The 2024 SEGD Class of Fellows
SEGD announces its 2024 Class of Fellows.
Washington, D.C., August 21, 2024 — As SEGD (the Society for Experiential Graphic Design) continues to amplify the field of experience design, we are honored to introduce the 2024 Class of SEGD Fellows. Since 1987, the SEGD Fellows designation has recognized individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to experiential and environmental graphic design, setting the standard for innovation and leadership in our industry.
Today, SEGD proudly unveils the 2024 Class of Fellows: Shirin Frangoul-Brückner, Marquise Stillwell, and Stefan Sagmeister—visionary leaders whose work exemplifies the highest standards of design practice and leadership. These trailblazers join an esteemed group of 49 previous honorees, including design luminaries such as Paula Scher, Bruce Mau, Deborah Sussman, Massimo Vignelli, Lance Wyman, Sylvia Harris, Robert Venturi, Michael Gericke and Wendy Evans Joseph.
Alan Jacobson, FSEGD, Chair of the 2024 SEGD Fellow Committee, praised the new Fellows, stating, “Each individual’s accomplishments and contributions to the practice and advancement of environmental and experiential graphic design exemplifies the highest ideals in uniquely different aspects of design, leadership and influence.”
A Celebratory Ceremony on the Horizon
On Saturday, September 28, 2024 at the SEGD Conference Experience Dallas, the 2024 Class of Fellows will be celebrated during the Fellow & Achievement Awards Ceremony. This event provides an opportunity for the design community to come together and honor the exceptional journeys, insights, and creativity of our newest Fellows as they receive their well-deserved recognition.
We warmly invite the global experience design community, esteemed clients, design students, educators, journalists, and associated professionals to attend the SEGD Conference, held at the Fairmont Dallas from September 26-28, 2024, and participate in the Fellow & Achievement Awards Ceremony on the morning of Saturday, September 28, 2024. Comprehensive agenda details and registration rates are available online at SEGD.org.
Insight into the 2024 Class of Fellows
Exclusive interviews with each Fellow will be featured in the 2024 SEGD Awards Annual, available at the SEGD Conference and for all members and subscribers later this year.
Join us in celebrating the 2024 SEGD Class of Fellows:
Shirin Frangoul-Brückner – 2024 SEGD Fellow
Shirin Frangoul-Brückner is a visionary designer and the founding partner of ATELIER BRÜCKNER, a global leader in museum and exhibition design. Shirin launched the firm in 1997 alongside Uwe R. Brückner, and soon grew ATELIER BRÜCKNER from a modest scenography and architecture studio into an internationally acclaimed design powerhouse. Guided by the principle of “making the impossible possible,” Shirin’s adept storytelling and multi-sensory approach seamlessly integrate content and spatial translation, creating compelling and immersive experiences for global audiences.
Shirin studied architecture in Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart, and her educational journey laid the foundation for her role as a leading figure in design. ATELIER BRÜCKNER has embraced the motto “Form Follows Content,” creating immersive narrative architectures that artfully communicates content through scenography. The firm now consists of 130 employees and operates from offices in Stuttgart and Seoul, implementing both temporary and permanent projects on a global scale.
Since 2019, Shirin has been joined in managing the company by partners René Walkenhorst, Britta Nagel, Stefanie Klinge and Eberhard Schlag. Together, they continue to redefine the boundaries of exhibition design, exemplified by projects like the narrative scenography for the 2023 SEGD Global Design Award winner Museum of the Future – Journey of the Pioneers in Dubai. This collaborative approach ensures that ATELIER BRÜCKNER remains at the forefront of creating interactive and inclusive spaces that captivate and engage audiences.
Shirin’s impact on the design world extends beyond her role at ATELIER BRÜCKNER. Her exceptional storytelling and multi-sensory design methods have significantly shaped the fields of museum and exhibition design. Her adept management of complex international projects has garnered widespread respect. Shirin’s dedication to excellence, coupled with her integrity and reliability, has earned admiration from clients, collaborators, and peers. Additionally, her involvement in 2024 professional associations, including the German Design Club and her role as a University Council member at Augsburg University, reflects her commitment to advancing design and nurturing emerging talent.
Shirin Frangoul-Brückner’s leadership and unwavering dedication to creating exceptional experiences through design underscore her status as a leading figure in experiential design. Her remarkable career and contributions to museum and exhibition design cement her as a true industry trailblazer.
