Welcome to the Sign Design Society

The Sign Design Society (SDS) is for anyone interested in information and graphic communication within buildings and public spaces, including:

As well as raising the profile of our disciplines, we offer members a programme of events, resources and initiatives to help them:

To join choose a membership plan that suits you and sign up!

Our events

A group of people sit around a table completing a sensory‑mapping activity. Each person has a worksheet divided into grids labelled “Sound #1” to “Sound #5,” with small sketches and handwritten words inside the boxes describing different sounds such as “Humans,” “Birds,” “Baby crying,” “Blast,” and “Machines.” Coloured pens, markers, and an orange water bottle are scattered on the table.

Sensory mapping is an emerging practice that helps people, especially neurodivergent individuals and those with sensory sensitivities, anticipate the sensory qualities of buildings and public spaces. Buro Happold’s research, aligned with PAS 6463 principles of clarity, choice and calm, explored how sensory maps can better reflect lived experience through co-creation, workshops, literature review and a global survey. The study highlights how sensory information is communicated, the challenges of representing sensory experiences, and the potential for sensory maps to support more inclusive wayfinding and confident navigation of the built environment.

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News

Third party events

A group of people sit around a table covered with colourful illustrations representing creativity and teamwork. In the centre is a large yellow circle with a light‑bulb icon, surrounded by drawings such as gears, an eye, a magnifying glass, an open book, and arrows connecting the symbols. The individuals appear to be collaborating or brainstorming, with notebooks, coffee cups, and devices on the table.

Designing accessible technologies and services plays a vital role in facilitating social and civic inclusion for people with diverse abilities; yet inclusion is equally vital to creating them. The methods through which research and design are conducted should themselves be inclusive, so that people with diverse abilities can participate as co-designers and co-owners of the work. Nevertheless, researchers working across ability-diverse populations often find themselves without a clear starting point. Existing guidelines are scarce and often difficult to adapt to specific contexts and communities. Translating resources into practice requires tailored vocabularies and procedures that are rarely documented or shared.

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Promotional image for SEGD pre-conference bootcamp on 21 October '26, 'Wayfinding, Plannding and Design'

How do people actually navigate a space? How can designers make that journey clearer, more intuitive, and more accessible? Start your SEGD Conference experience in Kansas City with Wayfinding, Planning, and Design, a four-hour, hands-on Bootcamp.

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Close‑up view of metal movable type blocks arranged in rows, showing raised reversed letters used in traditional printing.

Oldest working commercial letterpress printers in the UK – a living museum of Victorian history. Book onto a 90-minute tour.

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Exhibition: Letters Unlimited

Start date: 30 October 2026
End date: 26 November 2026
Excerpt: Stone surface with carved French lettering reading “LE VENT SOUFFLE OÙ IL VEUT,” engraved in a tall, stylised serif typeface.

The Lettering Arts Trust and Albion Stone presents ‘Letters Unlimited’, an exhibition showcasing the work of the very best up-and-coming letter carvers.

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Tomorrow Mobility: World Congress

Start date: 3 November 2026
End date: 5 November 2026
Tomorrow Mobility: World Congress 2026 image showing a range of transport related pictograms in blue, green and yellow

In an era of ever-growing cities and technological innovation, Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress stands as the premier gathering for smart urban mobility. This essential go-to platform unites industry executives, organization leaders, and changemakers who are driving the evolution toward a greener and more efficient transportation ecosystem. Here we’ll uncover strategies and solutions for creating urban mobility systems that enhance health and […]

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