Rochester Institute of Technology

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5-1-1999

Graphic design and architecture at their

intersection
Kathleen Kaminski

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Rochester Institute ofTechnology
College of Imaging Arts and Sciences
School of Design
Department of Graphic Design

AThesis submitted to the Faculty

of the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences

in candidacy for the degree of

Master of Fine Arts

Graphic Design and Architecture

At Their Intersection

by Kathleen M. Kaminski
May 1999
Approvals

Chief Advisor:
Associate Professor
Deborah Beardslee

Date

Associate Advisor:
Associate Professor
Bruce Meader

Date

Associate Advisor:
Professor
Houghton Wetherald

Date

Chairperson
School of Design:
Associate Professor
Nancy Ciolek

Date

I, Kathleen M. Kaminski, hereby grant permission to the

Wallace Memorial Library of RIT to reproduce my thesis
in whole or in part. Any reproduction will not be for
commercial use or profit.

Date

2
Table of Contents

Thesis Project Definition 5

Precedents 7

Research and Analysis 9

Synthesis 21

Ideation 26

Evaluation 32

Implementation 38

Dissemination 39

Retrospective Evaluation 40

Conclusion 42

Glossary ofTerms 43

Bibliography 44

Appendices 46
Thesis Project Definition

Graphic Design and Architecture

At Their Intersection

Thesis Problem This thesis will explore the increasingly important role played by
graphic design in architecture. Traditionally thought of as a two-

dimensional applied art, graphic design has relevant applications in the

design of places. This is sometimes known as environmental graphic

design. The premise of this investigation is that by extending graphic

design into the world of architecture, both disciplines are strengthened.

Graphic design in an architectural context benefits from a more long-

lasting medium, in material and duration, than its more common forms
in print, film or digital media. Architecture, in its turn, gains another way to
communicate to an audience, one that is more flexible and changeable

than its otherwise static structure would ordinarily permit.

The research component of this thesis will analyze the ways in which

environmental graphic design is similar to and different from

architecture and two-dimensional graphic design. Research will also

show how and why this hybrid is important. It will analyze the ways In
which graphic design in the built environment adds value or interest to
a place, marks territory, acts as ornament, provides identity, and adds

meaning in ways that could not be achieved by architecture or graphic

design alone. It will identify a wide range of applications where this

might be useful.

Proposed The application of this thesis study will be a book about the subject

Application outlined above. This book could be used as a guidebook for teaching
about these disciplines. It could also be used as a reference book for
designers and clients considering the incorporation of graphic design
in an architectural project.

This application will collect and organize information that is currently

scattered, existing in pockets across disciplines and mainly in periodi

cals. With this collection and analysis of material new insights will be
possible that will contribute to our understanding of the growing field

of environmental graphic design.

Thesis Project Definition continued

The Nature of the Problem and Its History

Increasingly, design projects are works of collaboration, not only with

professionals of a single design discipline, but often with individuals

possessing different kinds of design expertise. This could be attributed to

the growing specialization of knowledge, with the information explosion

making it more difficult to maintain a general practitioner's approach to

design. This could be due to regulations which require approvals from

authorized experts and it could also be attributed to client demand.

Competitors in the design market, seeking to stand out from their

competition, add experts to their teams to enhance service to clients.

Clients, in turn, begin to expect this approach and it becomes standard

practice rather than an exception.

With this increased collaboration among professionals comes a sharing

of expertise and a blurring of the lines between the disciplines. This study
focuses on one such intersection of design fields: architecture and

graphic design. It examines the shared links between the two fields,
including similarities in their languages and histories. It identifies an

emerging field, environmental graphic design, which incorporates

aspects of architecture and graphic design, among other disciplines.

Goals of the Project

The main goal of this project is to increase awareness of environmental

graphic design. Though the name environmental graphic design is newly

coined, the work that falls into this category has a long tradition. This

research attempts to collect both current and past examples to promote

this understanding. The research will be presented in the form of a book.

The target audience for the book includes students, practitioners and the

general public. For architects and graphic designers, and students of both

disciplines, it is hoped that an exposure to this work will inspire more

work of this kind. By explaining the features held in common by the two

disciplines, by naming their shared traditions and intentions, and by

demonstrating that both speak the same visual language, it is hoped that
boundaries between the disciplines will be eroded and collaborations

between practitioners will be made easier.

For the general public reviewing this material, it is hoped that they will

be entertained, challenged and inspired. While they may never have

given much consideration to the impact this kind of design might have

on their lives, it is hoped that after this presentation they become aware

of the value of this work. Perhaps some, through involvement in civic,

social or business projects, may even become patrons of this work.

Precedents

One early exercise in the thesis process was the search for precedents

that had some significant relationship to this thesis study. Five books

were reviewed that seemed to have written or visual content in common

with the proposed book's theme of the intersection of architecture and

graphic design. A short summary of the precedents was written and

submitted. It is reproduced here below for reference.

Precedent 1
Experience The book, Experience states on its cover that it "visually documents the
Sean Perkins, Ralph Ardill, ideas and aspirations of contemporary designers, marketers, artists and

Adrian Caddy clients. Its sole purpose is to challenge convention through an unprece

dented insight into some of the world's most innovative communication

experiences."

Many of the examples shown fall into the realm of environmental graphic

design. This book provides a significant precedent for this thesis study by
demonstrating the power of visual communication freed from the page.

Messages delivered across time, integrated with landscape and structure,

in innovative formats, or using new materials, are shown as powerful
instruments in the service of ideas.

Experience is similar to the proposed thesis study in the way it collects

and organizes examples of innovative visual communication. Though its

scope is broader than the proposed study, including excerpts of cinema,

print, and television, it provides a helpful example of how to present

somewhat similar material in a book format.

Precedent 2

Iconography and Electronics In this book, Robert Venturi writes about the influence of electronics and

Upon a Generic Architecture the information age on the design of architecture. His writings call for
Robert Venturi contemporary architectural design to celebrate electronic rather than

industrial influence and to employ iconographic reference rather than

expressionistic gesture. Venturi actively advocates the incorporation of

graphic design elements into generic architecture. His book acts as a

precedent to this study by supplying a theoretical context for connecting

architecture and graphic design.
Precedents continued

A History of Visual Precedent 3

Communication In this book, Josef Muller-Brockmann cites a variety of examples of

Josef Muller-Brockmann ancient graphic design. Many of these are incorporated into buildings.

demonstrate that the practice of incorporating visual

These examples

language into places is not at all new. The idea that shared visual com

be by people at the same

munication, that which can experienced many
time and in the same place, is significant to a culture is a fundamental

premise of the proposed thesis study.

for the proposed study as

Brockmann's book also provides a precedent

another example of how to present ideas about visual communication,

including environmental graphic design, in book form. Brockmann's

evaluations of visual communication from a graphic design perspective

balance Venturi's observations from an architectural perspective.

Theory and Design in the

Second Machine Age Precedent 4

Solution','

Martin Specifically in the chapter, "Information, the Gothic author

Pawley
describes the Gothic cathedral as an information system.
Martin Pawley
He advocates the return of architecture to this role as a center for the

dissemination of information. This concept provides another precedent

for architecture and graphic design in the proposed study.

linking

book design, Pawley's book provides a helpful prece

As another about

its content. His ideas about architecture and

dent in the structure of

His book is successful because

information is somewhat unconventional.

in a very deliberate way. He uses an engaging

he builds to his conclusion

style and includes many photographs of individuals as he

story-telling
gives his interpretation of design history. By first carefully aligning the

design with his own, he is then able to make cre

reader's context about

is then willing and able to make those

ative leaps. The prepared reader

connections with him.

Sign Communication Precedent 5

The sub-title on this book is "Community Identity-Corporate Identity

Sign Communication
Environment."

It is filled with examples of environmental graphic design

Publishing Committee
the United States.This book provides a precedent
mainly from Japan and
categorizes artifacts of visual language. Using
for this study in the way it
subdivisions of Media, Function and Environment the book examines
the

how environmental graphic design adds significance to places.

why and
Research and Analysis

Research and Analysis Strategies: Diagrams

In the Research and Analysis phase of the thesis process, information

was collected and ordered. Definitions were gathered to help establish

the boundaries of the research. The main activities at this stage were

reading, writing and organizing.

The guidelines for writing a thesis state that the purpose of this phase is

to describe facts, principles and relationships that have been discovered

solve the problem. To that end, diagrams were created to explore

to help
and document pertinent principles and relationships and to determine

fully resolved statements

sub-topics. Typically, the diagrams were not

about the theme. Instead, they functioned more like warm-up exercises.

In retrospect, they can be regarded as markers on a trail that eventually

led to the choice of subjects covered in the design application.

An initial investigation (see page 10) used a Venn diagram format to show

that the main idea of the study was to identify and research the overlap

between architecture and graphic design. This diagram also attempted to

compare and contrast the essence of both fields by including some well

known quotes by famous practitioners. The quotes of two men, Vitruvius,

a Roman architect from the first century B.C. and El Lissitzky, a graphic

that both fields, at their

designer active around the 1920s, suggest

essence, embody a combination of beauty and purpose.

The main purpose of graphic design is to convey meaning. The most

obvious purpose of architecture is to shelter. However, another quote

from Vitruvius made a parallel between the two fields clear. He said,

"In all matters, but particularly in architecture, there are these two points:
From this,
significance."

the signified, and that which gives it its

thing
one might understand that architecture too has long held the purpose of

signification, of conveying meaning.

The words of Vitruvius suggested the theories of semiotics, the study of

signs. A second diagram (see page 11 ) was created repeating the quotes

of Vitruvius and El Lissitzky, labeled by their respective design fields,

and overlayed with categories borrowed from semiotics: the pragmatic,

subject. Though the diagram was

syntactic, and semantic aspects of a

imperfect in its pairings and never was developed beyond this initial

served as an important turning point in the thesis project.

rough phase, it

After creating this diagram, research focused on the similarity in visual

composition and appearance between the two fields (syntactics) and the

purpose both serve in conveying meaning (semantics).

Thesis Project Definition continued

Explanatory Diagram: Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

~

^
Architecture Environmental Graphic Design
Built Structure Graphic Design Visual Communication

Visual Communication
as a part of a

Built Structure

designed for: designed for: designed tor:

shelter conveying meaning conveying meaning
artistic expression artistic expression artistic expression

conveying meaning attracting attention attention

attracting

delight"

"firmness, commodity and "firmness, commodity "seduce the eye

intellect"
delight"

Vitruvius and and address the

El Lissitzky
that
"seduces the eye

and addresses the intellect

Diagrams were used to sharpen focus on the topic under consideration.

Also, at the early stages of the project, diagrams were used to introduce

the topic to fellow classmates and teachers who served as critics and

collaborators through the course of the work.

The diagram above illustrated that the main idea of this project was to

identify and study the overlap between architecture and graphic design.

10
Thesis Project Definition continued

Exploratory Diagram: Semiotic Aspects of Architecture and Graphic Design

commodity
Pragmatics *^

the practical considerations

the building program

the functional aspects of the building

the size, the budget, the materials . .

In Architecture

fiirmness
Syntactics Semantics
arrangement and relationship the meaning
of parts arrangement of elements are read

the structure and interpreted according

the assembly of building systems to tradition
the arrangement of parts
the sequence of construction
delight

Pragmatics
the practical considerations

the brief

seduce the physical requirements of

the size, the budget, the

the
material.
piece

. .

the eye
In Graphic Design
Syntactics
arrangement and relationship
of parts

the structure Semantics

the assembly of elements the meaning
the arrangement of text and image arrangement of elements are

the conventions of printing read and interpreted according

and production to tradition

address

the intellect
Though resolved, these early diagrams helped focus the thought process.
never fully
11
Research and Analysis continued

Narrowing the Field of Inquiry: Matrices

Because this project involved a comparison of two fields, architecture

and graphic design, and their union in a third field, environmental

to further explore and

graphic design, the format of a matrix was used

define the similarities and differences in all three fields. At this stage, it
be the most beneficial
was not yet obvious which characteristics would

mentioned
for further research. At the same time that the previously
matrix was formulated with selected character
diagrams were created, a

istics of design on the vertical axis cross referenced to the three fields of

design on the horizontal axis.

