The 2023 SEGD Book List

December 13, 2023

We are amazed at how brilliant our SEGD members are. In our community, we often hear that the generosity of our members in sharing their talents and knowledge is what people love about SEGD. As a special gesture, we are highlighting a selection of books that were authored by SEGD members in 2023. We think these are the perfect items to read and gift for the holiday season!

Pentagram: Living by Design

In 2023, SEGD and its members celebrated a milestone year. As SEGD reflects on its 50th anniversary, we extend our congratulations to Pentagram, our esteemed Foundation Sponsor, on also reaching their 50th anniversary. This milestone is further honored by Pentagram’s contribution in designing the SEGD 50th logo and spearheading our brand refresh. The firm’s influence is also reflected through the recognition of SEGD Fellows Paula Scher, FSEGD, and Michael Gericke, FSEGD.

Pentagram’s journey over the past five decades is exquisitely chronicled in “Pentagram: Living by Design,” a two-volume magnum opus. 

The first volume, “The Biography,” delves into an analytical narrative of Pentagram’s evolution from its 1970s inception in London to its status as a global design titan. It includes an array of images, many published for the first time, alongside a visual essay showcasing Pentagram’s diverse sectoral projects, insightful writings from partners, and a detailed Pentagram family tree. 

The second volume, “The Directory,” profiles fifty past and present partners, illustrating the firm’s legacy through their remarkable works. This comprehensive collection, ranging from the founding quintet to leading figures in modern design, is interspersed with a complete list of personnel across Pentagram’s global offices. Both volumes are masterfully designed by Tony Brook and the Spin design team, encapsulating Pentagram’s half-century of design excellence and innovation.

The Exhibition and Experience Design Handbook 

Tim McNeil, a dedicated SEGD member, SEGD Academic Task Force Member, and content contributor, is set to chair the 2024 SEGD Exhibition and Experience Symposium on June 20-21, 2024. His involvement in SEGD underscores his expertise in the field.

In “The Exhibition and Experience Design Handbook,” Professor Timothy J McNeil, director of the UC Davis Design Museum, delves into the art of creating engaging museum and gallery exhibitions, and themed environments. This insightful guide, published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers and the American Alliance of Museums in 2023, traverses the history, practice, methods, and techniques of exhibition design, highlighting its role in crafting immersive experiences. 

McNeil’s book is a rich tapestry of today’s dynamic, interactive exhibitions, emphasizing design’s pivotal role in transforming these spaces into memorable, informative experiences for an increasingly discerning audience. The book breaks down twelve fundamental design principles and methods, illustrated through over 250 images, 36 case studies, and examples spanning a century. It’s an indispensable resource for understanding the intricacies of exhibition and experience design. 

McNeil’s insights have been shared on podcasts like “We The Museum” and “Making the Museum” further highlighting his authority in this field.

Decolonizing Design 

Recipient of our 2023 SEGD Educator Award, Dr. Elizabeth (Dori) Tunstall is a design anthropologist, author of Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook, and an organizational design catalyst and executive coach. A recognized leader in the decolonization of art and design education, she received the 2022 Sir Misha Black Award for Distinguished Service to Design Education as well as the inaugural BADG of Honour for Design Education from the Black Artists and Designers Guild.

Decolonizing Design is a guidebook to the institutional transformation of design theory and practice by restoring the long-excluded cultures of Indigenous, Black, and People of Color communities.

From the excesses of world expositions to myths of better living through technology, modernist design, in its European-based guises, has excluded and oppressed the very people whose lands and lives it reshaped. Decolonizing Design first asks how modernist design has encompassed and advanced the harmful project of colonization—then shows how design might address these harms by recentering its theory and practice in global Indigenous cultures and histories.

A leading figure in the movement to decolonize design, Dori Tunstall uses hard-hitting real-life examples and case studies drawn from over fifteen years of working to transform institutions to better reflect the lived experiences of Indigenous, Black, and People of Color communities. Her book is at once enlightening, inspiring, and practical, interweaving her lived experiences with extensive research to show what decolonizing design means, how it heals, and how to practice it in our institutions today.

For leaders and practitioners in design institutions and communities, Tunstall’s work demonstrates how we can transform the way we imagine and remake the world, replacing pain and repression with equity, inclusion, and diversity—in short, she shows us how to realize the infinite possibilities that decolonized design represents.

We also have an offering for the “Future Designers of Experiences”:

Signs Have Much to Say

Author Lauren Stern is a long-standing SEGD Member and a Co-Chair of our SEGD Charlotte Chapter. Lauren’s passion for sharing knowledge and mentorship in the area of environmental graphics and signage is contagious and evident in her new book that teaches young people that “signs have much to say.” SEGD was proud to sponsor this book and Lauren generously included our logo – try to spot it within the pages!

Lauren Stern’s journey to authorship began in elementary school, where her love for books and creativity was nurtured through writing and illustration projects. This early experience planted the seed for her first book, “Signs Have Much to Say,” published in early 2023. Lauren’s academic pursuits in Interior and Exhibition Design at Appalachian State and the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design further honed her skills in visual storytelling and experiential design. Her professional career, spanning fabrication shops to signage design firms, enriched her expertise.

The inspiration for Lauren’s book emerged in 2021 during a visit with her niece, where she noticed a lack of children’s books about her design field. This sparked the idea to write a book combining her passion for storytelling and experience design, focusing on the significance of signage and wayfinding. The narrative follows a young girl, also named Lauren, and her dog Dewey, as they embark on an adventure, learning about the world through signs. The book, a blend of education and creative marketing, is a testament to Lauren’s ingenuity and dedication to her field.

SEGD-Inspired Gifts

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for your team or peers? Pair these captivating reads authored by our talented SEGD members with carefully selected items from our SEGD Merch Store! Create a thoughtful, SEGD-inspired gift that combines knowledge and creativity for a truly special holiday season.

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.

SEGD is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit education organization.