2024 SEGD Tools: Budgeting

SEGD

SEGD is a multidisciplinary community of designers and fabricators creating experiences that connect people to place and enrich the human experience.

We are designers of experiences connecting people to place.

We are graphic and exhibition designers, fabricators and architects, media developers and creative technologists, students and educators. Each of our members brings a diverse set of expertise, but we all share a common motivation: to make the built environment more inclusive and intuitive, emotive and engaging, sustainable and shared.

Event Details

2024 SEGD Tools on Budgeting is presented by Color-Ad Signs and Exhibits.

Mastering Safe and Accurate Budgeting for EGD Projects: Expert Insights and Real-World Lessons

Join S.K. Rao, Senior Vice President of Color-Ad, Inc., a seasoned industry expert with over thirty years of experience, as he guides experiential graphic designers through the complexities of budgeting for large-scale signage projects. This webinar will cover critical challenges designers face when preparing budgets for cities, airports, transit stations, university campuses, stadiums, etc. Learn how to sharpen your skills to create accurate, safe, and accountable budgets with practical tips, real-world examples, and effective disclaimers that protect your estimates. Discover how to navigate cost components, avoid common pitfalls, and maintain client trust even when actual bids exceed estimates. Gain insights from diverse project snapshots, helping you develop more detailed and reliable budgets to elevate your design proposals.

Webinar Outcomes

Develop reliable and accurate budgets
Minimize risks for self and clients
Enhance trust with clients and industry partners with transparent and credible estimates

This webinar series is free to all SEGD members.

Speakers

S.K. Rao

Sr.VP (Business Operations) at Color-Ad Signs and Exhibits

Liz Griswold

Director of Education and Experience at SEGD

S.K. Rao has been in the global visual communications industry for more than 25 years. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering and has post-graduate education in several areas including project management, business development leadership, team building, marketing, problem solving and customer enthusiasm. S.K. Rao has core expertise and global experience in cost engineering, wayfinding project management, architectural signage and environmental graphics projects of varied magnitude. He has worked with some of the world’s largest signage manufacturing facilities and reputable sign companies in the US and abroad before he began assuming his leadership role with Color-Ad in 2004. S.K. Rao is an expert in cost estimation and has vast experience in wayfinding signage estimation and leading professional estimation teams to establish realistic and detail-oriented estimates that not only win projects but are focused on offering the best cost/value ratio to Color-Ad’s esteemed clientele. S.K. Rao is currently serving as a Senior VP at Color-Ad Signs and Exhibits (over 11 years) and is a long-time member of the SEGD community.

Liz Griswold is the Director of Education and Experience for SEGD. She is responsible for managing a portfolio of key internal projects and initiatives for the organization. With her focus aimed on strategic integration, Liz is responsible for the communication, management and logistical support of targeted milestones and projects. She contributes to knowledge-sharing efforts and coordinates with external partners and consultancy firms. Liz joined the SEGD staff in 2022, and has been an active professional member since 2005. In 2017, Liz co-founded the SEGD Raleigh Chapter, where she served as a Chapter Co-Chair from 2017 – 2022, and received the 2022 SEGD Chapter Chair Award. She also served as co-chair for the SEGD Emerging Experiential Professions (previously YDS) from 2020 – 2022. Prior to joining SEGD as a staff member, Liz Griswold led the Experiential Graphic Design markets for two different A/E firms.

Liz Griswold holds a B.S. in Graphic Arts from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, with a concentration in public relations and a minor in English.