13). Using
The result was titled the Compare/Contrast Matrix {see page

helped to narrow the range of the study. Certain physical

this method

characteristics, like color and size, seemed to be too diverse to offer any

from further study. The categories labeled

meaningful conclusions
suggest
they
"Purpose"

"Design Strategies"and offer more potential as

named categories of Semantics

ideas that are similar to the previously
also emerged
and Syntactics. Another category, labeled "Design History1;

as a good candidate for deeper examination.

investigation was titled Forced Juxtapositions (see

A related method of

the three design fields in a different

way.
page 14).This matrix compared

that environmental graphic design

One axis identified characteristics

design. On the other axis, were some characteristics

shares with graphic

environmental graphic design shares with architecture. This kind of

that

method is often used to generate new ideas at the intersection of two

axis points. In this case however, it offered more value by demonstrating

how exists between all three fields. Characteristics like
much similarity
ornamental qualities, tactile qualities and
color, contrast, composition,
which cate
scale, could exist on either side of the
matrix. By analyzing

flexibility and permanence, the topics that

gories were unique, such as
identified. This exercise became key in
merited further consideration were

environmental graphic design which

determining advantages offered by
either architecture or graphic design alone.
are not met by

Mapping
the Perceptual Map, (see page 15). The field of
A final method used was

two sets of opposing characteristics. In

was defined by comparing
study
the characteristics chosen were two
and three dimensions, and
this case,
examples of environmental
decoration and communication. Placing
boundaries of the research
graphic design on this map helped focus the

It also suggested categories for analyzing environmental

that followed.
collection
graphic design that were useful in organizing the growing

of images.

12
Research and Analysis continued

Compare / Contrast Matrix

Graphic Design Environmental Graphic Design Architecture

Materials typically ink on sheets, paper, Ink or

typically paint on weather resistant materials that are weather
vinyl, film etc. sheets (vinyl, fiberglass, porcelain enamel, resistant and sound
structurally
aluminum or other sheet metals) or any
other typical architectural building material

(brick, stone, glass, neon, etc.)

Size palm-sized to the limits of presses small (house numbers) to monumental room size to monumental
(the Eiffel Tower with millennium markers)

Purpose to communicate Ideas, convey to communicate information and to shelter, to create tone or mood,
character complement the design of the place of to fulfill cultural and social
which it is a part expectations (e.g. courthouses
don't look like warehouses
although a warehouse could serve
to shelter that purpose)

Methods often uses typography to likely to use typography typography not necessarily
communicate purpose required to convey purpose

often uses Imagery to may use same imagery as graphic design, symbolic elements used more
communicate meaning, enables buildings to communicate meaning frequently than indexic or Iconic
using iconic, Indexic, symbolic to a wider audience than possible without Imagery, some symbols under
images these elements stood only by other architects and
oftenintended meaning has
been lost to the general public

Color
any color any color, in order to add drama to an any color possible but most often
otherwise neutral building. In some cases integral colors
examples may be more subdued in their
use of color than typically found in print

graphics due to a building's neutral palette.

same as graphic design but influenced by systems design includes decisions

Design systems design variables:
structural considerations, codes and zoning for
Strategies position, language. Imagery, color,
all materials, all building systems
regulations
content, type, weight, leading etc. (lighting, heating, plumbing,
structure, power), all functional and
aesthetic choices, all influenced by
prevailing codes and zoning
regulations

Design the exception of the design the integration of written communication influence design
with of history goes
History of some typestyles themselves, with buildings can be considered to be back to pre-humanistic civilizations
the influence of design history almost as old as writing itself; however, the
previous to the 18th century is modem definition of environmental graphic
rare design has only existed since the 1970s

Matrices structures suggested from

The Universal Traveler
Don Koberg, Jim Bagnall

13
Research and Analysis continued

Forced Juxtapositions

Characteristics EGD Shares with Architecture

Mass Structure Materials Permanence Tactile Dmamental Exists

Lighting
Qualities Qualities OverTlme

Communication
Goals

Iconic, i !
Indexical or l

Symbolic
Elements

i i
Typography

Scale

Composition

Color

Contrast

Flexibility

|
Printing
Technology

Freedom
ofExpression

! i i
They are Matrices suggested from
highlighted could appear on either side of the matrix.
| | Items not
design. rfie Universal Traveler
both architecture and graphic
characteristics shared by Don Koberg, Jim Bagnall
environmental graphic
r~l Highlighted items are characteristics shared with

design that are exclusive to either architecture or

graphic design. These
EGD bridge between the other two disciplines.
are the traits that help act as a
14
Research and Analysis continued

Perceptual Map

3 Dimensions

0 fine art (eg, Christo)

landmarks, monuments that

* use typography or graphic

# graphic treatment in building materials

elements integral to design
coloration, pattern, structural grid
A exhibit design

% mosaics, sculpture, stained glass, theme environments that

trompe I'oeil
use graphic

elements as ornament

(retail, entertainment,

hospitality) # signs that are integral to a

buildings design (such as
# ornamental building graphics
orientation signs, maps,
banners, non-typographic
and directional
wayfinding
graphic elements, typographic
0 signs specifically designed
elements used as decoration
identity signs, logos for that place)
0
brand markings integral

with building design 0 billboards, highway signs,

# floor finishes: carpets, resilient tile, street signs, regulatory
ceramic tile, sheet flooring signs

/., some ceiling finishes, some

laminates point of purchase displays

packaging

Communication
Decoration

aj. signs applied to buildings

and interiors
(stock signage)

$ wallcoverings, stencils, paint, pattern

books, magazines, reports

correspondence, posters

% Elements of the thesis study

Peroeptual Map from

Design and Marketing of New Products
Urban and Hauser

15
Research and Analysis continued

Content Research
The insights gained from using the diagrams, matrices and the map
narrowed the range of the continuing research. Certain associations

became more apparent and a rough impression of the chapters of the

book began to emerge. The most striking ideas were that architecture and

graphic design have similar design characteristics because the objects

they yield are perceived mainly through the sense of vision. Both fields
have a role to play in conveying meaning. Both have traced similar
attitudes and stylistic conventions through history. By combining their
characteristics, environmental graphic design offers yet another arena

of possibilities.

Graphic Design and Architecture as Objects of Vision

Research for this sub-topic centered around the perceptual principles

identified by Gestalt psychologists, beginning with the work of Christian

von Ehrenfels in 1890. The Gestalt theorists described many principles of

visual perception, such as grouping, continuity, figure and ground. These

principles apply to both graphic design and architecture but to different
degrees.

The book, Design in the Visual Arts, by Roy R. Behrens was particularly
helpful in its explanation of Gestalt theories and their place in the history
of aesthetics. Perception and Imaging, by Dr. Richard Zakia provided

two-
thoughtful explanations of Gestalt theory as well as many helpful
dimensional examples. DesignThrough Discovery,The Elements and

Principles, by Marjorie Elliott Bevlin, was a rich resource for examples of

in both two-dimensional and three-

demonstrating visual principles

dimensional design applications.

From the research, text was written to briefly explain some of the Gestalt
theories and to point out some of their limitations. Visual examples from

both graphic design and architecture were collected and added to this

early draft of the text.

Graphic Design as a Conveyor of Meaning

One of the main purposes of graphic design is to convey meaning. It was

not difficult to find examples that support this claim. A History of Graphic
Design by Philip Meggs and A History of Visual Communication by Josef
Muller-Brockmann relate the history of graphic design. They both show

This image was one of the examples that that the roots of this discipline can be traced back to the earliest forms of
was collected to demonstrate the evolution
writing. These books explain the origins of written language as an evolu
of meaning in graphic design. It shows how
the Chinese character for a pot evolved forms distant
tion from pictorial representation to increasingly abstract
from a pictorial representation to a more
abstract form. It was taken from Philip from their original significations. These books provide many examples of
Meggs'
book, A History of Graphic Design, work that demonstrate both the rich history of graphic design and its
an important primary source of information
for graphic designers. importance as a tool for conveying meaning in a society.

16
Research and Analysis continued

More contemporary examples demonstrating graphic design as a tool for

meaning came from a wide range of sources. Especially helpful were the

publications Print and Graphis. By coincidence, many examples collected

from a variety of other sources were eventually found together in a

collection called. The School of Visual Arts Gold: Fifty Years of Creative
Graphic Design. This book showcases posters from a half century of work

done for the School of the Arts. The collection encompasses a broad

range of messages and communication styles. Another excellent source

for images was The New American Logo, a diverse collection of work

edited by Gerry Rosentsweig.

Architecture as a Conveyor of Meaning

Supporting the claim that architecture is a conveyor of meaning required

more varied research as this is a less familiar theme. Research showed

that the origin of architecture as a design discipline was closely related to

the construction of important, often sacred, buildings. Sacred buildings in

early cultures were frequently built to express a culture's understanding

of mankind's place in the universe. Ideas of mythology and religion

became manifest in buildings. There are many examples of early buildings

that convey meaning. For instance, temples took the form of sacred

mountains. Roofs were domed to simulate the heavens. Buildings were

built square with openings in four directions to mark the four cardinal

points of the compass. Geometry was thought to have sacred properties

which related to the workings of the cosmos. In many cultures, important

buildings were constructed to be in harmony with sacred proportions and

to express important ideas.

Some of the sources for this aspect of the research were. Sacred
=--k Architecture by A.T. Mann, Architecture, Mysticism and Myth by W. R.
S 1 ( II 1. 1)
Lethaby, Sacred Geometry by Nigel Pennick, The Old Way of Seeing by
1 n 1 ARCHITECTURE
1 Jonathan Hale, and Time Stands Still by Keith Critchlow. These books and
lyy.TM others used in the research, make the point that architecture was once a

vital means of expression for a society. Over time, the original meanings

were changed and sometimes lost. Architecture became less important as

a vehicle for conveying meaning.

H%B|
Researching the Evolution of Meaning
Other research identified that both graphic design and architecture have
! A. .
experienced similar patterns of evolution. Examples were found in both

fields where the original forms for expression of meaning were pictorial

representations. Across time, the forms became more and more abstract

This book by A.T.Mann proved to be a especially, this contributed to an erosion of the

and, in architecture
valuable source of information about
original meaning.
meaning in architecture.

17
Research and Analysis continued

An explanation of the effects of this erosion is found in Modernism's

History: A Study inTwentieth Century Art and Ideas, by Bernard Smith.
He describes its ultimate culmination in art at the beginning of the

twentieth century when the expression of form was given privilege

over meaning. He calls this ascendency of abstraction, the Formalesque.

It was during this time that artists, NkeTheo van Doesburg, and painter

Piet Mondrian of De Stijl, promoted the idea that correct relationship of

forms provided the essential aesthetic experience. At the same time other

artists, like those associated with Dada, reacting to world war, made
experiments using art to express meaninglessness.

Smith describes however, that simultaneous with this devaluation of

meaning, was work done independently by the Swiss linguist, Ferdinand

de Saussure and the American philosopher, Charles Peirce. Through their
work was born the study of semiotics, or the study of signs. Their theories
supported the idea that art can be interpreted as a visual language. The

gradual acceptance of their ideas marked the point where the pendulum

began to swing back toward signification of meaning in art over the

exclusive expression of form.

It is also through their work, that the fields of architecture and graphic

design can be seen to become linked. Both architecture and graphic

design became deeply influenced by the theory of semiotics, since both

disciplines offer a means of visual communication. In graphic design,
the idea of visual language was amplified to include concepts of visual

grammar and syntax. In Perception and Imaging, Richard Zakia describes

some of the research done to classify semiotic operations like addition,
subtraction and substitution in visual imagery.

