Highlights from the 2024 SEGD Academic Summit

July 2, 2024

The 2024 SEGD Academic Summit was presented by SignAgent.

Last week, SEGD hosted the annual 2024 SEGD Academic Summit on June 26 and 27. This virtual two-half-day event is a forum for trends in design education research, projects and curriculum innovation for design academics, students and researchers. The 2024 SEGD Academic Summit was presented by SignAgent.

Joell Angel-Chumbly, Academic Task Force Chair opened the webinar by introducing the two-day signature event, noting “this virtual event provides the opportunity to engage in multi-level conversations, that we as the experiential design community, must have to forge pathways forward for diversity in design education and professional practice.”

Selected from SEGD’s annual call for papers, our (16) presenters were selected from the anonymous peer-reviewed selection process; and include two student global design award winners. Each day was grouped into two overarching themes followed by interactive breakout sessions for the last hour of the day.

Day One Highlights

Session 1:  Session 1 featured three presentations focusing on “Inclusive Methods in Practice and Pedagogy.”

Andrea Cardinal, Assistant Professor of Design at Bowling Green State University presented: “Building an Anti-Racist Practice Through Critical Making Experiences in the Time-Based Media Classroom.” 

Dr. Tonya Meyrick, Senior Lecturer at Deakin University shared “Site-Specific Cultural Entanglement: Readdressing the Complexity of Indigenous-Colonial Representation in Environmental Design Through Empathy-Driven Solutions in Naarm / Melbourne,” co-authored with Dr. Russell Kennedy, Senior Lecturer at Deakin University.

Jacquelyn Iyamah, Equity Designer at Making the Body a Home presented “A Death by a Thousand Designs: The Impact of Racial Inequity in Spatial Design.” 

Presenters then gathered to participate in a panel discussion moderated by Academic Task Force members Michele Y. Washington, Design researcher /strategist and Neeta Verma, Researcher / Designer / Educator.

Session 2: Session 2 featured presentations focused on “The Politics of Storytelling.”

Arundathi Rajan, Final year student of Exhibition Design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, presented “Exploring Exhibition Design – Unraveling Narratives.”

Francesca Teng,  Spatial Experience Designer, and Alexandra Narciso, Experiential Designer at Fashion Institute of Technology, co-presented “Stuck in Suburbia: A Filipina-American Experience.”

Emily Tse, Exhibit Designer at Nationwide 360, presented “Artificial Minority.” 

Jocelyn Zhao, Designer at ArtCenter College of Design shared her presentation “Fabric Museum: TextLoom.”

Academic Task Force Members Timothy McNeil, Professor, UC Davis, Department of Design / Director, UC Davis Design Museum; and Christina Lyons, Professor & Chair, Fashion Institute of Technology, Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design then led a moderated discussion with Session 2 presenters.

Day 1 Breakout Sessions: Following the presentations, participants then broke into two groups to participate in lively discussions and collaborative activities focused on two key topics:

Topic 1: “Designing Multi-Sensory Experiences and Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration” was moderated by Joell Angel-Chumbley and Debra Satterfield, Professor of Design, California State University, Long Beach. 

Topic 2: “Critical Perspectives: Design Criticism, Writing, Research Methods, and Ethics” was moderated by Willhemina Wahlin, Acting Associate Head of School, School of Communication and Creative Industries, Faculty of Arts and Education; and Cybelle Jones, CEO of SEGD.

Day Two Highlights

Session 3: Session 3 featured three presentations focusing on “Exploring Equity and Representation in Spatial and Exhibition Design.”

Amy Huber, Professor at FSU Florida State University, and Arely Cavazos, Designer / Adjunct Instructor at DAG Architects / Florida State University, co-presented “Building Retail Futures: A Stakeholder and Community-Engaged Approach.”

Muhammad Rahman, Assistant Professor at Ullman School of Design, College of DAAP, University of Cincinnati, presented “Efficacy of Typography in Signage: A Collaborative Approach Between Regional Transit Authority and Academic Research Institution.”

