Artists

Debra Nichols

Debra Nichols
President
Design Director

Debra Nichols established Debra Nichols Design in April 1991 and has accumulated over 30 years of experience in environmental graphic design. Ms. Nichols' experience encompasses design and coordination of architectural signage, environmental design, information systems, logo and print design. Ms. Nichols received her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Design at the University of California at Davis. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Theology with an emphasis on religious art at Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. Prior to starting her own firm, she was Director of Graphic Design for 15 years at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill where she was an Associate Partner.

Clients

Debra Nichols has worked with an exceptional group of national and international clients representing corporations, developers, banking institutions, sport complexes, civic, educational and health organizations, transportation systems, retail facilities and hospitality.

Specific projects designed by Debra Nichols include: The de Young Museum in San Francisco; AT&T Park for The San Francisco Giants; The Tech Museum in San Jose; ebay San Jose Headquarters and ebay worldwide graphic standards, UCSF Mission Bay Campus, The Contemporary Jewish Museum, Asian Art Museum, Legion of Honor Museum, Stanford School of Medicine, Davies Symphony Hall, Stanley Hall at UC Berkeley; UC Davis Medical Campus, UC Davis Campus Signage Masterplan; The Salk Institute, La Jolla, California; San Jose City Hall; San Jose Library; The Sears Tower Renovation, Chicago; Hotel Mulia Senayan in Jakarta Indonesia; Chiron Life Sciences Center, Emeryville; Mission Bay Visitors Center, San Francisco; California Science Center Museum, Los Angeles; Wells Fargo Center, Los Angeles; Oregon Convention Center, Portland; Frost Bank Headquarters, Austin; Wachovia Bank Headquarters, Winston-Salem; Nasa Research Park .

Honors/Recognition

Debra Nichols is the 1993 recipient of the University of California's Award of Distinction. In 1998 she was inducted as a Fellow in the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers. Other awards include citations from the American Institute of Architects, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Society for Environmental Graphic Design, Print magazine, Communications Arts. Her work has been featured in professional publications such as Interiors, Identity, Interior Design, I.D. Magazine, Communication Arts, Architecture, Architectural Record, Print Casebooks, as well as The Wall Street Journal and has been the focus of a feature of CNN's Entrepreneurs Only. Work by Ms. Nichols has been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution in New York.

Professional Affiliations

Debra Nichols has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for Environmental Graphic Design and the San Francisco Chapter of the American Institute of Graphics Arts, and is a professional affiliate member of the American Institute of Architects. Ms. Nichols has been a guest lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley and Davis, the California College of The Arts, and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design national conferences. She is a former member of the University of California's Advisory Council for the Department of Environmental Design and the Dean's Advisory Council at the University of California at Davis.