In architecture, the influence of semiotics was felt in the development of

a Post-Modern style. Some architects, no longer satisfied with the formal

abstractions of Modern architecture, sought to resurrect old forms and

invest them with new, often ironic meanings. Among the most influential

of these architects was Robert Venturi. Complexity and Contradiction in

Architecture, one of Venturi's first books, acted as a foundation for

renewed explorations of layered meanings, ambiguous meanings and

vernacular meanings expressed in architecture.

18
Research and Analysis continued

Graphic Design and Architecture as Recorders of History

This phase of the research sought to demonstrate that graphic design
and architecture are subject to the same influences and use similar means

of expression.To document these similarities of styles and ideas, images

were collected that demonstrated correspondences between the two
design disciplines at different times in history.

For instance, at the time of the Art Nouveau, around 1900, both graphic

design and architecture were influenced by a romantic vision of nature

and both used sinuous lines to convey the idea of organic form. Years

later, in the 1930s, the public was intrigued by the idea of speed and

developing industrial technology. Both architecture and graphic design

reflected this with streamlined designs that suggested movement.

Another example was selected from the time of the Bauhaus, when there

was a deliberate attempt not only to blend the arts, but to blur the line
that existed between art and technology.The resulting work shows strong
resemblances between graphic design and architecture. Both demonstrate
a rejection of decorative ornament in favor of clean lines and abstract

geometry. Other more contemporary pairings were found in the jarring

juxtapositions of Frank Gehry's Deconstructivist buildings and similarly
unconventional graphic compositions by David Carson.

Some sources that were particularly helpful were. Graphic Design from
Victorian to Post-Modern by Seymour Chwast and Stephen Heller, and

Graphic Design in the Mechanical Age edited by Maud Lavin.The main

reference text used for architectural history was A History of Western

Architecture by David Watkin. Images for architectural examples were

collected from many different periodicals including Architecture,

Architectural Record, and Colonial Homes magazine.

19
Research and Analysis continued

Environmental Graphic Design

Environmental graphic design is a relatively new field. The main source

for information about this field was the professional organization that

was founded to promote this kind of work, the Society for Environmental
Graphic Design (SEGD). SEGD provides a definition of the discipline and

examples in its awards publications, and case studies in the book. You

Are Here, GraphicsThat Direct, Explain and Entertain.

Other source material came from publications by people who are key
members of SEGD. Wayne Hunt, has written Urban Entertainment

Graphics and Designing and Planning Environmental Graphics. Another

The distinctive logo for the and Architecture Paul Arthur
book, Wayfinding, People, Signs by and
Society for Environmental Graphic Design
Romedi Passini, is a fundamental text. This book provides a basic premise

for using environmental graphic design to assist people in navigating

through new territory.

A multi-cultural view of the design of signage was gained from the

Japanese publication, Sign Communication. Another source of informa

tion not associated with SEGD, was the book Experience, edited by Sean
broad interpretation of visual communication and
Perkins, which takes a

does not use the term environmental graphic design. Also, the book

Marketing By Design by D. K. Holland and Sherwin Harris, provided

examples of the extension of graphic design into the three dimensional

realm in retail store design, without specifically referring to this type of

work as environmental graphic design.

In addition to examples found in the sources mentioned, original

photographs were taken of some examples of environmental graphic

design. Taking information from all these sources, and using first-hand

observations, a personal interpretation of the field of environmental

graphic design began to evolve.The chief uses of environmental graphic

design were determined to be: to identify, inform, persuade, entertain,

orient, ornament, and commemorate.

20
Synthesis

Many aspects of the synthesis phase occurred simultaneously with the

research phase. In the synthesis phase, the gathered information was

sorted and organized. Images were collected and grouped in categories

of within the topic. In this way, patterns emerged that proved

study
helpful in organizing and understanding the range of material. Gradually
the categories began to evolve into chapters and sub-sections of the

proposed book.

Organization and Structure

At the of the synthesis phase, the book was divided into two
beginning
main parts.

Initial Table of Contents

Part One
Similarities Between Architecture and Visual Communication

Conveyors of Meaning
Pa it Two
The Intersection of Architecture and Graphic Design:

Environmental Graphic Design

Its Value
Conclusion: Why Its Important Now

One of the main efforts of the synthesis phase was to refine and improve

theTable of Contents for the book. At this early stage, the term visual

communication was thought to suggest a broader meaning than graphic

design. It was eventually abandoned in favor of the more familiar term.

Other changes occurred over the course of the synthesis phase as well.

The information organized under the heading Its Value had sub-topicsThe

Benefits for Architecture and The Benefits for Graphic Design. Eventually
these were relocated to become the basis for the conclusion to the book.

A subtopic under Its Value was Its Uses and this included the list: Identity,

Wayfinding, Memorials, Exhibit Design, Attraction, Persuasion. Effort

went into expanding this list to make it more comprehensive and to find

parallel language to relate and name the diverse uses of environmental

graphic design. By the end of the synthesis phase theTable of Contents

was more simplified and closer to its final form:

Final Table of Contents

Part One

Comparing Graphic Design and Architecture

Part Two

Integrating Graphic Design and Architecture

Part Three

Understanding the Intersection of Graphic Design and Architecture

Examples demonstrating the evolution of theTable of Contents in greater

detail can be found in the Appendix (see page 51 ).

21
Synthesis continued

The Parts of the Topic and Their Relationships

In order to identify and organize sub-topics within the initial broad
categories of the early Table of Contents, another matrix was created.

Following some suggestions in The Craft of Research by Wayne Booth,

Gregory Colomb and Joseph M. Williams, an attempt was made to
understand the relationship of the different design disciplines to each
other and the relationship of the parts to a larger whole (see p. 21).

Using the categories suggested by this matrix, and sorting through the

images that had been collected, the strongest themes emerged. Some

categories were eliminated and some were consolidated into larger

For
principles"

categories. instance, "perceptual and "Gestalt grouping

principles" "Semiotics" rhetoric"

were combined. and "visual suggested

once again the importance of conveyed meaning in all three fields.

theories"

"Systems were not explicitly included in the final organization,

but the larger category of composition principles, to which they could

relate, did find a place in the final book. In this way progress was made

in determining the contents of the design application.

Using the matrix and collected images, it was possible at this stage to

demonstrate to the the thesis committee the broad outlines of the

project. A key suggestion that emerged around this time was to create a

rough mock-up of the entire book, identifying the content of each page.

This suggestion added another helpful boundary to the project. With

the content beginning to take shape, the mock-up, at first no more than

doodles on blank paper, encouraged decisions about the length of each

section. It helped to identify which topics had ample images already

collected and which still had none. It also served to identify roughly how
much text would be needed in each section.

Visual Analysis of Precedents

Another exercise that was undertaken at this time was a review and

analysis of the visual properties of some of the books that served as

precedents for the developing project (see page 24). The earlier review of

precedents had been mainly focused on content. This time a matrix was

created that analyzed the visual aspects of these books, in order to see if

any helpful patterns emerged that could influence design decisions in

the next phase of the project. While no strong influences did emerge, the
exercise was helpful in identifying upcoming decisions for the new book

design, such as those related to: page size, orientation, typeface, and grid
format. Fonts were tested and early schematic layouts were begun to

explore the organization of material on a page.

22
Synthesis continued

Following suggestions in The Craft of Research by Wayne Booth, Gregory

Colomb and Joseph M.Williams, this diagram started to visually organize

parts of the topic in relation to a larger whole. This exercise proved to be

helpful as a format for collecting examples to be used in the application.

Aspects of the Intersection of Graphic Design and Architecture:

Parts of theTopic and Their Relation to a Larger Whole

Shared
Architecture Graphic Design Environmental
Theories
Graphic Design
Gestalt
(Grouping ii

Si.
Principles)
R~~

m
mm mm
rJtit WL SAINT LUKE'S
;-

Semiotics

VI
# $
Visual Rhetoric

Systems
Theories

1 11 1 1 1
if lilt

Perceptual
Principles !

* "
*

1
i

23
Synthesis continued

Visual Analysis of Precedents

Experience A History of Visual Sign Communication Morphosis Buildings

Communication and Projects

purpose of book to inspire a survey of the a survey of examples of all a survey of the work of one
and challenge firm
history and variety kinds of signs particular architecture

convention of visual (environmental

communication graphic design)

audience designers, marketers, artists designers, scholars designers, scholars designers, scholars
and clients international- in three lan clients clients

guages, English, French, Japanese and English

German speaking readers

san-serif san-serif serif serif except captions

typeface
all caps upper and lower case upper and lower case and intro, a contemporary
Japanese characters san-serif

upper and lower case

and all caps

Headlines- 24 Headlines- 9 (bold) Headlines-14 Headlines-18

type size
Subheads- 14 Body Copy-9 Subheads-9 bold Subheads-12, 14
(approximate) Body Copy-14 Captions-9 Body Copy-9 Body Copy-9, 12, 14, 18
Captions-7 Captions-7 Captions-9

large blocks three columns one, two and three columns most often no columns
standards for
hung from top of page from top all at beginning of book,
body copy usually on one side whole pages of text- with extensive captions inside
no pictures only

centered on the page left justified left justified, typically left page,
main headings
spaced high above body right or left justified

copy or alone in column to

the left

2 kinds three columns across

grid format vertical thirds one column typical,
quarters pictures aligned from 1/3 half, third and other vertical also two or three

thirds horizontal and verti

up from bottom of page, divisions no obvious consistent hori
cal centered vertically great variety, but clearly in zontal divisions
a grid

9" 1/2"

8
3/4"
wide 8
3/4"
wide wide 8 wide
page size 11" 11"
12" 11"

tall tall tall tall

page orientation vertical horizontal vertical vertical

(cover horizontal)

24
Synthesis continued

One important part of the synthesis phase involved making

basic decisions about typography and overall visual organization.

This series demonstrates how different options were tested.

Headline Test in Futura Headline Test in Minion

!>-. Inn <WM

Headline Tost in Bodoni OF BE Headline Test in Univers

Reg

n> ik.->-..m.-i

.mm

25
Ideation

Ideation for the Application

The research, analysis and synthesis phases culminated in the creation of

a design application, a book in this case, about the intersection of graphic

design and architecture. Ideation, the formation and exploration of ideas,

was the next step in the process of creating this book.

Design Approaches
Design decisions were motivated by the content, that is, they sought to

be as clear as possible and to visually express the work's main idea. The
choices made attempted to visually reinforce the idea of a comparison of

differences, of overlapping fields, the dissolution of boundaries, and the

resolution of two things into one. In the ideation phase many aspects of

design were tested such as the selection of examples, the organization

of material, the page size, typographic decisions, the appearance of a
typical page in the book design, color, layout and systems decisions as
they related to the book's content.

Images and Organization

Some images were determined almost immediately. Some, though they
were strong choices and matched the subject matter, were eliminated

during ideation because they did not fit well with other images around

them. Some images were difficult to find and substitutions were made

right up to the printing of the final draft.

A first draft of the book was presented at a thesis committee meeting to

This poster, chosen to illustrate the concept
review the rough content and the organization. Some suggestions were
of implied line, appeared in the very first
draft and remained in to the end. made for rearrangements. The most significant was to move the section
on the uses of environmental graphic design forward to give it more
t- 1"*
^
ap 4t prominence. In this way, a section on case studies moved back to serve

* 1 as a summary and conclusion.

'

* m
"Iff* - Page Size and Typographic Decisions
"
sfli
i 1 ! Different page sizes and orientations were tested. A page size was chosen
IJ ^H
5'

"W'TLT
HM 9
that was similar to the average size of the precedents that had been
r m^ *r Mr

This image in
examined. Page size was chosen based on functional criteria. Pages were
of tiles a subway that form a
face, although a good example of environ not oversize, yet were still large enough to accommodate a number of
mental graphic design, was not included in
the final book since it was judged to require
images. Because there were many pairs of images intended to be seen

too much effort for the reader to understand.

horizontal format
together, a was eventually decided upon.