Katelyn Lynch, Academic Advisor for the department of Design at CSU, Long Beach;  Julie Hurley, Lecturer at California State University, Long Beach; and Debra Satterfield, co-presented “Voices of Design: A Design Workshop for Community Building, Student Engagement and Academic Success.” 

Presenters gathered for a panel discussion moderated by Academic Task Force members Angela Iarocci, Professor & Coordinator, Sheridan College, Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design; and Debra Satterfield.

Session 4: The group came back together after a 15 minute break to hear Session 4 speakers focused on “Designing for Accessibility, Health and Wellbeing.”

Taekyeom Lee, Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented “Graphic Design Education for Accessibility with Digital Fabrication.”  

Kimberly Mitchell, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at University of Tennessee Knoxville, “Design for Healing: Transforming a Hospital Playroom.”

Wan-Ting Lin, Experiential Designer, presented “Shade of Empathy: Widening Your Perspective About Color Blindness.” 

Academic Task Force Members Aija Freimane, Design Researcher, Professor at TU Dublin School of Creative Arts, Ireland, and Member of SEGD Riga Chapter, Latvia; and Yeohyun Ahn, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design & Interaction Design, University of Wisconsin Madison moderated a panel discussion with Session 4 speakers.

Day 2 Breakout Sessions:  Following the presentations, participants then broke into two groups to participate in lively discussions and collaborative activities focused on two key topics:

Topic 1: “Effective Academic Communication: Design Abstracts, Paper Writing, and Grant Proposals,” moderated by Debra Satterfield and Sofia Ingegno, Student MA_HXDI at CSULB.

Topic 2: “Fostering Leadership and Mentorship: Engaging in Student Activities and Extracurricular Involvement,” moderated by Cybelle Jones and Neeta Verma.

Looking Ahead

Following this virtual event, authors will be developing full manuscripts which will be published later this year in SEGD’s digital Academic Journal, Communication + Place.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of the 2024 SEGD Academic Summit. We look forward to offering these free, virtual forums for trends in design education research, projects and curriculum innovation for design academics, students and researchers. 

About the SEGD Academic Task Force

The Academic Task Force, a diverse team of US-based and international design faculty, researchers, and practitioners, is dedicated to sharing resources and research to promote global academic design education and professional practice.

Academic Task Force Chair 
Joell Angel-Chumbley, Adjunct Faculty, University of Cincinnati DAAP, Communication Design Supervising Lead – EGD, City of Cincinnati, DOTE, Architecture + Urban Design

Academic Task Force Members
Yeohyun Ahn, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design & Interaction Design, University of Wisconsin Madison

Aija Freimane, Design Researcher, Professor at TU Dublin School of Creative Arts, Ireland; Member of SEGD Riga Chapter, Latvia 

Angela Iarocci, Professor & Coordinator, Sheridan College, Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design

George Lim, Lecturer, University of Colorado School of Environmental Design; Founding Partner Tangram Design; Former SEGD Denver Chapter Chair; Former SEGD Board Member

Christina Lyons, Professor & Chair, Fashion Institute of Technology, Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design

Tim McNeil, Professor, UC Davis, Department of Design / Director, UC Davis Design Museum 

Muhammad Rahman, Assistant Professor, Univ of Cincinnati, DAAP; Assistant Editor of the Visible Language peer-reviewed design journal

Amy Rees, Adjunct Faculty, Drexel University, Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, Partner, Studio Director, Exit Design

Loran Sanvido, Adjunct Faculty, Univ of Cincinnati, DAAP; Design Research Lead + Educator, Live Well Collaborative

Debra Satterfield, Professor of Design, California State University, Long Beach   

Neeta Verma, Researcher / Designer / Educator

Willhemina Wahlin, Acting Associate Head of School, School of Communication and Creative Industries, Faculty of Arts and Education 

Michele Y. Washington, Design researcher /strategist

About SEGD

We are designers of experiences connecting people to place. SEGD is a multidisciplinary community collectively shaping the future of experience design. We are a thought leader and an amplifier in the practice of experience design. Learn more at segd.org.