You could get an idea of what was to come at our symposium in this Motasdesign podcast episode, featuring SDS Chair Andrew Barker.
SDS and SEGD were delighted to collaborate again, on a symposium for 2025. Our event, proudly sponsored by Electrosonic, was part of this year’s London Design Festival.
This year’s symposium theme encompassed ideas around sustainability, technology, smart cities, AI, and what the wayfinding industry might look like in the future.
The event was held in person at the Building Centre in Bloomsbury, London.
Symposium talks and speakers:
- Wayfinding 2.0 (AI), Peter Reynolds, Wayfinders (POSTPONED)
- People, patterns and pathways: Harnessing behavioural data and personal experiences to define the future of venue navigation, Simon Borg, Populous
- Immersive and inclusive wayfinding through multi-sensory design, Ángel Sánchez, Gensler
- Placemaking and community building: New identity, meaning and messages for places, Luca Ballarini and Marta Doria, Stratosferica (ONLINE VIA ZOOM)
- The rise of personalised wayfinding in the age of agentic AI, Alison Richings, Endpoint
- Please do touch – the importance of physical wayfinding in an increasingly digital world, Nadine Smith, Jackson Daly
The talks and speakers
In running order on 18 September.
Wayfinding 2.0 (AI) POSTPONED, TO BE THE SUBJECT OF THE NOVEMBER ’25 SDS SEMINAR
[This talk looks at how emerging technologies, especially AI and IoT, are going to change the way we plan, develop, and manage wayfinding systems. It’s about how we, as designers and consultants, will work differently in terms of wayfinding strategy, design, monitoring and maintenance. The bigger question is: where do we add value in all of this? If the process becomes faster, more automated, more measurable, what does a good wayfinding consultant look like in five years? This talk doesn’t have all the answers, but it will offer a clear picture of what’s already possible and what’s coming next.
Prior to ‘landing’ in the wayfinding world, Peter Reynolds was a strategy director with a major, global tech firm. Peter is the founder of Wayfinders, a wayfinding design consultancy based in Ireland. Over the past seven years, he has led the company’s evolution from a design studio to a tech-enabled spatial logic practice. Peter’s team has delivered major wayfinding projects across public and private sectors, from airports to hospitals, with a growing focus on systems thinking and digital transformation.]
People, patterns and pathways: Harnessing behavioural data and personal experiences to define the future of venue navigation
This talk explored how venue navigation is shaped by the interaction between people, patterns, and pathways. Though traditional wayfinding, using signs and symbols, seems neutral, it often mirrors the values and biases of its creators, prioritising efficiency rather than equity. The speaker urged a re-examination of ‘user-centred’ design, particularly in large, year-round venues such as sports and entertainment hubs. Emphasising the need for collaborative approaches, the future of wayfinding should draw on diverse, community-led voices. Notably, emerging trends now include multilingual systems and initiatives that consider different languages, abilities, and cultural backgrounds, reflecting the communities they aim to serve.
With over two decades of international experience in creative agencies, Simon Borg excels in experiential design, graphic design, wayfinding, branding, and naming rights activation. As Creative Director of Populous’ brand activation and experiential design group, he crafts memorable customer experiences in sports and entertainment spaces. Since joining Populous in 2004, Simon has led wayfinding and brand activation projects for high-profile venues, including London’s O2 Arena, London 2012 Olympics, MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Co-op Live Arena. His current portfolio spans the UK, Europe, and the Middle East, reflecting his passion for innovative design and impactful brand experiences.
Immersive and inclusive wayfinding through multi-sensory design
In an era where human experience seems to be the central axis of design discourse, the senses offer a tangible framework to interrogate what experience truly entails. While the term multi-sensory has gained traction across disciplines, design remains overwhelmingly vision-dominant. This presentation challenged that paradigm by proposing a redefinition of wayfinding and branding as inherently multi-sensory practices capable of generating richer, more intuitive, and more inclusive experiences. Drawing on insights from multiple research projects from the Gensler Research Institute, it was argued that a multi-sensory environment does not merely layer stimuli; rather, it orchestrates them into a cohesive and emotionally resonant spatial identity.
