SEGD (the Society for Experiential Graphic Design), a multidisciplinary global community of professionals, has announced the 2024 Class of SEGD Fellows. Since 1987, SEGD Fellows has honoured individuals who have achieved substantial and lasting contributions to experiential and environmental graphic design, establishing the benchmark for industry innovation and leadership.
Shirin Frangoul-Brückner, Marquise Stillwell, and Stefan Sagmeister are the 2024 Class of Fellows. They are visionary leaders who set the highest standards for design and leadership. They join an esteemed group of 49 previous honorees.
Alan Jacobson, FSEGD, chair of the 2024 SEGD Fellow committee, says: “Each individual’s accomplishments and contributions to the practice and advancement of environmental and experiential graphic design exemplifies the highest ideals in uniquely different aspects of design, leadership and influence.”
The new Fellows will be celebrated on 28 September at the Fellow & Achievement Awards Ceremony during the SEGD Conference Experience Dallas. Exclusive interviews with each Fellow will be featured in the 2024 SEGD Awards Annual.
Shirin Frangoul-Brückner
Shirin Frangoul-Brückner is the founding partner of Atelier Brückner, a global pioneer in museum and exhibition design. Established in 1997 with co-founder Uwe R. Brückner, the firm has become a design powerhouse.
Frangoul-Brückner’s storytelling and multi-sensory approach, guided by the philosophy of “making the impossible possible” and Atelier Brückner’s “Form Follows Content”, bring engaging and immersive experiences to global audiences. This results in immersive narrative architecture that effectively communicates content through scenography.
Frangoul-Brückner now manages the company with partners René Walkenhorst, Britta Nagel, Stefanie Klinge, and Eberhard Schlag. The team continues to push exhibition design frontiers, as seen in projects such as the narrative scenography for the 2023 SEGD Global Design Award-winning Museum of the Future – Journey of the Pioneers in Dubai.
Her influence on design goes beyond Atelier Brückner. Her multi-sensory design and storytelling skills have greatly influenced museum and exhibition design. Her expertise in managing complex international initiatives has earned her significant praise. Frangoul-Brückner is admired for her integrity, reliability, and drive to excellence among clients, colleagues, and peers. She participates in professional associations like the German Design Club and Hochschule Augsburg University Council, demonstrating her dedication to advancing design and developing new talent.
Frangoul-Brückner is a significant figure in experiential design due to her passion for creating outstanding experiences through design. Her extensive career and contributions to museum and exhibition design make her an industry pioneer.
Marquise Stillwell
Marquise Stillwell, a designer and community builder, is driven by a deep interest in people and spaces. With over 20 years of expertise, he focuses on human-environment interactions and systems that impact their experiences. He has a passion for inventing solutions that improve environments and promote diversity.
Stillwell’s MBA and MA in Economics shaped his understanding of social behaviour and spatial negotiation. In his early career, he gained insight into vast ecosystems and collaboration within them through business responsibilities. These events paved the way for his entrepreneurial journey.
In 2009, he founded Openbox, a design research and planning company focused on examining the relationship between people and technologies. He then co-founded Opendox, a film business that spotlights under-represented narratives in art, science, nature, and politics.
Stillwell consistently prioritises impactful, people-centred projects in his work. In partnership with Room for Magic, he developed Deem Journal, a biennial print and online publication highlighting design as a social practice.
He co-founded Artmatr, a global community of artists and technologists who combine digital technology with traditional painting processes to explore the intersection between fine art and technology. He also co-founded Urban Ocean. Lab with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Jean Flemma to create coastal city policy solutions. Stillwell purchased Stae, an open-source data hub facilitating city data visualisation and use.
Stillwell’s design and community-building approach are based on his beliefs of inclusivity, people-centred approaches, community, and innovation. He values inclusive spaces that value our shared humanity and differences. His design, art, and cultural work demonstrate how these professions may promote harmony and constructive change.
Stefan Sagmeister
Stefan Sagmeister, an Austrian graphic designer and typographer, has influenced the design world with unconventional and provocative designs. He has worked for clients such as The Rolling Stones, HBO, and the Guggenheim Museum. Born in Austria in 1962, he started his design career at 15 with the youth magazine Alphorn. After studying in Vienna and New York, he joined Leo Burnett Hong Kong. In 1993, he joined Tibor Kalman‘s M&Co in New York, where Kalman had a significant impact.
Sagmeister launched his own company, Sagmeister Inc., in the same year. He created iconic designs for renowned artists and businesses. He is known for exploring deep issues like happiness and beauty. His initiatives explore the impact of design on emotional well-being and aesthetic enjoyment. The Happy Show, an installation that travelled the globe, uses data visualization, self-experimentation, and graphic design to explore happiness.
Sagmeister and his design partner Jessica Walsh organised the celebrated “Beauty” show at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Vienna in 2018. The show examines how beauty affects emotions and behaviour, evolving with Stefan’s passion for this timeless topic.
He has received two Grammy Awards for his album art. He is an academic and designer who teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York and holds the Frank Stanton Chair at Cooper Union School of Art.
Sagmeister takes a year-long sabbatical every seven years to pursue personal projects and experimentation, demonstrating his dedication to creativity and innovation. He has received multiple honours for his design work, including the 2013 AIGA Medal and the 2013 Austrian Golden Medal of Honour. Sagmeister plays a pivotal role in contemporary design. He inspires and challenges the status quo through his studies of happiness and beauty.
2024 Achievement Award and Class of Fellows
The 2024 Achievement Award Chair and SEGD Board Member Genell Hoechstetter of Art Processors, together with Jacobson, carefully screened and evaluated candidates in cooperation with the 2024 Fellow Committee and the SEGD Board of Directors. With the kind assistance of Designtex, the sponsor of the 2024 Achievement Awards, they are honoured to recognise people who represent the pinnacle of experiential design.
See also: SEGD at 50 – reigniting passion for experiential design