To express the idea of two fields in comparison, two distinct typefaces

Type Decisions
Minion were chosen to be used throughout the book, one serif, the other sans
was used for body copy and for
headlines serif. The font. Minion, was used for body copy and in association with
associated with Graphic Design
the theme of graphic design. For architectural themes and headlines,
Umvers 67 Condensed Bold Oblique was Univers 67 Condensed Bold Oblique was used.

used for headlines associated with

Architecture

26
Ideation continued

Once the typefaces were chosen, page grids were created. The size of the

grid structure was based on a text column that could accommodate ten
&Ghaphic Design
nntoatNWavnmH to twelve words of type in the Minion typeface. This length of text is the

maximum recommended for easy comprehension when reading many

lines of type.

Typography was also used to reinforce the ideas of overlapping subjects

(graphic design and architecture) and the idea of a field between other

fields (environmental graphic design.) For the cover, one early idea was
"Architecture" Design."

Initially, the idea of overlapping typography to overlap the words and "Graphic On an inside
was explored to express overlapping fields
page definitions and some quotes were likewise overlapped to suggest
of design. Thick and thin rules related to each
main topic. ideas that exist between two polarities.

In the layout, the idea of overlapping boundaries was expressed by using

ARCHITKCTURF. two rules in a few different ways. Throughout the book, at the beginning
of chapters, a thin rule was used in the color linked to the subject of
...

graphic design. A thicker rule below was linked to architecture. Chapter

headings appeared between these two symbolic rules.

Graphic Design
Another use of rules was tested on pages with comparisons between the

two fields. The upper rule was reserved for examples of graphic design.

The lower rule was reserved for examples of architecture. In the second

part of the book, about the combination of the two related disciplines

The theme was continued with overlapping into environmental graphic design, the examples were organized around
quotes and definitions about each of the
the previous pair of rules.
one rule, centered between the positions of
three design fields.

Color
Initially, color was selected from pastel shades rather than more intense

colors to correspond to the idea of a subject between distinct fields. The

concept of being in between was further suggested by experiments with

ARCHIU&lUBEv gradient blends. These were used on the cover and in the thicker, rules
mt mm tmmicriav

used throughout the book.

Initial Review and Revisions

A first draft of the book was produced testing all decisions made to date

and it was reviewed by the thesis committee. Chiefly, the selection of

images, typefaces and typical page layouts were found to function well

Adding color to the idea of overlapping put the cover, and some introductory pages were
but the chapter headings,
too many variables in play. The resulting
design was visually noisy. judged to need more refinement.

The use of overlapping type was discouraged as being difficult to

understand. It was also suggested that the blends gave a misleading

impression of the contents of the book. Color selections were also

thought to be a little unclear, not quite in keeping with the subject matter.

27
Ideation continued

It was suggested that color be explored further to

by trying match colors

to the subject matter. Eventually, a concrete color, a brownish-gray was

selected for pairing with the architecture theme. A blue was selected to
represent graphic design. Green was selected to pair with environmental
graphic design. These shades were deeper than previous pastel selections

and they seemed to give more strength to the pages.

Suggestions were also made to review the thickness of some of the rules

(see page 28). In some locations, shapes had been added below images,
like a shadow, in an attempt to give them added emphasis. These were

judged to be distracting and unnecessary and were eliminated.

Many preliminary solutions were then created for the cover and for the
divider
sheets. A key design dilemma was combining the two fonts
chosen, a serif and sans serif, on the cover without appearing to have too
many variables in play. A workable solution eventually appeared by
"and"

using a plus sign in place of the word as the center focus of the

cover composition. It took attention away from the differences in the

fonts at the same time it gave meaning to their differences (see page 29).

Another difficult design problem was how to distinguish the introduction

to the second part of the book about environmental graphic design. Early
suggestions had been made that a reader turning to this page should

immediately understand that this section was different. The first attempts

to respond to this suggestion used many pictures, bright colors and

irregular shapes. The page was somewhat distracting and in the end not

very revealing about the subject of environmental graphic design.

The design was finally resolved by using a full page image on one half of

the spread. This provided some visual relief since most previous pages

had multiple, smaller images. Additionally, the image chosen had much

symbolic significance. It is an example of environmental graphic design

Winds"
called "The Egg of the designed byToyo Ito. It functions as a

gateway to Okawabata City. In the book, it also functions as a gateway,

to the second part of the book.

The Egg of the Winds byToyo Ito.

28
Ideation: Color Studies

1 Color systems in the early versions of the book used soft 4 In this final version, a neutral color was chosen for the
upper bands and blue was used on the numbers and the
thin
blends of pastel colors.
rule. The brownish-grey was used for the thick rule. The
words

in the headlines were green to suggest the main topic of

environmental graphic design.

1.1
Oetigo
Cettyunog Atth<t*ctvf* *nst GrapAir
At 0*t*cn ot vwof

2 Many different colors were tested, but eventually the pastel

shades were rejected because they did not demonstrate a
clear enough association with the content.

3 In this iteration, rules architecture were colored

symbolizing
brownish-grey and rules symbolizing graphic design were
blue. Using the blue in the upper band, however, seemed to
dominate the page.
29
Ideation: Image Selection and Rule Exploration

_jL

1 This series is representative of a typical sequence of image 4 By adding full color top and bottom the irregular shapes are
selection in the ideation phase. In this first attempt, the eliminated but a new problem is introduced: how the two
images individually fit their respective themes but do not colors meet. This version, with the white line in the center,
work well together. seems somewhat unresolved.

" II

2 New selections are made but now the concentration of 5 Using thinner, rather than thicker rules, is chosen as the

black and white images creates a large amount of white best answer. At this point though, attention turns back to how
space on the right that divides the page in half. the images fit together and another edit is made.

3 Black and white images are separated by colored images.

When the color of the rules is darkened it becomes apparent
that they are creating unintentional, irregular negative shapes.

30
Ideation: Cover Designs

ARCHITECTURE & GRAPHIC DESIGN

HI^H HI AT THEIR INTERSECTION

1 There were many iterations of the cover design. In the early 4 Instead of
bringing clarity, the icons added more variables to

versions the idea of overlapping type is used. analready complex typography problem. This layout did
however suggest the use of a plus sign.

ARCHITECTURE

AT THEIR INTERSECTION!

2 Blended colors were another device used in the early stages 5This version returned to theidea of blends, used a plus sign
of development to suggest the erosion of boundaries. and an ampersand and had four separate type styles. Overly
complex, it nonetheless suggested a direction for progress.

Graphic Dlmgn
ARCHITECTURE
^Graphic Design ARCHITECTURE

4f TttttBl*Tf*StCTtO*i
AT THEIR INTtRSECTtOH

on
Kmiiiuv H. K*mimki

3When overlapping and blending were judged to be too 6 This version came close to the final outcome, using a plus
"and"

subtle, some covers tested the other extreme using literal sign in place of or an ampersand and using a blend only
representations of architecture and graphic design and in the color that maps on to environmental graphic design.

overlapping boundaries.
31
Evaluation

Ongoing Evaluations
The thesis process was not entirely linear. Some evaluations occurred

simultaneously with the synthesis and ideation phases. Ongoing thesis

committee meetings provided helpful feedback on content and layout

decisions. Additionally, small group meetings with classmates also

offered new insights on organization and layout. From all these sessions

decisions were refined.

An Outside Evaluation
Another evaluation, from outside of the academic realm, occurred by
taking a copy of the developing book to a potential end-user, a fabricator
who works with environmental graphic design. Chuck Finzer, from
Empire Graphics, agreed to contribute pictures to the second half of the

book. He also provided an informal review at an early stage of its devel

opment. He thought that having a copy of this book would be helpful to
him in promoting environmental graphic design.

Evaluations by Other Students

Another more formal evaluation came from a presentation of the project

to first year graduate students. While the main focus of this presentation

was to share the process of developing a thesis project, they nonetheless

also offered observations on the design of this specific project in progress.

Some ideation concerning the use of the colors and the thickness of the

rules were presented and their reactions to the different options helped

in the next iteration of the design.

Written Evaluations
The first written evaluations came from comment cards set up at the

thesis exhibition in the Bevier Gallery where the book was put on display
for about two weeks. The comment cards requested that observers make

comments on both the exhibit and on the book. The cards were written

so that the observer could simply check a yes or no box, or offer more

information if they chose to.

Eleven responses were gathered. All respondents affirmed that they

found the subject matter of the book to be of interest and the material

clearly organized. Nine of the eleven also affirmed this for the exhibit

itself. The other two respondents suggested that the exhibit could have

benefited from larger panels or more space, saying the panels seemed a

bit too cramped. Five people answered that what they learned from the

book and exhibit was the close comparison between architecture and

graphic design.

32
Evaluation continued

Sample Evaluation Form Used at the Exhibit

Evaluation and Comments

Book Exhibit

?Yes ONo OYes ONo

1. Did you find the subject matter of interest?

?Yes ONo OYes ONo

2. Was the organization of material clear?

?Yes ONo OYes ONo

3. Did you learn anything new?

What was this?

?Yes ONo OYes ONo

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed?

What was this?

?Yes ONo OYes ONo

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differently?

What was this?

6. Any other comments?

Thank you much for your help with the development of this work.
very

56).
forms may be found in the Appendix (see
page
Completed evaluation

33
Evaluation continued

Additional Written Evaluations

At the start of the project, design professionals were identified as a

possible target market for this book. With this in mind, evaluations were

sought from architects and graphic designers as well as from students

and the general public. A more comprehensive evaluation form was

written than that used at the gallery, with the hope that individuals, who

were reviewing the book on their own, might have more time to respond

than those in the gallery setting.

Responses were gathered from four architects and one structural

engineer.Three were familiar with the field of environmental graphic

design before looking at the book. Two were not.They each preferred a

different section of the book; no two answers to this question were alike.

What emerged as a significant pattern was that almost everyone made

some comment that confirmed an appreciation for the comparison

between graphic design and architecture. In answering what was the

most striking similarity observed between architecture and graphic

design, one answer was, "that there is an inherent organization within all

see." "
the graphics and architecture that we Another wrote, I discovered
linkages."
new Another wrote, "how integrated they (the fields) have
be."

been, could Still another comment came from a person interested in

communicate"

the idea of "using form to and this was further qualified

form."

as"culturally recognizable

Two respondents made comments that the graphic design of the book

could still be pushed farther. One comment was specific to the cover

design saying that there was not enough of interest on the cover for

someone to understand what was in the book.

The uses of environmental graphic design drew varied responses. Three,

respondents, two who picked Commemoration as the most important

use, and one other, recognized the emotional potential of environmental

graphic design. In the case studies section, the Las Vegas Freemont Street

Experience was the example that received the highest average rating for

most interesting case study.

34
Evaluation continued

Additional Written Evaluations continued

One person in particular seemed to take to heart the book's message

"
I think
about eroding the boundaries between disciplines.They wrote,

this is an extremely rich topic. Personally, I think that there is too much

separation between architecture, graphics, and industrial

design. The

questions
questions you're asking are not easily answered, nor are they
These are usually the most inter
that will always find broad consensus.

ask."

esting questions to

from graphic designers. Their

Three additional responses were received

comments were generally positive. Two of the respondents said they

of the book for reference. They all commented

would like to have a copy

that the layout was clean and well organized.

that emerged in the responses of the graphic

One interesting pattern

none of them chose to select any one of the uses of

designers was that

environmental graphic design as being more important than the others.

that this kind of evaluation would depend on

All made similar comments

the specifics of the project.

received from previous

One of the graphic designers echoed comments,
book."

as exciting as the inside of the

evaluations, that the cover was "not
designers said she understood
However, in conversation, another of the

from the concentration of

cover was understated, as a relief
why the
images inside. If the project were to continue however, the cover would

benefit from additional design consideration.

forms used follows (see page 36).

