The Hollywood & Highland retail/entertainment complex emerged as the cornerstone of one of the most celebrated boulevards in the world. The obvious challenge was to create a fresh, conceptual, graphic statement for a project whose subject matter had repeatedly overused every cliché in the book. The design approach was to create a comprehensive system of unified identification and wayfinding elements to be used as navigational tools within the built environment, directing visitors as they circulate through the impossibly complex nine-level architectural maze.
Set apart from the new casinos of the last few years, the Palms was built for the local Las Vegas visitor. Theming the property was far down on the list of priorities when this friendly and approachable desert resort was created, although out-of-town visitors also recognized the appeal. Patterns in combination with a color palette, inspired by Maynard Dixon's paintings of the Southwest, evoke the impression of palm trees as affected by sunlight and shadow, and form the core of the visual identity for the project.
Expansion of Cincinnati’s Duke Energy Center was designed to help position the convention center as a key venue for sought-after national and regional events. Part of the challenge was creating very large-scale, meaningful identification and placemaking graphics that would attract attention, unify the old and new parts of the building, and fit within a modest budget.
Deborah Sussman is recognized as a pioneer in environmental graphic design. She is internationally renowned for creating arresting visual imagery and designing its highly imaginative applications for architectural and public spaces. Her passion for the marriage of graphics and the built environment, fueled by her early career at the Eames Office, has led to collaborations with planners, architects, and clients.
It's not easy to command attention in glitzy Las Vegas, but Fashion Show Las Vegas is visible by contrast through the use of clean lines and creative technology. Fashion Show's brand/identity references two classic logos associated with the highest standards in fashion: the simple black and white Chanel No. 5 box and the elegant Didot logo of Vogue magazine. The purity of black and white functions as an envelope for all the tenant activity and stands out among the dizzying visual noise that is Las Vegas.
The renovation of the AMC Cinema at Universal City Walk has raised the bar for movie-going experiences in Los Angeles. After large architectural gestures proved to be unfeasible, the design team was brought on to make a bold graphic statement within the confines of the existing structure and a limited budget. The first task was to create the “big idea” that the targeted demographic would respond to. Since the majority of City Walk movie-goers are 18 to 25 years old, the design team created a visual statement that would appeal to this age group.
For extraordinary service to SEGD and the field of EGD
Recipients of the Gold Arrow have made large and long-term contributions to the strength of SEGD as leaders of their organizations, icons in the field, or supporters of SEGD's goals.
