GGLO Emerging Professionals & Seattle Design Festival

August 15, 2022 / GGLO

Created specifically for newer design professionals at GGLO working to obtain their licensure, the Emerging Professionals (EP) group has been a stronghold of creative energy at the firm. The group provides a platform for GGLO’s EPs to discuss and expand their skills around professional development, design intelligence, and community involvement. From book clubs and study groups to lunch-and-learns and social events to design-build projects, each year’s EP leaders spearhead various internal and external initiatives that support the group’s development and growth at GGLO.

One of the annual projects our EP group has led is GGLO’s participation in the Seattle Design Festival (SDF) which honors how dynamic and progressive design improves life in Seattle through the design and construction of installations surrounding a single theme. Read through our installations in recent years and get a sneak peek at what this year’s team has planned for the 2022 SDF weekend.

2018 – Touch

Touch asks the question: would you place trust in a stranger when speech and visual recognition are unavailable? Body language is a fundamental and powerful way of communicating, yet it is overlooked in our day-to-day interactions; buried beneath a veil of linguistics and facial expressions. A higher level of trust is needed when those typical means of communication are stripped away. The installation’s exterior prompts a forced reflection on the user, seemingly disappearing into the surrounding environment. The reverse is true on the inside where a two-way barrier between strangers employs touch and body language as the main form of communication. Entrances on opposing sides enforce anonymity of the interaction and encourage a user to communicate with a stranger outside of their comfort zone.

2019 – EcoPeaks

EcoPeaks is a visual representation of balancing naturally occurring commodities with those manufactured and showing how these resources can work together. Ideally, the two categories could enter a mutually beneficial relationship—one that fosters the success of each rather than the destruction of the other. Our structures are designed to hold up nature, encourage it to flourish, and bring it to a human level for fortified interaction. The design welcomed visitors to sit under the canopy, observe the natural beauty around them, and bring vernacular species into our concrete jungle.

2020 – Amp ‘Up Seattle

Amp’ Up Seattle consisted of a series of augmented reality installations built virtual and placed throughout the city. The project addressed the shifting understanding of community due to both COVID-19 social distancing and the protests against systemic racial injustices and police brutality across the nation. Discussion about these crises centers on separation and unity, how to come together after spending time apart, and fears and anxieties of an unknown future. The augmented reality format of this submission preserved the voices and art of the community that could otherwise be physically taken down or hosed off.

2022 – Unveiled

Come learn and trade experiences with your neighbors. Discover new adventures in your local community and connect through each other’s experiences. Whether you’ve been in Seattle for a few days, months, or years, Unveiled connects festival-goers to each other and the city. Share your favorite places to grab food and drinks. Tell us about the hikes, parks, and trails that connect you with nature. What are the places that make you love Seattle? Choose a ribbon(s) from the center of the installation, write a favorite place, activity, or memory on it, and attach it anywhere on the netted structure. As more ribbons are hung and experiences shared, the installation’s design evolves and our connections become unveiled. Participants are encouraged to revisit the site throughout the festival to see how the installation changes over time.

Come see Unveiled and the other installations at the 2022 Seattle Design Festival Block Party on August 20 and 21 at Lake Union Park!