On Oct. 13 and 14, the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) held two in-person events—Branded Environments and Xlab in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image. Three FIT students in the MA program in Exhibition and Experience Design (EED), Jenny Hsin-Yi Chang, Lyka Williams, Ciera Iveson, were the only students selected to present their work alongside industry experts at these events. A recent graduate of the program, Naz Ertugrul, also participated.
The Branded Environments event focused on “brand experiences that transform engagement within public spaces.” This year, numerous design professionals spoke about “The Art of Storytelling” from their perspective. The second event, Xlab, which “searches to discover how the digital and physical realms can interact to continuously create unique experiences,” was held on Oct. 14 at the same location.
Chang and Williams presented their second semester projects at the Branded Environments event. Chang shared her semester-long project, sponsored by the Museum of Moving Image, to rebrand the institution and create interior and exterior wayfinding and placemaking; Williams presented her concept for a retail pop-up for brand Allbirds in the Times Square Foot Locker store.
On the second day during Xlab, Ertugrul and Iveson presented their theses. Ertugrul’s thesis, Flow, is a proposed installation about female motocross racing at Superblue Miami. It demonstrates the use of smartphones to enable exhibition visitors to chronicle their experiences and foster a deeper awareness and connection.
Iveson’s thesis, Seldom Is Heard: Voices of the Cowgirl, is a proposed exhibition at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles that employs adaptive storytelling, which uses technology to allow visitor decisions to affect their experience. The exhibition reveals the mindset of the cowgirl, who creates new possibilities for women across the country despite many obstacles.