Ángel Sánchez is a graphic designer passionate about all aspects of design, with a particular expertise in wayfinding. He thrives on transforming spaces by creating intuitive navigation systems and refined visual storytelling that enhances the user experience. With a strong cultural background shaped by living in Spain, the UK and France, Ángel brings a diverse perspective to his work. Since joining Gensler in 2013, he has worked across a range of sectors to translate complex environments into intuitive, human-centered visual experiences. In 2021 Ángel moved to Paris to establish and lead the brand design team at Gensler’s Paris office, expanding the firm’s European presence in experiential design.
Placemaking and community building: New identity, meaning and messages for places (ONLINE VIA ZOOM)
The cities, places, and spaces we frequent daily are an important part of our quality of life. Increasingly, how a place is perceived as “ours” depends on its potential uses and the values it embodies. How can graphic design and visual identity help convey a positive sense of place and generate a sense of appreciation or even belonging? What aspects of verbal and visual communication can be considered to create an original, creative, and welcoming space that can generate a sense of community around it? The practice of Stratosferica —a social enterprise active since 2014 that organises the yearly festival of city making and urban innovation Utopian Hours— brings together in a multidisciplinary way different aspects of visual design, communication, branding, urbanism and architecture in placemaking—an emerging and holistic form of urban agency—and in participatory processes of urban regeneration, helping citizens and communities to rethink the image of the city and our relationship with public space.
Luca Ballarini is a designer, editor and placemaker, an architect by training, self-taught by vocation. With nearly 30 years’ design experience, he is founder of: Social enterprise Stratosferica, for which he curates the international festival Utopian Hours and placemaking interventions such as Corso Farini and Dorado in Turin and other Italian cities; Bellissimo, an award-winning communication design studio; and Open House Torino, the large, free public event that opens the city’s architecture to 25,000 people every year. Luca is a trend-setter and passionate creative entrepreneur, who loves to redefine his role as a designer in the contemporary world.
Marta Doria is a graphic designer and communicator, with a degree from Istituto d’Arte Applicata e Design (IAAD) in Turin. She first became involved with Stratosferica through her thesis project which focused on placemaking in Turin. This initial collaboration led to the project Precollinear Park, marking the beginning of her ongoing professional relationship with the studio. Marta is currently Head of Design at Stratosferica, responsible for the visual identity and design applications for both the company’s own projects and client commissions. She also contributes to Open House Torino. Since 2022, she co-leads art direction classes at IAAD, sharing her expertise with the next generation of designers.
The rise of personalised wayfinding in the age of agentic AI
This presentation explored the evolving future of wayfinding in an era of intelligent tools, digital twins, and personalised navigation. As static signage gives way to agentic AI and wearable technologies, navigation shifts from universal messages to tailored, context-aware experiences. Emerging trends, smart devices suggesting routes, adaptive accessibility tools, and the next leap toward ambient, invisible wayfinding services were all examined. The talk addressed opportunities, trust, and ethical considerations, asking what skills and frameworks designers will need. Blending speculative futures with real-world developments, it considered what it means to “be found” in a world that increasingly finds you first.
Alison Richings leads Endpoint’s wayfinding design team, shaping strategic and creative direction for major global projects. With over 20 years’ cross-sector experience, she has delivered impactful designs for destinations including Everton FC’s Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium, National museum Norway, Oxford North Innovation district and Heathrow Terminal 5. Alison is a recognised expert in wayfinding strategy, researching how navigation supports inclusivity, accessibility, and sustainability. She shares her expertise through talks, publications, and the Wayfinding Xchange podcast, and served as a RIBA panel judge in 2025. She champions people-focussed, sustainable design that enhances experience and architectural identity.
Please do touch – the importance of physical wayfinding in an increasingly digital world
As the digital and physical worlds become more closely intertwined, the accelerating pace of technology often brings into question the requirement of physical wayfinding. This talk explored the continued importance of built wayfinding objects, and their purpose in a world with an expanding digital integration into daily life. Briefly considering the value of the physical from a psychological perspective, what we do when technology fails, designing for accessibility, and the opportunities digital overlay provides wayfinding practice.
Nadine Smith is a speaker, educator and practitioner in the realm of experiential design. She is currently Creative Director at Jackson Daly for their wayfinding department. Keen to bridge the gap between design education and practice, Nadine is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Kent, having written and delivered wayfinding modules for undergraduate courses both there and across several other UK institutions. Professionally, her completed projects include large scale wayfinding schemes such as stadiums, transit hubs, mixed-use masterplans and healthcare. She has worked internationally with big-name architects across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
