As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I want to take a moment to commemorate a few visionary women who have been mentors, leaders, and inspirations to me over the years. As a woman-owned business, I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the women who paved the way toward a more equitable, and thoughtfully designed future. They have, and continue, to redefine, reshape, and reimagine wayfinding strategy and design.
A common thread between myself and these women is Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD). All of these women have been recognized as SEGD Fellows, a tradition since 1987 to recognize individuals for creating a body of work that exemplifies the highest standards in experiential graphic design.
SYLVIA HARRIS
A co-founder of Two Twelve Associates, and founder of Sylvia Harris LLC, Sylvia had an immense impact on the design world – as a leader, mentor, and community advocate. I met Sylvia in 1996 and I had the privilege of working with her for three years before her untimely death in 2011. Her legacy lives on in the groundbreaking work for digital consumer banking systems for Citibank, the 2020 US Census, and the SEGD Sylvia Harris Award. This annual award recognizes designs that exemplify an unerring commitment to improve the civic experience.
JANE DAVIS DOGGETT
A pioneer and leading figure in graphic design of the 20th century, Jane initiated the use of color-coded letters at Newark Airport and this approach identified and indexed airport terminals that set the best practice for airport wayfinding. Her work has been a guidepost for me as I work through the complexity of space, wayfinding tools and mediums, always guiding me toward simplifying our complicated world.
CHRIS CALORI
A founding partner of CVEDesign, which became part of Entro Communications in 2018, she is recognized as one of the 25 most influential designers in Environmental Graphic Design. As author of ‘Signage and Wayfinding Design: A Complete Guide to Creating Environmental Graphic Design Systems’, her book is referenced in higher education as a resource for understanding the process and systems of wayfinding.
VIRGINIA GEHSHAN
As a founding partner of Cloud Gehshan, Virginia’s trademark process called “placebranding” integrates identity, storytelling, signage, and information systems to build a comprehensive experience for users. As past president and board member of SEGD, Virginia played a pivotal role in the development of the wayfinding profession.