Thursday 9 July 2026 (1pm BST)
H2E studio co‑founder Ingūna Elere joined the Sign Design Society for an online seminar exploring how clinical and structural constraints in healthcare environments can be transformed into spaces that are intuitive, emotionally supportive, and deeply human. She presented her three‑tier framework (Function, Value, and Meaning) as a practical and philosophical foundation for healthcare experience design.
Ingūna demonstrated this approach through two of H2E’s recently completed wayfinding schemes for Latvia’s healthcare sector.
Children’s and Youth Mental Health Centre She showed how a butterfly‑based zoning system, neuro‑inclusive wayfinding, and sensory‑friendly spaces were used to support neurodivergent patients through calm, research‑driven design.
Emergency & Outpatient Health Centre She also discussed how storytelling characters — the Red Deer and the Blue Crane — guide children through large‑scale graphics, sculptures, interactive projections, and tactile furniture designed to reduce anxiety and aid orientation.
Throughout the seminar, Ingūna emphasised that environmental graphics and placemaking are not decorative additions but essential therapeutic tools that help turn complex buildings into legible, reassuring, and emotionally attuned environments.
About the speaker
Ingūna Elere is co-founder and Design Studio H2E Creative Lead, Professor at the Art Academy of Latvia, and co-founder of SEGD (the Society for Experiential Graphic Design) Riga Chapter. Ingūna believes that design is constantly evolving and dynamic, that everyone is entitled to good design, and that design is a tool for creating better services and experiences. The interaction of space and graphics creates an experience that affects users in the long run. Interdisciplinarity is key to the work of H2E. Ingūna’s experience is based on classical art education which has developed in her professional practice for more than 20 years. In 2025 Ingūna Elere was awarded the SEGD Fellow designation, the organisation’s highest honour, recognising individuals whose work has made a profound and lasting impact on experiential design.
