New Work: Society for Environmental Graphic Design
A Pentagram team led by Michael Gericke has designed the new identity and website for the Society for Environmental Graphic Design. SEGD’s members are a “global community of people working at the intersection of communication design and the built environment.”
The site makes use of the new symbol designed by Pentagram. The mark consists of four brightly colored panels that can be interpreted as three-dimensional forms, printed graphics or interactive menus. On the site these panels act as visual springboards for the website content, providing sections for news, conferences, awards, publications and learning.
Gericke developed the project with Pentagram Partner Lisa Strausfeld. Clarity, functionality, and accessibility drove the redesign. The team developed the site entirely in Javascript. This not only enabled seamless animations and transitions normally found on Flash websites, but unlike Flash also makes the site accessible to the visually impaired through the support for screen readers and the ability to change the type size. The goal was to provide a better functioning tool for people to reach a variety of resources, to convey what SEGD is about and to portray the broad range of disciplines its members practice.
The assignment for the 36-year-old nonprofit organization was driven by the SEGD’s strategic plan, which lays the groundwork for the organization’s growth over the next several years. It also supports the group’s goals to increase international membership, build awareness of environmental graphic design, and continue its leadership on design issues including universal accessibility, sustainability, and dynamic environments.
Project Team:
Michael Gericke, Lisa Strausfeld, Partners
Seong Yang, Jennifer Rose, Christian Marc Schmidt, Designers
Gillian de Sousa, Project Manager
Rubenstein Technology Group, Site Development