Marquise Stillwell – 2024 SEGD Fellow
As a designer and community builder, Marquise Stillwell’s career is rooted in a profound curiosity for people and spaces. His journey has spanned over two decades of practice and began with a deep interest in how humans interact with their environment and the systems that shape their experiences. This curiosity evolved into a passion for designing solutions that enhance environments and foster inclusivity.
Marquise holds an MBA and an MA in Economics, which laid the groundwork for his understanding of social behavior and spatial negotiation. Early in his career, he worked in corporate roles that offered insight into large ecosystems and how people collaborate within them. These experiences set the stage for his transition to entrepreneurial endeavors.
In 2009, Marquise founded Openbox, a New York City-based design research and planning studio dedicated to exploring the intersection of people and systems. His work at Openbox led him to co-found Opendox, a film company that highlights lesser-known narratives in art, science, nature, and politics. At Opendox, Marquise has executive produced the acclaimed film The New Bauhaus and co-directed This World Is Not My Own, which premiered at SXSW and Hot Docs.
Marquise’s commitment to making impactful, people centered projects remains a consistent thread throughout all of his work. In collaboration with Room for Magic, he co-founded Deem Journal, a biannual print journal and online platform focused on design as a social practice.
As a way to dig deeper into the overlap of fine art and tech, he co-founded Artmatr, an international community of artists and engineers merging digital technology with traditional painting methods. Recognizing the urgent need for coastal resilience, he co-founded Urban Ocean Lab with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Jean Flemma to develop policy solutions for coastal cities. Most recently, Marquise acquired Stae, an open-source data hub that helps people visualize and leverage city data.
Marquise’s core values—Inclusivity, People-Centered Approaches, Community, and Innovation—drive his approach to design and community-building. He believes in creating spaces that embrace our shared humanity while valuing our differences. His work across design, art, and culture exemplifies how these fields can serve as catalysts for unity and positive change.
Stefan Sagmeister – 2024 SEGD Fellow
Known for his unorthodox and provocative designs, Austrian graphic designer and typographer Stefan Sagmeister has made a significant impact on the design world, having worked for clients as diverse as The Rolling Stones, HBO, and the Guggenheim Museum.
Born in Austria in 1962, Stefan began his design career at 15, working with the youth magazine Alphorn. After studying in Vienna and New York, he worked at Leo Burnett in Hong Kong. In 1993, he joined Tibor Kalman’s M&Co in New York, where Kalman became a pivotal influence. That same year, Stefan founded his own studio, Sagmeister Inc., shaping iconic designs for major artists and brands.
Stefan is acclaimed for his exploration of the profound themes of happiness and beauty. His projects delve into how design can influence our emotional wellbeing and aesthetic appreciation. The exhibition “The Happy Show,” which toured globally, combined data visualization, self-experimentation, and graphic design to provide insights into what makes people happy.
In 2018, Stefan and his design partner Jessica Walsh organized the critically acclaimed exhibition “Beauty” at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Vienna. The show explores the impact of beauty on our emotions and behaviors and continues to travel in updated forms, reflecting Stefan’s deep engagement with this timeless subject.
Stefan’s impressive career includes winning two Grammy Awards for his album art: one for the Talking Heads box set “Once in a Lifetime” in 2005, and another for David Byrne and Brian Eno’s “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today” in 2010. An educator as well as a designer, he teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York and has been appointed as the Frank Stanton Chair at the Cooper Union School of Art.
Notably, Stefan takes a year-long sabbatical every seven years to focus on personal projects and experimentation, underscoring his commitment to creativity and innovation. His contributions to design have been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2013 AIGA Medal and the Golden Medal of Honor of the Republic of Austria in 2013.
Stefan Sagmeister’s work continues to inspire and challenge the status quo, making him a pivotal figure in contemporary design, especially in his explorations of happiness and beauty.
2024 Achievement Award and Class of Fellows
The 2024 Achievement Award Chair and SEGD Board Member, Genell Hoechstetter of Art Processors, along with Alan Jacobson, FSEGD, of Exit Design and Chair of the 2024 SEGD Fellows Committee, in collaboration with the 2024 Fellow Committee and the SEGD Board of Directors, meticulously vetted and reviewed candidates. With the generous support of Designtex, the 2024 Achievement Awards sponsor, they are proud to honor individuals who exemplify the highest standards of experiential design.
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.
We extend our sincere thanks to Designtex for their generous sponsorship of the 2024 SEGD Fellow & Achievement Awards.