2025 SEGD Conference Experience San Francisco

We are pleased to share an exclusive opportunity for you to attend the 2025 SEGD Conference Experience San Francisco—the annual gathering of the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD).

Taking place November 13–15, 2025, at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, the conference will explore the theme “Designing Possible Futures.” This three-day event brings together a multidisciplinary global community of designers, strategists, educators and fabricators who shape how people experience place.

Designing for Empathy, Resilience and Possibility

Under this year’s theme, SEGD invites attendees to consider how design can cultivate resilience, empathy and imagination across disciplines—from experiential graphics, wayfinding and branded environments to digital and exhibition design.

“Design today is about more than making spaces legible or beautiful,” says Cybelle Jones, CEO of SEGD. “It is about resilience, empathy and possibility—qualities that allow us to shape experiences that matter now and endure for the future. This year’s program asks: What futures can we design, together?”

The event will take place in one of the world’s most iconic creative cities—San Francisco, a place known for its layered history, cultural complexity and constant reinvention. Against this dynamic backdrop, delegates will explore how design can drive transformation without erasing identity, history or place.

A Global Forum for Experience Design

The 2025 SEGD Conference features over 20 speakers and sessions that intersect culture, equity, technology and play. This year’s lineup includes voices from around the world whose work bridges design thinking and human experience:

• Quinlin Messenger, JUSTDesign
• Gamynne Guillotte, SFMOMA
• Jeremy Mende, Mende Design
• Rodrigo Isasi, Empathy (Peru)
• Karishma Sheth, Airbnb
• Michaela Pihl Olsen, Urgent.Agency (Denmark)
• Forest Stearns, Draw Everywhere Studios / Google Quantum AI
• Jamie Shaw, LMNL Studio
• Bradley “GMUNK” Munkowitz, Digital Artist and Director

Each day of the conference is built around a unifying theme:

• Day 1 — In Times Like These: exploring design as a practice of trust, resilience and civic responsibility.
• Day 2 — Designing Futures: envisioning the role of creativity, technology and narrative in building equitable and interconnected worlds.
• Day 3 — Making Our Mark: reflecting on legacy, mentorship and the evolving impact of experiential design.

Program Highlights

The conference opens with a Welcome Reception on Wednesday, November 12, followed by a full agenda of keynotes, panels and networking events:

• Curated tours of museums, cultural landmarks and studios that showcase San Francisco’s innovation and spirit.
   
• The President’s Reception and Annual Auction for Excellence, an evening celebrating SEGD’s vibrant community.
   
• The SEGD Global Design Awards Ceremony and Reception, honoring the most creative and impactful experiential projects from around the world.
   
• The Achievement Awards and Fellows Celebration, recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the field.
   
• A closing keynote by Lisa Demetrios of the Eames Institute, exploring how the legacy of Charles and Ray Eames continues to inspire curiosity and experimentation in design today.
   

Attendees will have the opportunity to connect through NEXPO (a curated showcase of materials, technology and fabrication partners) and Emerging Experiential Professional (EXP) sessions designed for students and early-career designers.

A Shared Commitment to Design’s Future

As the professional association for experience designers worldwide, SEGD has long championed the intersection of design disciplines—from environmental graphics and exhibitions to media, public art and placemaking. This year’s program underscores that commitment by inviting collaboration across communities, geographies and generations.

“We are living through a moment that demands more from design—more listening, more care and more courage,” adds Jones. “Designing possible futures means holding complexity, designing with presence and approaching our work as an evolving, relational practice—not a fixed outcome.”