SEGD (the Society for Experimental Graphic Design) has honored Professor Timothy McNeil with the association’s Educator Award for his influential contributions as an educator, researcher, designer and advocate for exhibition and experience design.

A leading voice in the field, McNeil’s award-winning book, The Exhibition and Experience Design Handbook, synthesizes years of practical, scholarly, and pedagogical expertise, offering a foundational text for both students and professionals. His research explores exhibition design history, museum methodologies, and the evolving role of design in shaping public understanding—while his teaching emphasizes curiosity, craft, and the critical relationship between narrative, space, and audience.

Through decades of leadership at UC Davis, where he serves as Professor of Design and Director of the UC Davis Design Museum—McNeil has shaped generations of practitioners and significantly expanded the academic study of exhibition and experiential design.

Beyond UC Davis, McNeil extends his impact globally. He has taught and lectured internationally in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Iceland, bringing cross-cultural perspectives into the classroom. His own education—culminating in an MFA from the University of the Arts, London—reflects his deep roots in interdisciplinary design practice, which continue to inform his work today.

McNeil’s long-standing involvement with SEGD has further strengthened the organization’s educational mission. A key member of the SEGD Academic Task Force, he co-chaired the 2024 SEGD Exhibition and Experience Symposium in Washington, D.C., helping unite educators, practitioners, and students around the future of design education. His commitment to building bridges between academia and professional practice embodies the values at the heart of the Educator Award.

For over fifty years, SEGD (the Society for Experiential Graphic Design) has been the go-to resource for wayfinding, placemaking, and experience design. Policymakers and developers look to us as thought leaders and expert collaborators. And we can see our members’ impact in the world around us: in SEGD Fellow Massimo Vignelli’s iconic NYC subway map; in the Universal Symbols in Health Care we developed with Hablamos Juntos; in our creation of the first ADA White Paper on accessible wayfinding—and in the multitude of ways experience design benefits the wellbeing of our communities.