…And the winners are…

August 13, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Filed under Design competition, SEGD Articles, SEGD Design Awards

Projects ranging from a bicycle path in Lisbon to an airplane factory in Seattle and a police memorial in Los Angeles were recognized in the 2010 SEGD Design Awards Program.

All 43 winning projects are featured in the latest issue of segdDESIGN magazine. The print edition is on the streets and the digital edition is available on the SEGD website. While you’re there, enjoy the archive of past winners.  – P.M.K.

SEGD says goodbye to Leslie Gallery Dilworth

July 12, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Filed under SEGD Articles

Leslie Gallery Dilworth, FAIA, has retired from SEGD this month after 12 years as its executive director and CEO.

“As an organization, we are in Leslie’s debt,” says Wayne McCutcheon, current SEGD president and principal of Entro Communications (Toronto). “Her leadership and devotion have resulted in tremendous growth and success in our organization and our field.”

Dilworth, founding executive director of Philadelphia’s Foundation for Architecture prior to becoming SEGD’s executive director in 1998, is credited for leading the development of a multi-faceted educational program for environmental graphic designers and for fostering SEGD’s leadership in areas such as ADA compliance, sustainability, and dynamic environments.Dilworth was the architect of significant changes in SEGD, particularly its transformation from a small association focused primarily on signage to an international, education-focused nonprofit that embraces a diverse array of design disciplines, technologies, media, and educational resources.

Dilworth recognized EGD’s strategic position at the confluence of many design disciplines, from architecture and industrial design to interior and graphic design, interaction design, and landscape architecture. And she led SEGD’s Board of Directors to take an inclusive stance on membership, embracing designers from all of these disciplines, as well as those who plan, buy, and create visual communications in the built environment.

“When Leslie came on as executive director, we were an organization—and a field—in its adolescence. Leslie had a grown-up vision for us,” says Wayne Hunt, FSEGD, past president of the SEGD Board of Directors and principal of Hunt Design (Pasadena).

“Leslie has helped open all our eyes to the scope and potential influence of environmental graphic design,” adds McCutcheon.

One of Dilworth’s most important legacies to the SEGD community is the award-winning segdDESIGN magazine, which began publication in 2003.

“I knew that EGD needed to define, showcase, and celebrate itself, and a magazine was the best way to do that,” Dilworth explains. “Environmental graphic design has enormous impact on our lives, both in providing a sense of place and in helping people navigate an increasingly complex built environment. Those who work in the field of EGD have considerable influence in how we shape our world.”

During the SEGD Annual Conference + Expo in Washington, D.C., in June, Dilworth was honored with the SEGD’s Gold Arrow Award in recognition of her contributions to the organization and the field of EGD. A video produced to honor her tenure is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn8zTBv4dOk.

The SEGD Board of Directors is currently searching for Dilworth’s replacement. Ann Makowski, COO, is serving as interim executive director. — A.M.