George Lim

2008 Distinguished Member
George Lim is the Founding Partner and Creative Director of Tangram Design, a lecturer at the University of Colorado School of Environmental Design, and an active member and supporter of the Society of Experiential Graphic Design. With over 30 years of professional experience, George has established himself as a leader in the practice of environmental graphic design and as an authority in the design of branded environments for culturally sensitive, municipal and private projects. His experience includes designing and implementing wayfinding signage systems and programming for airports, universities, municipalities, retail environments, resorts and parks and trails.

Tangram is a creative design firm whose design focus is the practice of environmental graphic design (EGD) – a discipline that involves the planning and design of branded signage and wayfinding programs. Tangram’s success is driven by their people and their commitment to execute with excellence and apply innovative strategies and design solutions to improve the social, economical and environmental well being of the communities they serve. Intertwining their passion for design and the desire to improve local and global communities, Tangram fosters partnerships with government, business, and community representatives to promote environmental improvements, social responsibility and stewardship initiatives. Tangram is a design firm that aims to use their design talent to create better and safer places for people now and in the future.
George has been involved with teaching environmental graphic design at the university level for over 20 years. With active involvement in educational efforts headed by SEGD and of his own personal accord, George developed EGD curriculums and workshops that are still being used in the classrooms of university campuses. George started his teaching career at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design where he established the first Degree in Graphic Design with an Emphasis in EGD. He also helped develop the SEGD Kent State University Summer Design Workshop, an intensive two week summer program that focused on the design of experiences, branded environments and wayfinding signage programs that became a direct supplier of qualified young designers to the EGD professional community.

George was the 2008 SEGD Angel Award honoree, former Denver Chapter Chair and past Board Member of the SEGD. Some of his efforts include creating and chairing the SEGD Young Designers Summit and creating and chairing the SEGD Academic Summit. He is currently SEGD’s representative on the International Code Council’s ADA & Building Codes Subcommittee, to advise in the updating of the new ADA guidelines as it relates to signage. He has also represented the SEGD in the review and writing of the codes and guidelines for the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for Streets and Highways of the Federal Highway Administration.

George earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design and Digital Media from the Tyler School of Art, of Temple University in Philadelphia and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from the University of Denver.