Photo: treknews.net

Because it’s Star Trek.  How could I not share?  No, it’s not becasue she’s got a fantastic first name.  (Though that didn’t hurt any.) Take it away, fully fleshed, very interesting press release that speaks to this awesome event better than I could.  And congratulations, Michael and Denise!  

Star Trek Icons Michael & Denise Okuda to Receive Cal State L.A.’s Eagle-Con Prism AwardBoth Long-Time Members of Art Directors Guild

LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2014 Graphic Designer Michael Okuda and Graphic Artist Denise Okuda, both long-time members of the Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800), are set to receive the prestigious Eagle-Con Prism Award to be presented by California State University Los Angeles on Thursday, May 8. Michael and Denise are iconic figures in the Star Trek universe. They were part of the Star Trekproduction team at Paramount Pictures and CBS for more than two decades, co-wrote the Star Trek Encyclopedia and continue to be involved in various Star Trek areas. Both currently serve as visual consultants on the high-definition remastering of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Michael has been credited on more Star Trek movies and television episodes than anyone except series creator Gene Roddenberry.

Eagle-Con is Cal State L.A.’s mini indie comic book convention, celebrating the creative arts and exploring diversity in identity representation. The Prism Award is given in recognition of the envisioning and projection of a diverse and representative spectrum of people into the future through artistic media. The award will be presented in the Cal State L.A. University Student Union at 5:30 P.M.

Michael Okuda designed the look of animated computer displays for the Enterprise A-bridge in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. He joined the team producing Star Trek: The Next Generation where his most famous contribution is the graphic user interface of the fictional LCARS computer system used throughout Starfleet starships. In homage to its creator, this visual style has come to be known among fans as “okudagrams.” Okuda was technical consultant on many of the Star Trek television shows and movies and “invented” the so-called Heisenberg compensator as a way to explain how Star Trek’s fictional transporter might work. In the real world Okuda has designed logos for NASA missions and has received the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal.

Denise Okuda worked as a graphic artist and was the computer and video playback supervisor for several Star Trek film and television productions, as well as other science fiction television ranging from Threshold to The Flash. She co-authored the Star Trek Encyclopedia and the Star Trek Chronology. The Art Directors Guild will be providing some 200 pieces of art for display at Eagle-Con.

About the Art Directors Guild: The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) represents more than 2,000 members who work throughout the United States, Canada and the rest of the world in film, television and theater as Production Designers, Art Directors, Assistant Art Directors; Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists; Illustrators and Matte Artists; Set Designers and Model Makers; and Previs Artists. Established in 1937, the ADG’s ongoing activities include a Film Society, an annual Awards Banquet, a creative/technology community (5D: The Future of Immersive Design), a bimonthly craft magazine(Perspective) and extensive technology-training programs, figure drawing and other creative workshops and year-round Gallery 800 art exhibitions. The Guild’s Online Directory/Website Resource is at www.adg.org. Follow ADG on Twitter: @ADG800.