A sample of one of the evaluation

The actual completed evaluations appear in the Appendix.

35
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Sample Evaluation Form Given to Representitive Members of the Book's Target Audience

Thank you for taking time to review this book. Your comments to the final
are highly valued. They will contribute

refinements of this book.They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.

It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

? an architect

? graphic designer
D an environmental graphic designer
? design student

D in another design field

? other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

? yes ? no

Book Organization 3. Looking at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

D yes ? no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book is of most interest to you?

? no sections were of interest

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between
architecture and graphic design?
? yes D no

If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

design incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

? yes D no D no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

? yes ? no

If yes, what did you learn?

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe

is the most important?
D to Identify ? to Orient D to Inform ? to Entertain
? to Ornament ? to Persuade ? to Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice.

Page 1 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies
9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

pages 73-82, on a scale of 1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

The US Holocaust Museum

The National School ofTheater

Microsoft Prototype Stores

The World of Coca-Cola
The Fremont Street Experience

? all were equally interesting to me

D none were interesting to me

Part Three
10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in PartThree,
that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

graphic design?
? yes D no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
contribute to your understanding of the subject?

? yes ? no

General Questions
12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)
support your understanding of the material? Please explain.

? yes ? no

13. If you saw this book in a library you would most likely
? pass it by
? glance through it and return it to the shelf

D check it out for further reading

Please explain.

14. Do you have any other comments?

Page 2 of 2
Implementation

Implementation
Some final revisions were made based on comments received during the
evaluation phase. Chiefly these involved issues of consistency. Also,
there was still one page with
overlapping type, left from the stage when

this was being used as a design device. It was suggested this page be
modified to match the cover.

Some small scale modifications were suggested

regarding typographic
issues like ragged type edges, sense breaks and consistency of spacing
between images. Other more substantial suggestions, such as "there

be
sections,"

should stronger differences between require some distance

from the project and a fresh outlook at a later time in order to implement.

To create the prototype book, a document was created using Quark 4.04
page layout program. Images were scanned on an Astra 1200 S scanner

at a resolution of 150 dpi. The final prototype was printed on an Epson

Stylus Photo EX printer at a resolution of 360 dpi.

A standard page size was chosen, an A4 sheet (8.27 x 11.69 inches), the
European standard for letter-sized documents. However, in order to simu

late full bleeds in the layouts, which, with the design of vertical reference
"

tabs, occur on about half of all sheets, the pages were printed on 11 x
17"
paper. They were then cut down to the A4 size. Pages were hand
trimmed and assembled.

The sections of the book were divided across 4 separate Zip disks,
roughly one disk for every 25 pages in the book. This could have been
condensed somewhat to save memory, however, having some extra

space on each disk proved valuable. During the ideation phase, when the

location of some pages in the book changed, having some open space

allowed for some rearrangements without having to redistribute the

entire layout.

The book uses a great many images. Consequently, the main document
contains too many previews to fit on a Zip disk along with the material

for one quarter of the book. The main document is saved separately on a

fifth disk and must be transferred to the hard drive for printing.

Were this project to move on to a further stage of development, it might

make sense to consolidate the material using a Jazz disk and drive.

Another option would be to reduce the preview settings on the images to

the minimum. However, having the full resolution in preview mode has

been very helpful during the development stages.

38
Dissemination

This book was assembled with the intention that it could be a helpful

teaching tool in a multi-disciplinary curriculum. Comments by some of

those who have seen the prototype suggest that a book like this might

find an audience
among interested professionals as well.

To take this project on to a further stage of development, it would be

helpful to seek advice from the professional organization for environmen

tal graphic design, SEGD. The administrators there have had experience

publishing their own books on this subject. They would be likely to have
good advice about whether there is any potential interest for this kind
of book.

Another option would be to send the prototype book to a publisher to

ask for advice and comment on the further development of this project.

Even if the comments were negative, it would be a helpful exercise to

gain experience for any future book projects.

Another use for this prototype book is that it could form the basis of a

course to be taught on this subject. The organization of the chapters

could translate into a curriculum structure for a course. The paired

comparisons could be used to give students examples and they could

be asked to find further correspondences on their own to confirm their

understanding of the ideas.

The categories in the second half of the book lend themselves well to

becoming topics of firsthand observation. Students could be asked to

find and photograph or collect examples of each of the different uses for
environmental graphic design. These categories could also lend them
selves well to small group projects to create a design solution, such as in

wayfinding, or as a memorial, or as entertainment.

Because of the multi-disciplinary nature of the field, this type of course

may appeal to a broad range of students in graphic design, architecture,

interior design, fine arts, crafts and photography.

39
Retrospective Evaluation

Format
This project could benefit from additional explorations related to format.
In retrospect, the page size is somewhat unwieldy for casual scanning. It
is too long to comfortably hold in one hand and scan through the pages

with the other. It almost requires that it be laid down flat on a surface in
order to be viewed.

Because of the narrowness of the page height, the sizes of some of the

images in the comparison sections are smaller than is desirable for

complete understanding. Some of the enjoyment of adjacent comparisons

between architectural and graphic design examples is lost with the small

size of the images.

In retrospect, a squarer format with fewer comparisons per page may

have made a much stronger visual impact. This would also more

appropriately place the emphasis on the images rather than on the text.
While the text is supportive, the main lessons in the book come from the
actions of seeing and thinking about the images. A different layout could

better support this activity.

One comment that was made in a presentation of the work was that the

layouts should have more visual contrast, that the book was very much
like a textbook. While the original intention was that the book could be

used like a textbook, it could also be developed to be more engaging as

an art book. In this way it could serve double duty. It could provide an

interesting and engaging format to the casual observer at the same time

presenting the substance needed for teaching. If development of the

book were to continue, review of the page size and other layout decisions

would be an appropriate next step.

Content
A strength of the project is the range of material it covers. The organiza

tion of the material was clear to those who evaluated it.The case made

for comparison of architecture and graphic design is fairly strong. In

most instances, the choice of images clearly supported the ideas being
discussed. While most of the ideas presented are not original, this
particular organization of them is. By presenting the ideas in this sequence

with good, supporting illustrations, new insights were made possible for
the reader.

The written content could benefit from additional research. Some of the

ideas presented, for instance the information about the derivation of the
'story'
word for floors of a building, are from general knowledge but
should be substantiated by a research source.

40
Retrospective Evaluation continued

Content continued

There are other sections in the book that depend heavily on quotes and

original ideas by others. While these are appropriately credited, the

purpose of their inclusion could be more obvious. If the book is intended

to lead readers to other sources of information,

mainly as a guidebook

quotes and references are appropriate but this intention should be

these
Perhaps the books referenced should even be
clearly stated somewhere.

such as: "Additional

listed at the end of each section under a heading
Reading"
the book is intended to present a more
If, on the other hand,
interpretation of source material, additional thinking and writing
original
this field.
is required to make a more coherent, original contribution to

more comprehensive conclusion was

planned. The
Originally, a longer,
purpose of this conclusion would be to explain some of the historical

of environmental graphic design at

reasons that favor the development

to complete the research for this conclusion

this time. It was not possible

established schedule for implementation of the application.

within the
to develop, this addition could
However, if this project were to continue

the desire for more original written content.

help satisfy

Additional Material
second section on environmental graphic
design
Time allowing, the
would benefit from the inclusion of more original photographic material.

Commemoration, for instance, many of the photographs

In the section on

Other sections borrow

were original, based on firsthand observation.

Some of the projects shown have been

examples from other publications.

such as the Las Vegas corridor and the Holocaust

used many times,
examples, a reader familiar with the field
Museum. While these are good

appreciate
of environmental graphic design would most likely seeing

well-known examples. Were this project to be continued,

different, less
additional source material should be collected for this section.

41
Conclusion

In conclusion, this project satisfied several of the goals that were

identified in the beginning by the project statement.

The research component of this thesis did analyze the ways in which

environmental graphic design is similar to and different from graphic

design and architecture. Architecture and graphic design were shown to

be similar as objects of vision, conveyors of meaning and recorders of

history. Environmental graphic design was demonstrated to be a combi

nation of architecture and graphic design and as such to have many

special purposes.

Examples demonstrated how the hybrid field was valuable in identifica

tion, orientation, and commemoration of space. Other examples showed

how environmental graphic design can be used for the purposes of

persuasion, entertainment, and ornamentation. Concluding essays in the

book discussed how environmental graphic design adds a dimension of

to architecture and a degree of permanence to graphic design.

flexibility

On another level, this project provided a valuable educational experience

by offering an opportunity to write and design a book. The problem

posed allowed a chance for inquiry into three separate design fields. It

led to research in visual perception, design history, design theory, and to

case studies of architectural constructions and actual printed graphic

design pieces.

Additionally, this process has offered practice in writing and organization.

Most importantly, it has served as a vehicle for consolidating and practic

a wide range of graphic design skills learned during the Masters

ing
program in Graphic Design at RIT.

42
Glossary

graphic design The term coined in 1922 by William Addison Dwiggins to describe the

individual structured order and visual form to

activities of an bringing
printed communications.Though named in 1922, the activity itself dates

back tO the invention Of writing, (from Phillip Meggs, A History of Graphic Design)

erecting buildings. 2. A
structure
architecture I.The art and science of designing and

style and method of design and construction:

or structures collectively 3. A
Byzantine Architecture 4. Any design or orderly arrangement perceived by
man: the architecture of nature.

design The planning, design and execution of graphic elements in the built and nat
environmental graphic

Environmental graphics includes communication systems that

ural environment.

and architectural graphics that visually enhance the

identify, direct and inform,
environment, (from the Society for Environmental Graphic Design).

Gestalt 1. a unified physical, psychological, or symbolic

configuration having
properties that cannot be derived from its parts

ideation 1. the formation of ideas

sans serif without serifs

signs or sign language

semiology 1. the science dealing with

semiotics the study and application of signs, signs being anything and everything that

conveys meaning (from Perception and Imaging by Richard Zakia)

semantics 1. Linguistics, The study of the science of meaning in language forms,

2. Logic, the study of the
particularly with regard to its historical change.

they represent.
relationships between signs and symbols and what

off the main strokes, as at the top and bottom of m or

serif a fine line finishing
ending the cross stroke of t

the way in which words are put together to form phrases and sentences
syntax

2. systematic arrangement

decision
solving comprising the following
processes:
spatial problem

making, decision executing and information processing (from Wayfinding

wayfinding
Architecture, by Paul Arthur and Romedi Passini)
People, Signs and

Dictionary unless noted otherwise

definitions from the American Heritage
43
Bibliography

Thesis Topics

Architecture History / Reference

A History of Architecture, Sir Bannister Fletcher
A History of Architecture, Settings and Rituals, Spiro Kostof, Oxford Press
A History of Western Architecture, David Watkin

Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, Robert Venturi

Modernism's History, A Study in Twentieth Century Art and Ideas,
Bernard Smith
Sacred Architecture, A.T. Mann
Sacred Geometry, Nigel Pennick
The Old Way of Seeing, Jonathan Hale
Time Stands Still, Keith Critchlow

Theory
Meaning in Architecture, Charles Jencks and George Baird, editors
Rethinking Architecture, A Reader in Cultural Theory, Neil Leach, editor
Theory and Design in the First Machine Age, Reyner Banham
Theory and Design in the Second Machine Age, Martin Pawley
Theory and History of Architecture, Manfredo Tafuri

Applications

Designing and Planning Environmental Graphics, Wayne Hunt

Environmental Graphic Design Experience, Sean Perkins
SEGD Award Publications
Sign Communication, Community Identity, Sign Communication Publishing
Urban Entertainment Graphics, Wayne Hunt
Wayfinding, People, Signs, and Architecture, Paul Arthur and Romedi Passini

