FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2009

2009 SEGD Conference + Expo "Blurs the Boundaries" in San Diego

Washington, DC ­ San Diego, a city where cultures converge and where design, public art, branding, and placemaking blend in a gorgeous setting, is the venue for the 2009 SEGD Conference + Expo May 27-30.

“Blurring Lines, Crossing Borders, Ignoring Boundaries,” is the theme for the annual event, the only international conference focused on communications in the built environment.

It’s a fitting theme not only for San Diego, but for the environmental graphic design community and design in general, says Amy Owen, 2009 conference chair, SEGD director, and Gensler senior associate.

“Design is increasingly global, pan-disciplinary, multi-media, and amorphous, defying all of the traditional boundaries,” she explains. “Where does architecture stop and graphic communication begin? What’s the difference between exhibition design and retail store design? How will new media affect design in the built environment?”

The 2009 program celebrates the dynamic, category-defying state of design today with an engaging schedule of presentations, panels, social events, and SEGD’s signature Workshops on Wheels that allow busy professionals to get out in the world and experience design projects first hand.

Come for the sun; stay for the inspiration
Program headliners include design journalist Carl Alviani (coroflot.com and Core77); Eric LaBrecque, whose firm Applied Storytelling developed Detroit’s new “D- Brand”; Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford, who will focus on innovation; and Moira Gemmill, director of projects, design, and estate for London’s venerable-but-daring Victoria & Albert Museum. Other speakers include industrial designer Stuart Karten on ModeMapping, SmashLAB founder Eric Karjaluoto on social media, Luis Fitch of Uno on designing for the Hispanic market; curator and researcher Matthias Hank Haeusler on dynamic environments; and Craig Hanna of Thinkwell on creating compelling stories and environments.

Workshop tours will include the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Louis I. Kahn’s masterpiece in La Jolla, San Diego’s diverse historic neighborhoods, Chicano Park and its storied murals, and Tijuana, Mexico.

Technical workshops include specifications and implementation, software, and materials for wayfinding and exhibition design.

The conference also includes a one-day Expo, during which attendees can mingle with over 70 targeted product and service sponsors and meet project collaborators with expertise in EGD and related projects.

Other conference highlights include the naming of the 2009 SEGD Fellow, SEGD Excellence Awards, and winners of the 2009 SEGD Design Awards Program.

Reality check
The conference will also focus a series of presentations on the current economic climate, including a leadership panel called “Surviving in a Tough Economy: Rules for the New Terrain.” Other sessions will focus on business and marketing strategies and best practices during a down economy.

“We’re in a very challenging economic time, and we realize our conference needs to provide real-world strategies for dealing with it,” says Owen. In addition to the programming, conference organizers streamlined workshops, tours, and events to minimize costs.

“We recognize that it takes a substantial investment to attend a professional conference, and we’ve spent a lot of time looking at ways to cut costs and making sure that our conference delivers an excellent value,” says Nazie Dana, SEGD’s director of conference and meetings. All-inclusive conference registration fees are lower than last year’s, and SEGD is offering other incentives including a 15% early- bird rate and a free third night at the conference hotel with two paid nights.

For attendee and exhibitor information or to register online, visit SEGD’s 2009 conference website, www.blurring-lines.com.

About SEGD
Founded in 1973, the Society for Environmental Graphic Design is the global community of people working at the intersection of communication design and the built environment. Through educational programs, research, and publications, SEGD’s mission is to increase awareness of the environmental graphic design community, promote the importance of the discipline in establishing place, and continue to refine standards of practice for the field.

SEGD
1000 Vermont Ave NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202 638-5555
E-Mail: ann@segd.org
Website URL: www.segd.org