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Five people gather around a large table covered with colourful urban planning maps, while additional map posters hang on the wall behind them. Despina Macris gestures with a pen as the group discusses the designs in a studio setting.

SEGD names Dotdash co-founders as 2026 Fellows

Five people gather around a large table covered with colourful urban planning maps, while additional map posters hang on the wall behind them. Despina Macris gestures with a pen as the group discusses the designs in a studio setting.

Congratulations to Australian wayfinding practitioners Despina Macris and Mark Ross, co‑founders of Dotdash, who have been named among the 2026 SEGD Fellows. The Fellowship recognises designers whose long‑term influence has shaped experiential design, reflecting decades of contribution rather than a single achievement.

Despina and Mark established Dotdash in Brisbane in 1987, developing a multi-disciplinary approach to wayfinding that integrates architecture, culture, accessibility and human experience. Their work spans major international events, including multiple Olympic Games and World Expos, as well as complex public environments across Australia, the UK and the Middle East. They have also helped shape government wayfinding principles and inclusive design standards.

This body of work reflects the broader contribution that SEGD Fellowship recognises: not simply individual projects, but a sustained influence on the evolution of wayfinding as a discipline, and commitment to supporting the next generation of designers.

About Dotdash.

A quote displayed in white text on an orange‑to‑red gradient background reads: "Wayfinding isn't something you apply to a place. It grows from understanding the place itself. We've never thought of ourselves as sign designers. We're designing the relationship between people and their environment."