You Are Here, Graphics That Direct, Explain and Entertain, SEGD

Applications
Theory, Jost Hochuli Robin Kinross
Designing Books: Practice and and

Graphic Design Marketing By Design, D. K. Holland and Sherwin Harris

History
A History of Graphic Design, Philip Meggs
A History of Visual Communication, Josef Muller-Brockmann
Graphic Design from Victorian to Post-Modern, Seymour Chwast and

Stephen Heller, editors

Graphic Design in the Mechanical Age, Maud Lavin, editor

Theory
Design in the Visual Arts, Roy R. Behrens
Design Through Discovery, The Elements and Principles,
Marjorie Elliott Bevlin
Perception and Imaging, Dr. Richard Zakia

44
Bibliography continued

General Reference The Craft of Research, Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb and

Joseph M. Williams

Thesis References Effective Communication in Interactive Media Through Application of Gestalt

Principles, Cheryl R. Cicha, RIT MFA Thesis, 1995

The Multiple Dimensions of Graphic Design, Viseshain, Jongruja Mai,

RIT MFA Thesis, 1992

The Anatomy of Information Design, Young-Kook Kim, RIT MFA Thesis, 1997

Periodicals Architecture
Architectural Record
Colonial Homes
Graphis
House and Garden

Identity
Print
VM+SD

45
Appendices

Appendix 1: Thesis Proposal

Appendix 2: Schedule

Appendix 3: Evolution of theTable of Contents

Appendix 4: Evaluation Forms

Appendix 5:The Final Design Application

46
Appendix 1 Thesis Proposal

47
Thesis Proposal

Graphic Design and Architecture

At Their Intersection

Thesis Problem This thesis will explore the important

increasingly role played by graphic

design in architecture. Traditionally thought of as a two-dimensional

applied art, graphic design has relevant applications in the design of

places. This is sometimes known as environmental graphic design. The

premise of this investigation is that by extending graphic design into the
world of architecture both disciplines are strengthened. Graphic design
in an architectural context benefits from a more long-lasting medium, in
material and duration, than its more common forms in print, film or digital

media. Architecture, in its turn, gains another way to communicate to an

audience, one that is more flexible and changeable than its otherwise
static structure would ordinarily permit.

The research component of this thesis will analyze the ways in which

environmental graphic design is similar to and different from

architecture and two-dimensional graphic design. Research will also

show how and why this hybrid is important. It will analyze the ways in
which graphic design in the built environment adds value or interest to a

place, marks territory, acts as ornament, provides identity, and adds

meaning in ways that were not achievable by architecture or graphic

design alone. It will identify a wide range of applications where this might

be useful.

Proposed Application The application of this thesis study will be a book about the subject

outlined above. This book could be used as a guidebook for teaching

about this discipline. It could also be used as a reference for designers
and clients considering the incorporation of graphic design in an

architectural project.

This application will collect and organize information that is currently

scattered, existing in pockets across disciplines and mainly in periodicals.

With this collection and analysis of material new insights will be possible

that will contribute understanding to the growing field of environmental

graphic design.
Appendix 2 Planning Schedule

49
Planning Schedule

Noverrih-f '

30 1

08 09 10
committee meets:

research review
14 15 16 17 18

break

January
4 5 6 7 8

! 12 13 14 15

committee meets:

18 19 20 21 22 connections,
outlines, writing

25 26 27 28 29
2 el
-ebruary
1

committee meets:

8 9 10 11 12 ideation review

15 16 17 18 19

committee meets:
March
application review
8 9 10 11 12

15 16 17 18 19

22 23 24 25 26

29 30 31

April exhibit opening

5 JsL
committee meets:

13 14 15 16 show, revisions,
12
writing

19 20 21 22 23
committee meets:

last review before sign-off

26 27 28 2g 0

Mav
3 4 5 6 7
committee meets:

sign-off
10 11 12 13 14

graduation

17 18 19 20 21 May 22

50
Appendix 3 Evolution of the Table of Contents

51
Evolution of theTable of Contents: Initial Version

Table of Contents

Introduction
About Architecture and Visual Communication

Part One
Similarities Between Architecture and Visual Communication
Ways of Seeing
Perceptual Principles
Visual Design
Shared Conventions
Conveyors of Meaning
Similar Evolution of Forms
Similar Ideas and Attitudes

Part Two
The intersection of Architecture and Graphic Design:
Environmental Graphic Design
Graphic Design Applied to Architecture
Graphic Design Integral With Architecture
Architecture as Dimensional Graphic Design
Its Value
Benefits for Architecture
Benefits for Graphic Design
its Uses
Identity
Wayfinding
Memorials
Exhibit Design
Attraction
Persuasion
Conclusion: Why Its important Now

Bibliography
Photo Credits

52
Evolution of theTable of Contents: Intermediate Version

Table of Contents introduction

About Architecture and Graphic Design

Part One
Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design
Perceptual Principles
Composition Principles
Rhetorical Devices
Shared Conventions
Conveyors of Meaning
Similar Evolution of Forms
Similar Ideas and Attitudes

Part Two
The Intersection of Architecture and Graphic Design:
Environmental Graphic Design
Graphic Design Applied to Architecture
Graphic Design Integral With Architecture
Architecture Influenced by Graphic Design
Its Value
Benefits for Architecture
Benefits for Graphic Design
Its Uses
Identity
Wayfinding
Memorials
Exhibit Design
Attraction
Persuasion
Part Three:
Conclusion: Why Environmental Graphic Design Is Important Now

Bibliography
Photo Credits

53
Evolution of theTable of Contents: Intermediate Version 2

Table of Contents

Introduction About Architecture and Graphic Design

Parti
Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design
As Objects of Vision

Shared Perception Principles

Shared Composition Principles
Shared Rhetorical Devices
Shared Conventions

As Conveyors of Meaning
Similar Evolution of Forms
Similar Ideas and Attitudes

Part 2
Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design:
Environmental Graphic Design
Some Examples
Graphic Design Applied to Architecture
Graphic Design Integral With Architecture
Architecture Influenced by Graphic Design
The Value of Environmental Graphic Design
To Architecture
To Graphic Design
Uses for EGD

Part 3
Conclusion Why Environmental Graphic Design Is Important Now

Bibliography
Photo Credits

54
Evolution of theTable of Contents: Final Version

Table of Contents

Introduction About Architecture and Graphic Design

1 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design

As Objects of Vision

As Conveyors of Meaning
As Recorders Of History

Design:
Integrating Architecture and Graphic
Environmental Graphic Design

Intersection Architecture and Graphic Design

Understanding the of

Conclusion

Bibliography
Photo Credits

55
Appendix 4 Evaluation Forms

56
Evaluation and Comments
ook Exhibit
1. Did you find the subject matter of interest? "es ONo f^es ONo

2. Was the organization of material clear? \2Yes ONo QJYes ONo

3. Did you learn anything new? MOYes ONo OYes ONo

What was this? x . -_
"
, /
,

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? J2ftfes ONo OYes ONo
What was this?

&? Qreh."/n1*<re..
-T*e oP A<,W<3-
\jarte-ty
5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differendy? ?Yes Sl^o OYes ONo
What was this?

6. Any other comments?

+i ^,Ph^
fir lo+ o?
i^crk

Thank you very much for your help with the development of this work.

Evaluation and Comments

Book Exhibit
1. Did you find the subject matter of interest? OYes ONo O^es ONo

2. Was the organization of material clear? OfYes

yes ONo OYes ONo

3. Did you learn anything new? ?tfes ONo 0Yes ONo

What was this?

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? Cf&j

res ONo OYes ONo
What was this?

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differently? ?Yes d OYes
What was this?

6. Any other comments?

Thank you very much for your help with the development of this work.
Evaluation and Comments
Book Exhibit
1. Did you find the subject matter of interest? JaYes ONo OYes ONo

2. Was the organization of material clear? ONo

^aYes ONo ^0res

3. Did you learn anything new? igfe.

ONo OYes ONo
Whatwasthis? ^
^^ ,A^
(g) fr^^c
4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? ^^lYes ONo OYes ONo

fringe- p^a
o-
^ _ew-> A CjU^^wvY^^r ^; ^rry^o/(^i>-v)_
5. Was mere anymmg m particular that you like to done differently?
see QYes J3No OYes ONo
What was this?

6. Any other comments? .

^t^fthH^C J>*-k^

Thank you very much for your help with the development of this work.

-< *v***-vr wnv* vvxrui.n

Book Exhibit

1. Did you find the subject matter of interest? ^Yes ONo OYes ONo

2. Was the organization of material clear?

k^es ENo aYes ONo

3. Did you learn anything new? Yes ONo OYes ONo

Whatwasthis? . , y..nL -.
rv,;>5y

in tha. Cpi\-te^t flr\J -ferr<\<.

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? fires ONo OYes ONo
What was this? .

JetaU VisaM sample*,,

^ery cle*r,

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differendy? OYes (BNo OYes ONo
What was this?

6. Any other comments?

Thank you very much for your help with the development of this work.
Evaluation and Comments
Book Exhibit
1. Did you find the subject matter of interest? OYes ONo l3Yes ONo

2. Was the organization of material clear? 0Yes ONo fiJYes ONo

3. Did you learn anything new? QYes ONo OYes ONo

What H-o e f'.&fVc.

p tf
was this? QJ-tose- < < ti => ^\ r iv e^

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? 0Yes ONo EJYes ONo
What was this? 7^ ^^ <jYe~> +
Colics ur<L
lG>K^

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differendy? OYes ONo OYes ONo
What was this?

6. Any other comments?

J--J

Thank you very much for your help with the development of this work

Evaluation and Comments

Book Exhibit
I. Did you find the subject matter of interest? && a^ Yes aNo

2. Was the organization of material clear? 3ies ONo uTYes ONo

3. Did you learn anything new? ^BYes ONo f5Yes ONo

What was this^^(jVULciiZ^rK^ oV Gt^D uxu>!

?d% lcU|0V> 6p^W

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? SaYes ONo 0Yes ONo

Q^i^ CtfcckA >\p

Whatwasthis?^^ QJ^ ^.
CL^o%

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differently? ?Yes Gj6o OYes
What was this?

6. Any other comments?

<ooudv*z. &/> *fe i>fttei/afW

-Xr inWkA^

^ptSiU. but 4ou do s*H<4b6

Thanlr v/\ti \mi-v mm-h fnr vrtur hpln with thp Hfvplnnm#nt nf this wnrV
Evaluation and Comments
Book Exhibit

1. Did you find the subject matter of interest? Yes ONo OYes )%tio

2. Was the organization of material clear? fes ONo <^Yes ONo

3. Did you learn anything new? )8tfes ONo ^QYes ONo

What was this?
^(V^5^/o
t\QAjA, -{
Lo-u&<*sr
erf
<**-

h* t<~> ri<&*
asLcL\~'i'ec~Ut^e- $ ^yj^pU^c^ oLe&c-<\ >o ^/

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? / / / QQfes ONo 65Yes ONo
What was this?
/!_, (Ia^v^^ 2, -ir^SL asn+ i,
M-t"
r~f- opn^>
h#~-,/

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differendy? OYes Ejtfo 15%
res ONo
What was this?

i < b'JJ&T, J,e jt'rtf c, <-"-<

, -^ ^v..// --1

6. Any other
comments?1

Thank you very much for your help with the development of this work

Evaluation and Comments

Book Exhibit
Qries ONo 0es ONo
1. Did you find the subject matter of interest?

2. Was the organization of material clear?

afeT ONo OYes ONo

3. Did you learn anything new? ?Yes ONo OYes ONo

What was this? 6.
<^ejz-*\ ut-
V?A<SV-)

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? rjftes ONo OYes ONo
What was this?

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differendy? ?Yes ONo OYes OfvTo
What was this?

