How did you discover your passion for wayfinding design and get your start in the field? For me, it was a philosophical realization, really. We are all trying to find our way in life. We are all on a journey. I correlated wayfinding with this journey—its sense of discovery, uncovering meaning and purpose, and finding identity in the world around us.

As we set off on these journeys in life, things start to reveal themselves in new ways. I saw wayfinding and signage design as tools for discovering something new. They help you find your way not only literally but in terms of something more meaningful.

The sense of discovery along a journey provides people with courage and confidence. These little touchpoints offer certainty and comfort that you will find your way and reach your destination succesfully. Paper maps used to be how people got around, but today, it is about creating more of an experience, which I find intriguing.

I love architecture—I got my degree in it—and I found that wayfinding and placemaking offered a way to help connect people to the built environment. They help provide that sense of arrival and the journey to get there. Wayfinding uniquely combines human needs and experience with the built environment, and that is what drew me to the field.

What led you to establish your California- and Texas-based design firm RSM Design? I got my degree at the University of Texas in Austin and met Harry Mark, who became a dear friend. We started working together and became partners at a model-building company for architects. Then, I was recruited to work for an architecture firm in Dallas, where I met my wife, Suzanne Redmond, who was practicing environmental graphic design, wayfinding and placemaking.

We started dating, and I learned about this whole profession through her. I found it intriguing and saw its depth in terms of branding and placemaking, creating environments, and engaging with architecture in a meaningful way. My wife and I started the firm together. She was from California, so we moved there and started our practice in Southern California; then, we set up an office in Dallas with Harry shortly afterward.

Our clients generally fall into two categories. First are architects who want to work with designers that understand architecture and how to sensitively bring signage, graphics and placemaking into the built environment—not just attach it to the building. Architects, design firms and landscape architects appreciate that we integrate our work seamlessly into the built environment.

The other types of clients are developers, municipalities and cities who want to create something attractive to a specific audience or community. We have been successful in creating destinations that not only look good but have a story behind them. There are layers of design components that work together to tell a holistic story and craft a bigger purpose that draws people in.

Developers are attracted to our work because it helps them get more clientele. Cities and municipalities enjoy working with us because we can craft the story of their community and help people feel like they belong and have a sense of identity in the place. We create that brand, story and environmental graphic design program that can work together to meet their needs and goals.

What are some of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on at RSM Design, and how have they changed your perception of what you can accomplish with wayfinding? We had a client in Europe based in Lisbon with whom I really enjoyed working. He invited us to develop a series of unique projects in Brazil, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain. We would spend a week with him with the first few days dedicated to just touring around—getting to know the community, environment and people. We would come back and craft the whole story and design.

Every project with this client—probably twelve to fifteen in total—was a unique experience where we learned about the town and found fun ways to tell its story through signage, graphics and wayfinding. Each taught me something new about how to connect with the local community. Every design solution had its own story, and it was very rewarding to connect the design aesthetic to the unique needs, qualities and characteristics of the location. That way, it would resonate with the people there.

Another one of my favorite projects is Liberty Station in San Diego. It was a historic naval training site that developed into a retail destination over time. By learning about the area’s rich past and integrating it into the project, we were able to celebrate its history and tell a compelling story through the wayfinding and signage system.

Early in our career, the Rancho Victoria Foodhall in Victoria Gardens was a pivotal project. We had never done something quite like that, though we had collectively completed work that touched on various aspects of the project. I remember being very excited to get this opportunity, which helped catapult our careers.

The foodhall was a dining destination within the downtown development. This was another project with a very rich history, as it had been a trail stop and eventually a train stop for people making their way west. Drawing on this history, we developed the logo, brand, public art, murals, story, and signage and wayfinding program in an authentic way. We intentionally built the project to enable upgrades over time, and we were recently asked to help refine several areas that had been developed. The Rancho Victoria Foodhall has been very successful, serving as a primary destination for the community and its visitors.

One recent project I would like to mention is the Research and Development District (RaDD) in San Diego. RaDD consists of office, lab and retail space stretching over eight acres along the waterfront. We have integrated a public art program, signage and wayfinding system in addition to refining the brand and logo. For me, it is always exciting to weave our design solutions into such a large-scale project.

How do you incorporate behavioral design to help solve wayfinding graphics? Our approach is tied to our philosophy of principle-centered design—connecting human needs with the built environment, or, as we often say, connecting people to place.

Human behavior is a key driver in understanding who will be using the project and what their needs, goals and aspirations are. We craft a story that engages people in those behaviors using what we call the whole-person approach to design, which involves engaging people with all four intelligences: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. Mentally, we want to engage people in something they can learn about and experience through a design narrative. Emotionally, we create places to connect with other people or create emotional experiences. Physically, we engage people in an environment to help them navigate, discover and explore. And spiritually, we provide meaning, purpose and a bigger story that shapes identity and a person’s visit.

