Introducing VMSD’s 2018 Designer Dozen Honorees

CINCINNATI, MARCH 2018 – VMSD magazine, and parent company ST Media Group, are celebrating the best and brightest young designers in retail design with the seventh annual VMSD Designer Dozen. The 12 emerging stars recognized this year come from retail organizations and design firms across the country and internationally.

VMSD Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Acevedo, acknowledges the significance of these designers and their contributions. She says, “Our 2018 class of Designer Dozen winners represent the future of retail and have demonstrated their commitment to excellence in the fields of interior design, architecture, visual merchandising and experiential design. We applaud their efforts to create innovative branded environments that engage shoppers and facilitate memorable experiences.”

VMSD’s 2018 Designer Dozen award recipients are:

• Justin Brooks, Design Manager, Sweetgreen 
• Stephanie Chavez, Designer, Gensler
• Katie Handy, Senior Associate, Field Paoli Architects
• Liz Lucas, Senior Interior Designer, FRCH Design Worldwide
• Alex Majkowski; Senior Designer, Prophet
• Chloe Muir, Associate, Interior Designer, Gensler
• Michael Rankin, Senior Designer, WD Partners
• Emily Rubin, Retail Design Manager, Westfield Corp.
• Josh Meredith Small, Senior Designer, CallisonRTKL
• Ashlen Thomson Senior Interior Designer, McKinley Burkart
• Brian Weltman, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Retail Habitats
• Irene Yu, Lead Creative Strategist and Architectural Designer, Arcsine.

Profiles of the Designer Dozen will appear in VMSD’s April 2018 issue, and the winners will be celebrated at the Opening Reception during the magazine’s annual International Retail Design Conference (IRDC), taking place Oct. 2-4 in Seattle (irdconline.com).

To read about last year's Designer Dozen winners, click here.

Interested in nominating or becoming a Designer Dozen? Submissions for 2019 will open late December 2018/early January 2019. For questions, please contact the VMSD editors by emailing vmsd@stmediagroup.com. To learn more about IRDC, please visit irdconline.com.

About VMSD
Cincinnati-based VMSD (Visual Merchandising Store Design) magazine is the leading publication for retail designers and store display professionals, serving the retail industry since 1897. Every month, VMSD showcases the latest store designs and visual displays, presents merchandising strategies and new products, and reports on industry news and events. Celebrating the art and science of retail design, VMSD delivers information and inspiration straight from the high-level executives that drive this industry. Learn more at vmsd.com.