6. Any other comments?

Thank you very much for your help with the development of this work.
Evaluation and Comments
Book Exhibit
1. Did you find the subject matter of interest? y&es ONo ^Yes ONo

2. Was the organization of material clear? ^8^es ONo ^Tres ONo

3. Did you learn anything new? ?Yes ONo OYes ONo

What was this?

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? ?Yes ONo OYes ONo
What was this?

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differendy? ?Yes ONo OYes ONo
What was this?

6. Any other comments?

Thank you very much for your help with the development of this work

Evaluation and Comments

Book Exhibit
/f^No^'

1. Did you find the subject matter of interest? ONo OYes

Vo ii^rpl-oo .j, in~

2. Was the organization of material clear?

ONo OYes

3. Did you learn anything new? ^?Yes ONo OYes ONo

What was this?

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? ies ONo OYes ONo
What was this?

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differendy? ?Yes ONo OYes ONo
What was this?

6. Any other comments?

^ho^in* -h rjrab y0^r bfarrhim fort eywbrr

-njOL s Jo nd

Thank vnn wrv much for vnur helD with the development of this wdrk
Evaluation and Comments
Book Exhibit
1. Did you find the subject matter of interest? OYes ONo Otes ONo

2. Was the organization of material clear? l3Yes ONo ^Yes ONo

3. Did learn anything

you new? tatfes ONo N^Yes ONo
^^
Whatwasthis?
, J J

4. Was there anything in particular you enjoyed? OYes ONo OYes ONo
What was this? .

5. Was there anything in particular that you like to see done differendy? OYes ONo OYes ONo
What was this?

/V Ji& 4> Set t_ UtLmu {/^rhi

6. Any other comments? MAStf (^T^V^cnr^ ( d*j{*/fs-+ S' #7 Ml- pkow-Js]

of picks

Thank you very much for your help with the development of this work
 f^i\CJh

Evaluation and Review Comments

for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank you for taking time to review this book. Your comments are to the final
highly valued. They will contribute

refinements of this book.They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.
It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

an architect
-nj
D graphic designer
D an environmental graphic designer
O design student

? in another design field a

pother -.VtUsTri.U cU*>pV

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

.E^yes ? no

Book Organization 3. Looking at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

jB'yes ? no If no, please explain.

'
'n/d/fU
'w
lir\ u\(AfU~ls
>ct Matter 4. Which part of the book is of rnost interest to you? p. 'yl

$s*A,y Ufa i&. jh. <tyf -6U -6U -U

vrh
U no sections were of interest \i\L "n K<ji. #rW\s\ .

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between , \
lu
ir**"
-y.

'
design? \vA^ \ni^^
ardjjtecture and graphic
jfj
^M-
s^*

/^Tyes Dno
\V>&
If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?
\Lj i

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

design incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design? . i

7. Didyou learn something about environmental graphic design?

|a|j/-/ ^Jjijuvi

If yes, what did you learn?

//i/*U) ^ iMff d/W- firA^ ."i^TliUL,

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe

is the most important?
D to Identify O to Orient ^folnform ? to Entertain
D to Ornament ? to Persuade ? to Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice. i

U,^jWu ^/W/tC^ ^ '\% |AVrv Page 1 of 2

W&7
 Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

pages 73-82, on a scale of 1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list. _j_

The US Holocaust Museum

r The National School ofTheater iL

Microsoft Prototype Stores
The World of Coca-Cola
d^'
The Fremont Street Experience bUT C&VA-
*ty ^ J J
J^aW were equally interesting to me

i ? none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in Part Three,

that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

graphic design?
D no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90

contribute to yourvunderstanding of the subject? /I s /7fc'-rN

| ^
j&fyes Dno ^ (Li *>MlS ju. MtW$ M > J
<K^Q-
d.<QML (Lt*4WrUj JfthM m*WL$yC w<^ iVJj
General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)

support your understanding of the material? Please explain. ~

13. If you saw this book in"a library you would most likely
D pass it by
? gjance through it and return it to the shelf

^tfcheck it out for further reading

14. Do )u
yoi have any other comments?
^JJ^/Wv. $ CSifr\rt7j

Thank you again for your time and your assistance with this project.

Page 2 of 2
j

W<Ls
4^
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank you for taking time to review this book. Your comments to the final
are highly valued. They will contribute
refinements of this book.They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.
It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

D an architect

D graphic designer
D an environmental graphic designer
D design student

? in another design field

B other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

D yes no

Book Organization 3. Looking at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

BB yes ? no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book Is of most interest to you?

? no sections were of interest

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between
architecture and graphic design?
D yes B no

If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

design incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

yes D no D no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

If yes, did learn?

W^ "^^T^^cK
what you
,

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe

is the most important?
O to Identify D to Orient to Inform D to Entertain
? to Ornament ? to Persuade O to Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice.

Page 1 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

pages 73-82, on a scale of

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

The US Holocaust Museum

_
The National School ofTheater

Microsoft Prototype Stores

Th e Wo rl d of Coca-Co I a
The Fremont Street Experience

all were equally interesting to me

? none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in PartThree,

that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

contribution to
and that architecture can make a valuable

graphic design?

O yes D no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
contribute to your understanding of the subject?

B yes ? no

General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)

support your understanding of the material? Please explain.

B yes D no

13. If you saw this book in a library you would most likely
D pass it by
B glance through it and return it to the shelf

D check it out for further reading

v J OtHK OrVM JUoSl

14. Do you have any other comments?

Thank you again for your time and your assistance with this project.

Page 2 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank you for taking time to review this book. Your They will contribute to the final
comments are highly valued.

refinements of this book.They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.

It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

? an architect

? graphic designer
? an environmental graphic designer

B design student

D in another design field

O other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

? yes 0 no

Book Organization 3. at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

Looking
H yes D no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book is of most interest to you?

? no sections were of interest

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between

architecture and graphic design?

H yes O no

If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

design incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

? yes D no H no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

D yes ? no

If yes, what did you learn?

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe

is the most important?

& to Identify D to Orient ? to Inform ? to Entertain

O to Ornament ? to Persuade O to Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice.

%x <W/ h f// a* Jfa uses

Page 1 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

pages 73-82, on a scale of 1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

/^_ The US Holocaust Museum

A_ The National School of Theater

'"7- Microsoft Prototype Stores

_1_
The World of Coca-Cola
_L
The Fremont Street Experience

? all were equally interesting to me

? none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in PartThree,
that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture
and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

graphic design?

fif yes D no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
contribute to your understanding of the subject?

Gtf yes ? no

General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)
support your understanding of the material? Please explain.

fiyes O no

13. If you saw this book in a library you would most likely
D pass it by
& glance through it and return it to the shelf

? check it out for further reading

Please explain.

14. Do you have any other comments? */ /

r\o"*--

Thank you again for your time and your assistance with this project.

Page 2 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank you for taking time to review this book. Your comments to the final
are highly valued. They will contribute

refinements of this book.They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.

It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

)j(an architect

? graphic designer
D an environmental graphic designer
? design student

D in another design field

D other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

? yes )^no

Book Organization 3. Looking at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

VQ'yes ? no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book is of most interest to you?

'
'
? no sections were of interest

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between .

tk&k wt^
architecture and graphic design?

"
If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

design incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

^0fyes Q no D no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

^J^yes ? no

If yes, what did you learn?

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe

is the most important?

D to Identify ? to Orient ? to Inform ? to Entertain

? to Ornament ? to Persuade jSto Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice.
c>r\

r^pfc/rv5 -ftp -6k ir^rrwrud t

A i*frnrfW
"jjj 1 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

pages 73-82, on a scale of 1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

_!_
The US Holocaust Museum
*> The National School ofTheater

3l Microsoft Prototype Stores

i\ The World of Coca-Cola

"2- The Fremont Street Experience

? all were equally interesting to me

O none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in PartThree,
that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

graphic design?
J{?yes D no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
contribute to your understanding of the subject?

Jfyes ? no

General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)
support your understanding of the material? Please explain.

^SCyes D no

\J4XVr ?<rnpU^ l^^f-

l/fr-y #s>w -fa iZUou/

13. If you saw this book in a library you would most likely
? pass it by
? glance through it and return it to the shelf

^sCcheck it out for further reading

Please explain.

14. Do you have any other comments?

gJUtol*.?^- Cirr f <XA\%t<hjl <C ifYUA^i- lr\u^

-f^ f&JUcMffr\ o-f

Thank
nk you aga
again for your time and your assistance with this project. *

Page 2 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank you for taking time to review this book. Your comments to the final
are highly valued. They will contribute

refinements of this book. They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.

It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

^lan architect

? graphic designer
? an environmental graphic designer
? design student

Q In another design field

? other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

Kyes ? no

Book Organization 3. Looking at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

f^yes ? no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book is of most interest to you?

? no sections were of interest "frvT|OtO.

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between
architecture and graphic design?
^yes ? no

If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?

\ ?>\S<LOV*5fcfcO Qe\a Utv)6,A6><c.<>

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

design incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

y?(yes D no D no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

P^yes ? no

If yes, what did you learn? i

?s^o<rurO)Ty/
THG>L6AXTn4 of Aepo o&n^s

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe

is the most important?
? to Identify O to Orient ? to Inform ? to Entertain
? to Ornament ? to Persuade ? to Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice.

lo -rue feun^rr et0^ffi-c"^M^^yy Page 1 of 2

Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

pages 73-82, on a scale of 1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

^_ The US Holocaust Museum

The National School ofTheater

*-^
Microsoft Prototype Stores
-^
The World of Coca-Cola

, ^-The Fremont Street Experience

D all were equally interesting to me

? none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in Part Three,
that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

graphic design?
^fijyes D no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
contribute to your understanding of the subject?

^Syes ? no

General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)
support your understanding of the material? Please explain.

^^Cyes ? no

13. If you saw this book in a library you would most likely
D pass it by
? glance through it and return it to the shelf

^BCjcheck it out for further reading

Please explain.

ftSAGTlFUUJr^
M) a&UlQUS &Uic- USAD ?AjzS>t?Kry?0

0*3 Pi su<3.iecT op fe^-SOrOAL- WTOr?-^ T-

14. Do you have any other comments?

Vfe^V (MPRjes<siiA.

Thank you again for your time and your assistance with this project.

Page 2 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank you for book. Your They will contribute to the final
taking time to review this comments are highly valued.

refinements of this book. They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.

It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

D an architect

? graphic designer

? an environmental graphic designer

? design student

B in another design field

? other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

B*
D yes no

3. at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

Book Organization Looking
B yes ? no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book is of most interest to you?

? no sections were of interest

between
Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities

architecture and graphic design?

yes D no

If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?

the book's premise that environmental graphic

Part Two 6. Do you agree with

design Incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

B yes D no D no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

B yes O no

If yes, what did you learn?

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe

is the most important?

D to Identify ? to Orient ? to Inform ? to Entertain

? to Ornament D to Persuade B to Commemorate

Please explain why you made this choice.

Page 1 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

pages 73-82, on a scale of 1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

t The US Holocaust Museum

_*_
The National School of Theater

_
Microsoft Prototype Stores

3L The World of Coca-Cola

u The Fremont Street Experience

? all were equally interesting to me

? none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in PartThree,

that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

graphic design?

V yes D no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
contribute to your understanding of the subject?

B yes D no

General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)
support your understanding of the material? Please explain.

B yes D no

13. If you saw this book in a library you would most likely
O pass it by
? glance through it and return it to the shelf

B check it out for further reading

Please explain.

14. Do you have any other comments?

Thank you again for your time and your assistance with this project.

Page 2 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank for taking time to review this book. Your comments are They will contribute to the final
you highly valued.

refinements of this book.They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.

It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

Han architect

D graphic designer
? an environmental graphic designer

? design student

? in another design field

D other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

0^yes ? no

Book Organization 3. at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

Looking
0 yes D no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book is of most interest to you?

