The Steering Group

The Society is a private company limited by guarantee with appointed Directors delivering the formal functions of Chair, Company Treasurer and Secretary. The Society holds an Annual General Meeting, open to all members.

The strategic direction and Society’s programme of activities is determined and managed by a Steering Group (SG). All current SG members are professionals in one or other of the fields served by the Society. They participate voluntarily and receive no financial remuneration.

Day-to day activities including member communication, organising events and maintaining the website is the responsibility of the Society Administrator, who is employed by the Society under contract.

The success of the Society relies on the resources and enthusiasm of our membership. We’re always keen to hear from members with new ideas or who are interested in in getting more involved. If you are able to contribute your time – however small – please speak to the SDS Chair or a member of the Steering Group.

Details on all members of the Steering Group are given below:

Co-Chair and publications

Andrew Barker

Andrew has been working as a designer and project manager for over thirty years since studying typography and graphic communication at the University of Reading. In that time he has designed for print, digital, and environmental contexts, including eleven years on the staff of Penguin Books.

He is currently self-employed, working mainly in wayfinding design and book design. He is also just finishing his PhD looking at the relationship between behaviour and design, and, having planted one foot back in research, he is hoping to act as an advocate for the benefits of research for design practice in providing a solid evidence base for design decisions. His interest throughout is in helping people to achieve their goals (whether that’s finding the right platform in a train station, or deciding what to cook for dinner) as easily as possible.

Andrew’s creative practice also includes making live art and performance, mainly with the company he co-founded: The Five Andrews. Their performances have been seen in a variety of unlikely venues including a paddling pool in Zurich, and their film work has been shown at festivals on every continent.

Andrew joined the steering group in 2017, mainly because he can’t help interfering in how things are run.

Standards and inclusive design

Simon Hillier

Simon is Associate & Planning Director at Applied Wayfinding, the design studio best known for its pioneering work in legible cities. Since 2003, he has delivered research, strategy and design for major public realm, transport and cultural projects around the world. Part of the original Legible London design team, he has since developed wayfinding systems in New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore, Paris and Qatar.

Originally from an audio engineering background, Simon first became interested in the application of information in the environment while studying Graphic Design at Central St. Martins and Camberwell College of Arts.

With a particular passion for inclusive design, Simon currently provides wayfinding support for Building Regulations: Part M (Access to and use of buildings), and represents the Sign Design Society on the British Standards Committee for Accessible and Inclusive Environments.

Design evaluation

David Kemp

David is a shareholder and Director of Air Design which he joined in 2002.

Originally from a research background, David has over 20 years of consulting experience within the fields of market research, branding, wayfinding and interiors.

A key member of the leadership team, David has played an important role in building Air’s international profile, working with the Department of International Trade to help Air to enter new markets.

David has a wealth of experience in the property sector, and likes nothing better than rolling up his sleeves, engaging with clients, brands and places to help conceptualise and deliver placemaking strategies.

His expertise and leadership skills have helped Air deliver award-winning wayfinding solutions to clients such as IKEA, Emaar, Berkeley Group and Russian Railways.

Design evaluation

Andrew Beattie

Andrew has over 30 years professional experience, specialising in design within the sectors of architecture and the built environment.

He was at the forefront of web design during the 90s’ working for top interactive agency, AMX Digital. After completing a MA in Design Management, Andrew
became the Graphic Design Manager in 2007 for architectural practice, Foster and Partners.

Andrew’s experience in user-focused interactive design, branding and architecture resulted in a natural progression towards wayfinding. He became an independent consultant in 2008, working with leading wayfinding consultancies and architectural practices.

Andrew’s projects have included many pedestrian and large public transport wayfinding systems, such as Vancouver, Lusail City, Rio, New South Wales and Russian Railways (RZD). He has also been involved in the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium, and various other high projects for multi-national clients including universities, hotels and large corporate campuses.

When not travelling the globe through work, Andrew is a committed mountain biker – he can normally be found riding technical trails in the Surrey Hills or taking part in Enduro competitions.

With diverse experience, Andrew brings a holistic approach to the society – his current focus is on wayfinding design integration with emphasis on immersive user experience through future technology.

Technical strategist

Marco Berends

Marco is Project Manager for Danish Cycling Tourism, with a current focus on the development of the future biking and hiking network in Denmark.

Marco holds a degree in Architecture and Communication Design, and has worked on airports, transit and pedestrian information design. He has gained experience in wayfinding , cartography and transportation, working for European design studios: Mijksenaar, moovel, City ID and Triagonal.

Marco started as the technical advisor for the SDS website and values an international society with a focus on global knowledge and local projects.

Champion of the next generation of wayfinding professionals

Rosie Smith

Rosie has been working as a designer specialising in wayfinding and graphic design for over 13 years. During this time, she has worked within a variety of sectors including transport, culture and leisure, public realm and residential.

Having graduated from Bath School of Art and Design in 2008, Rosie has worked at leading architecture practices and wayfinding consultancies including Maynard Design and Air Design. She is currently Senior Wayfinding Designer at CCD Design & Ergonomics, a design consultancy that uses behavioural insight and human factors to develop design thinking.

With expertise in developing wayfinding strategies for complex environments as well as producing graphic design for the built environment, Rosie has worked on notable, high-profile projects such as HS2, Marseille Airport, TfL’s Elizabeth Line and Gatwick Airport Station redevelopment and clients such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Wellcome Collection.

Rosie is a champion of nurturing new talent in the society and raising the profile of wayfinding across the design sector.

Membership ambassador

Sapna Nundloll

Sapna is a Space & Movement Consultant, with specialties in GIS, analytics and comfort guidance for pedestrians and crowds. Her path into wayfinding and sign design was steered by her work on a public street festival in the City of Port Louis, Mauritius, for which she provided crowd movement advice on the second and third editions (Porlwi 2016 and 2017). Subsequent projects include developing content for pedestrian signage on the public realm outside train stations in Geneva with Applied Information Group; advising on the wayfinding and signage content strategy for Beau Plan Smart City in Mauritius; and helping devise the ConOps for the Last Mile and sports venues for major events in Europe and the Middle East with OnePlan.

Sapna is curious about all aspects of the human experience of space. She is also interested in how continuous professional development can assist self-learning and help push boundaries in one’s field of work. Other topics of interest include how natural wayfinding and good sign design can be part of our common toolkit for building knowledge about the environment around us and for climate change adaptation.

Originally from Mauritius, and now living in London, UK, Sapna speaks a few languages, and is keen to help the SDS expand its membership to other parts of the world.

Society administrator

Kate Wright

One of life’s seekers, Kate is curious and inquisitive, keen on proven facts and has a theory and opinion about most things! She loves the challenge of the new, in particular learning about the psychology of human behaviour in the context of the wider physical world.