The more we can engage people in the built environment through this whole-person approach, the more we can influence human behavior and help them want to discover and explore these projects. By addressing all four intelligences, we can elevate their experience.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our culture has reevaluated the way we think about public space, and many cities are encouraging us to return with revitalized spaces. What opportunities do these projects afford designers? This is a huge deal. The pandemic made people realize how important social interaction and engaging with the built environment really is. What was already starting with computers and technology—people becoming more “in the box” (the office box, computer box, lunchbox and car box)—COVID intensified, making people even more insular and isolated. This led to emotional challenges and a mental health crisis.

People now realize the importance of getting outside in nature or in the built environment and engaging with other people and spaces. This is fundamental to human nature—we are social creatures and need to find ways to engage.

COVID amplified the need to get outside, discover, explore, and create meaningful places and destinations through design. People want to have emotional connections and spend time having great experiences with friends and family—as well as meeting new people.

There has been a huge shift toward outdoor parks in the industry lately. We are currently working on around 20 different projects with large residential communities, creating beautiful parks or destinations that attract people. There is a significant demand for creating parks and outdoor spaces that foster a sense of community and belonging. This applies to both rural and urban settings, and we have done many projects in both. In mixed-use environments, there has been a need for community gathering spaces in larger projects.

Are there any challenges specific to designing wayfinding graphics that you think creatives should be more aware of? Making sure you do not get too myopic too quickly. It is important to have a larger perspective and create a strong vision and narrative for your project before you begin. Clearly uncover the needs, goals and expectations from your clients and the community.

This idea of seeking first to understand before you begin your project is critical—another part of principle-centered design. It is the need to discover and detect what the needs and goals of a project are before we start to create or invent what we think should be applied. It is an inside-out, more holistic approach to design. Many designers have a “hammer and nail” mentality: when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. At RSM Design, we take a step back and look at things from different points of view before we start to design.

Another way to think about it is a “diagnose before you prescribe” mentality. Designers often want to get in and start designing right away, coming up with answers before they have taken the time to understand what the primary goals are. There is a huge need to take a step back, do your homework and research, and uncover and discover. Many times, you will find that the answers reveal themselves rather than being applied through force. You uncover the answers inside the environment instead of imposing your beliefs on the design solution.

What excites you most about design right now? For me, it is about helping create meaningful experiences for people. I love to create places that genuinely engage people and make them feel good about being in the built environment—to the point that it could even become part of their identity as a place they routinely visit or want to bring friends and family to see.

For us as a design firm, it is meaningful to help shape those places. An example of this is when a student goes to a college or university, that can become part of their identity as they start their career and life—they will always remember that time. We have worked on many college campuses, and it’s impactful to create those moments that really shape people’s lives in such a positive way. It turns a transactional endeavor into a transformational experience. That whole shift to creating change and improving the quality of people’s lives through the built environment is a key aspect of what I enjoy the most about design.

What emerging technologies will have the most impact on how you design, and why? AI is having a huge impact on design and the design industry. We use it primarily as a research tool to learn and get information faster, but the AI tools that take the designs we create, render them and help animate them are also incredibly powerful. They will have a huge impact in shaping the future of the design world.

There are big benefits from the time-saving aspects but also in improving our understanding of to what the design can lead. As you create new design solutions, being able to model, render and create more experiences that people can better understand helps impact and influence the design. The more detail we can dig into, the better we can articulate those spaces and design experiences for the people who use them.

AI is getting faster and higher quality already. It will continue to evolve at a rapid pace and will change the game for us. When we started our careers, the internet was just beginning, and googling and researching was a huge shift. We used to do everything by hand, including creating models and hand-drawing. Computer technology was the first layer, and this is just the next layer in the same evolution.

You cannot avoid it—you have to embrace it, or you will be left behind. The more we can imagine what we can do with AI to elevate our designs, the more impact we will have in forging a leadership role with these tools and technologies.

Anything else you have to add? Design is an incredibly rewarding profession. You have to really have your heart in this and care about people and how they engage with what you create. Having empathy and a high level of sensitivity is a huge aspect of design.

It’s critical to understand that side of yourself as a designer and develop the skillset to find solutions that help people. The universal mission statement of design is to improve the quality of life and well-being of all the people you are serving. The more we can help improve their needs and goals, the better our design solutions will be.

I encourage everyone to dive deeper into understanding human psychology, human nature and human needs. Then, look at design solutions that work, resonate and have impact. Study what other designers are doing and how they are creating places and tools that empower and impact quality of life.

We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. There are tons of great ideas and insights in the world. As designers, we are looking at various solutions and finding ways to retool, repackage and reuse them to help people in different ways. That, ultimately, is our job as creatives and designers. ca