Wayfinding, Placemaking and Identity, Exhibition, Public Installation, and Strategy/Research/Planning.

Hanson’s own design practice is indicative of the shifts happening in design. Over the past 15 years, the studio has increasingly embraced digital technology and now a substantial portion of its work is either primarily interactive or in projects that encompass both digital and physical components. Hanson’s recent work includes large-scale projects for a broad range of clients, including the Kuwait National Museum, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, American Express, Carnegie Hall, and Google.  

Hanson has convened a jury that includes expertise in architecture and graphic design, experience design, digital technology, branding, public art, and academia. 2015 jurors include:

• Michael Donovan, designer, entrepreneur, and founding partner of marketing communication and design consultancy Donovan/Green (New York)
• Jody Graff, associate professor and director of graphic design in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University (Philadelphia)
• Nik Hafermaas, international award-winning artist, designer, and educator whose art platform Ueberall (Los Angeles) conceives and produces data-driven art installations 
• Javier Lloret, award-winning interaction designer whose work crosses the boundaries between media art, design, and architecture (Rotterdam)
• Kristine Matthews, owner and principal of sustainable design-focused Studio Matthews (Seattle) and chair of the Visual Communication Design program at the University of Washington
• Stephen Minning, branding and wayfinding specialist and founder/managing partner of BrandCulture (Sydney)
• Lana Rigsby, president and creative director of Rigsby Hull (Houston), which specializes in communications design, branding, and design for the built environment
• Anthony Vitagliano, who combines art with technology in his position as director of experience design at Digital Kitchen (Chicago)

Past winners in the SEGD Global Design Awards have ranged widely, from interactive installations to architectural signage. The 2014 Best in Show winner was the architecturally integrated mediascape at LAX’s new Tom Bradley International Terminal, created by a multi-disciplinary team that included MRA International, Sardi Design, Moment Factory, and Digital Kitchen.  

Early entries to the awards program are due January 31, 2015, through SEGD’s online entry system. Winners will be honored during the 2015 SEGD Conference June 4-6 in Chicago, as well as on www.SEGD.org and in SEGD’s award-winning eg magazine and other media outlets. Submission guidelines are downloadable. Past Design Award winners are featured in SEGD’s extensive awards gallery. 

3M is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2015 SEGD Global Design Awards. 

About the SEGD Global Design Awards
Since 1987, the SEGD Global Design Awards have set the standard of excellence for environmental and experiential graphic design—honoring design work that connects people to place by providing direction, content, and compelling experiences in public spaces.