San Diego Museum of Man
Katherine Yee
RAL Quick Grant Spring 2013 Cycle
Narrative Report
A multidisciplinary community creating experiences that connect people to place.
Experiential graphic design is truly a multidisciplinary field. Bridging the gap between architecture, graphic design, multi-media, and communications, this new field is constantly navigating the changing landscape as new technology emerges. My membership with SEGD (Society for Experiential Graphic Design), funded by the Quick Grant from the Rising Arts Leaders of San Diego, has allowed me to network with fellow creatives who are working to shape learning and immersive environments.
The SEGD network includes a local San Diego chapter, which I have been involved with throughout my membership. Two highlight local events included a series of presentations by local professionals, and a tour of the new San Diego Central Library created by renowned architect Rob Quigley.
The first event was titled “San Diego New Year’s Resolutions” and was created as an opportunity to reflect on 2013 and discuss what we hope to accomplish in 2014. The speakers included Amy Levine, Principal/Design Director at Visual Asylum, Graphic Design Instructor at San Diego City
College, and AIGA Y Conference Chair, Brian Dyches, Sr. Digital Strategist & Experience Designer at OpenEye Global, and Roderick Treece, Sign Painter and Owner of Custom Glass Signs. The event started off with networking and refreshments, and transitioned into presentations from the three presenters about their experiences from last year and hopes for the future. The topics were diverse.
Amy Levine spoke about participating in things that made her happy, which included, design, family, education, and AIGA. Amy owns a design business called Visual Asylum with her sister. The pair specializes in creating branded experiences that include visual wayfinding, retail
environments, and placemaking. She spent several minutes sharing the variety of projects she has worked on over the year, including the MGM Grand Pool Signage, DeliLux identity and environmental graphics, and AVA MD Medical Spa. Amy loves what she does and finds happiness in sharing it with her sister. In addition to her business, Amy also teaches Graphic Design at San Diego City College and volunteers her time with AIGA.
Brian Dyches, took a very different approach to new years resolutions. Brian is an authority on global retail design, marketing and customer experience elements such as social media & behavioral characteristics in various consumer environments. He spoke about the integration of
technology and digital signage into upcoming projects. New applications he highlighted included mapping clothing onto blank mannequins for retail stores, automating clothing warehouses to deliver specific sizes to dressing rooms, which the customer browses the store, and technology which would allow customers to try clothing on digitally.
The third speaker, Roderick Treece, showed the flipside to Brian’s presentation. Roderick owns his own sign painting business, specializing in handpainted glass signs. From a disappearing art of sign painting, Roderick brings back the craft for interior designers, restaurants, bars, and private
homes. His largest commission has been for Ralph Lauren, creating a set of antiqued advertising mirrors with Designer Dikayl Rimmasch Dunkley. While he calls himself more of a craftsmen then a designer, he hopes that designers utilize his talents for future projects.
The second SEGD local event was a tour of San Diego’s new central library. The library was designed by architect Rob Quigley, and has been 44 years in the making. Through a series of public workshops, Rob wanted the building to be for the people. The public decided in these workshops that they wanted a dome-topped building like what they had seen in Balboa Park. The iconic latticework dome Quigley created took into consideration the sun’s movement and is used to shade the great, airy, reading room. The building in the middle of downtown has a beautiful view from the top and Rob Quigley wanted to make sure that the public had access to that view. The building has lots of natural light, public spaces, and art incorporated throughout. It was a fun journey taking a tour of the library. There are so many details that went into the design and how much thought and consideration the architect took to designing the space for a purpose. Even the windows on the bottom floor are designed to look like open books.
It is truly fascinating to learn how designers are making an impact on the spaces around them, through thoughtful, well-executed design. These connections and experiences would not be possible without the support of the Rising Arts Leaders and the San Diego Foundation. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to network with the diverse people part of SEGD.