? no sections were of interest

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between

architecture and graphic design?

Efyes ? no

If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?

M.OO x^r^ce^^n -TH^h ~*~A. 6&J C+*-t> &fe .

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

design incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

H yes D no D no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

H yes D no

If yes, what did you learn?

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe

is the most important?

Mto Identify D to Orient ? to Inform D to Entertain

? to Ornament ? to Persuade ? to Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice.

Page 1 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

pages 73-82, on a scale of 1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

I The US Holocaust Museum

_A_
The National School ofTheater
S"

Microsoft Prototype Stores

.1 The World of Coca-Cola
z- The Fremont Street Experience

? all were equally interesting to me

D none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in Part Three,

that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

graphic design?
0 yes D no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
contribute to your understanding of the subject?

0 yes ? no

General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)
support your understanding of the material? Please explain.

H yes D no

13. If book in a likely ^v**.

you saw this library you would most

H pass it by
? glance through it and return it to the shelf

D check it out for further reading

Please explain.
H-
l^M
"Tf- > TV^ c^6^~ TO

focA^puA/'
14. Do you have any other comments? o -n^ fr^K-.

Thank you again for your time and your assistance with this project, -ru^^. i
^ .y

Page 2 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank you for taking time to review this book. Your to the final
comments are highly valued.They will contribute

refinements of this book. They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.

It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

? an architect

72sraphic designer
D an environmental graphic designer
D design student

D in another design field

? other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

,0 yes D no

Book Organization 3. Looking at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

^Hyes ? no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book is of most interest to you?

^%z v4*glg hx>V- \s 4ff5i^vJW,

re of interest

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between

architecture and graphic design?

? yes ? no

If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

design incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

,0^5 D no D no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

^Hyes D no

is the most important?

V^TO Identify ? to Orient ^E$8\kquj\ D to Entertain

? to Ornament D to Persuade O to Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice.

^-W^tf \n#AA 4yW <Ka"H* Cfeo&es

/P4W tY&kd~> Page 1 of 2

Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

pages 73-82, on a scale of

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

The US Holocaust Museum

The National School ofTheater

Microsoft Prototype Stores

The World of Coca-Cola

The Fremont Street Experience

jHlall were equally interesting to me

D none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in Part Three,

that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

graphic design?
JZyes D no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
contribute to your understanding of the subject?

^0yes D no

General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)

support your understanding of the material? Please explain.

,0yes 0 no

"0xA^M^

13. If you saw this book in a library you would most likely
D pass it by
through it and return it to the shelf

,0check it out for further reading

Please explain. . v ,_ .
>

4^ov^vw ^w ^w. r^m^hery,^

14. Do you have any other comments? . i

if i_

for time with this project.

anfc you again your
an your_assistance
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank you for taking time to review this book. Your to the final
comments are highly valued. They will contribute

refinements of this book. They will also be used as part of the documentation of this thesis project.

It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

Dan architect

^graphic designer
0 an environmental graphic designer
D design student

O in another design field

O other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

j3-yes ? no

Book Organization 3. Looking at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

fLjves D no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book is of most interest to you?

c&uteu)h<i yJtf v/lbs (P Mflifyh

O no sections were of interest

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between
architecture and graphic design?
/^ves O no

If yes, what similarity was the most striking to you?

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

Resign incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

$xyes 0 no O no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

O
^Nq yes no

/if yes, what did you learn?

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe

is the most important?
O to Identify 0 to Orient O to Inform O to Entertain
O to Ornament O to Persuade O to Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice.

MpM&ll 6Y\ Alii CflittAlM

Page 1 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

pages 73-82, on a scale of 1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

The US Holocaust Museum

The National School ofTheater

Microsoft Prototype Stores

The World of Coca-Cola
The Fremont Street Experience

^Q-ell were equally interesting to me

O none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in Part Three,

that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

i graphic design?
)6yes O no O no opinion

11. Did
UIU the
I examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
contribute
cant to your understanding of the subject?

/es O no

General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)
xsupportyour
understanding of the material? Please explain.

I O
yes no /
/J

13. If
\}tmr\ JMMup)h
you saw this book in a library
tout dfymltw
you would most likely
O pass it by
Oyglance through it and return it to the shelf

Jj check it out for further reading

Please^n.

^^^^^ ^ ^^
14. Do you have any other comments?

Thank you again for your time and your assistance with this project.

Page 2 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Thank you for taking time toreview this book. Your comments are
highly valued.They will contribute to the final
refinements of this book. They will also be used as part of the documentation ofjhis thesis project.

It may take about ten minutes to answer these questions.

Background Information 1. Do you work as:

O an architect

^J>g.raphic designer
O an environmental graphic designer
O design student

O in another design field

O other

2. Previous to reviewing this work, were you familiar with the field of

environmental graphic design?

^IQyes ? no

Book Organization 3. Looking at theTable of Contents, is the organization of the book clear?

yfyes Q no If no, please explain.

Subject Matter 4. Which part of the book is of most interest to you?

HiWe cmptfirtidrohikf.hwe. \9Mih\^ \!wd

O no sections were of interest O

Part One 5. In reviewing this section, did you recognize similarities between

architecture and graphic design?

"^&yes ? no

If yes, what similarity was the most strik

striking to you?

Part Two 6. Do you agree with the book's premise that environmental graphic

design incorporates aspects of both architecture and graphic design?

>M^es O no O no opinion

7. Did you learn something about environmental graphic design?

'ttyes O no
/"

If yes, what did you learn? i

C I /

8. Which of the uses of environmental graphic design do you believe /j I

j
is the most important? ^ ^(%fy?/i
^*
0 to Identify O to Orient O to Inform O to Entertain
O to Ornament O to Persuade 0 to Commemorate
Please explain why you made this choice.

dppf/MJ)C)r\4^pW[jcr
Page 1 of 2
Evaluation and Review Comments
for Architecture and Graphic Design at Their Intersection

Evaluation continued

Case Studies 9. Please indicate your level of interest for the case studies shown on

pages 73-82, on a scale of 1 to 5. Use 1 for most interesting and 5 for

least interesting, or check one of the boxes below the list.

I JThe US Holocaust Museum

S- The National School ofTheater

J_ Microsoft Prototype Stores

^T The World of Coca-Cola
J^l The Fremont Street Experience

^H^all were equally interesting to me

? none were interesting to me

Part Three 10. Do you agree with the conclusions reached in Part Three,
that graphic design can make a valuable contribution to architecture

and that architecture can make a valuable contribution to

graphic design?
^S-yes O no D no opinion

11. Did the examples that follow this conclusion, on pages 85-90,
corvtribute to your understanding of the subject?

Jfry$s O no

General Questions 12. Did the graphic design decisions made in the design of this book,
(for instance, color coding, use of rules, type sizes, layout decisions)
support your understanding of the material? Please explain.

~^0-yes O no

13. If you saw this book in a library youwould most

yoi likely
0 pass it by
O glance through it and return it to the shelf

O check it out for further reading

Please explain. / -/ / ,

<t

14. Do have any I

you other comments? >

IQ
iT^rMnoipQis
Thank you again for your time and your assistance with this project.

at>
Page 2 of 2
x
The Final Design Application
Graphic Design

Architecture

At Their Intersection
Acknowledgements and Thanks To

my classmates and thesis committee

including Professor Houghton Wetherald

whose lectures inspired connections

and
especially to my parents
Mae and Joseph Kaminski

whose love of
learning
inspired me to try

and most of all to my husband

Richard Towner
without whose love and encouragement
I never would have finished
Table of Contents

Introduction
About Architecture and Graphic Design 8

1 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design

As Objects of Vision 9

As Conveyors of Meaning 35

As Recorders of History 39

Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

Environmental Graphic Design 49

Understanding the Intersection of Architecture and Graphic Design

Conclusion 83

Bibliography 93

Photo Credits 95
Graphic Design Environmental Graphic Design Architecture
is the process of visually Ward and image form the bridge The words graphic designer, the art and science of designing

communicating between one human being and another. is the planning, and erecting buildings.
American Heritage Dictionary
through printed,
They are the links between the mind and architect, or industrial designer
environmental the physical world and the world of design and execution Architecture. . . which is the synthesis

and digital presentations of

other people, hi the course of time both stick in my throat, of the fine arts, the commune of all the

information and ideas. these resources of expression have of graphic elements crafts. As the pigments are but the

vehicle of painting, so is building but

Graphic Designers develop developed and become richer and more giving me a sense of limitation,
creative concepts in the built environment the vehicle of architecture, which is
sophisticated. However, in the beginning
that visually order words of specialization within the the thought behind form, embodied ana
was the word, which has remained specialty,
(typography), images and indispcTisible down to the present day Environmental graphics realized for the purpose of its

forms manifestation and transmission

other
since its impact is the most vivid. of a relationship to society
to shape and express messages For through the word man voices his includes communication systems Architecture, then, interpenetrates

that inform and engage

own inwardness, symbolizes his and form itself that is unsatisfactory building, not for satisfaction of the sim -

intended audiences. thoughts and emotions, and gives that identify, direct and inform, pie needs of the body, but the complex

expression to himself the focal reality. and incomplete. ones of the intellect. I do not mean that

Rochester Institute ofTechnology and architectural graphics we can thus distinguish between

School of Design Handbook As the scope of the graphic designer's This inadequate set of terms architecture and building, in those

work expands, the term Visual that visually enhance the environment. qualities in which they meet and
communication'

will become a more to describe an active life overlap, but that in the sum and

adequate description of his activities Society for Environmental Graphic Design polarity of them all; these point to the

response of future
reveals only partially the thought those to
design.'
than 'graphic In its widest

the satisfaction of present need;

sense visual communication means

the creation of all visible forms still undefined nature of the designer. and so, although no hut or mound,

of information.
however early or rude, buthad some

Iiistf MtiBer-Brockmmtt Alvin Lustig thing added to it for thought's sake, yet

architecture and building are quite

clear and distinct as ideas-

the soul and the body.

William Lethaby
Graphic Design

Architecture

At Their Intersection
It has been recommended to me that this book should landscape design, lighting design, urban planning,

begin with my own definitions, of graphic design, fine arts, manufacturing and marketing among others.
architecture and environmental graphic design. For me, While it is predominately a visual design field, some

this task is more difficult than the entire remainder of projects engage not only the sense of sight but of touch,
the project. I find, like Alvin Lustig before me, that the hearing, and even on rare occasions, as in the Shiru-Ku
definitions tend to stick in my throat. Though their Road Pocket Park, the sense of smell. I am attracted to

intention is to clarify and explain, their nature is also this field precisely because it defies boundaries.
to bound and limit.
In the definitions at left, environmental graphic design
The main reason for assembling this collection of is the only one without a twin definition. To complete

images and ideas into a book is to break limits, to the system, I offer this observation from Ernst Bloch:
extend boundaries, to blur definitions. Understanding
though, that before attempting to break new ground, We also take on the form of our surroundings.

I must share with readers a foundation from which to Not only does the man make his world, but the

begin, I offer the series of definitions on the facing page. world makes the man. Homo faber and also homo
fabricatus-both equally true; they are
are

A substantial part of this book is about aspects of dialectically interrelated... the manner in which
vision. Our vision is stereoscopic. We see from two objects fill a space generally reflects the manner of

points of view. In a similar manner, some of the defini those who are served by them.
tions presented at left are factual and concise while

others are inspirational and somewhat romantic in Environmental graphic design is in some sense a mirror

view. I leave it to the reader to choose which they favor. of ourselves. And, as a purely personal definition,
For the purposes of this book, either, or all will serve. I offer this book.

The main subject of this book is the in-between field of

environmental graphic design, an unwieldy and not

entirely descriptive name. I have chosen to examine this

field as a hybrid of graphic design and architecture.

This perspective itself is not entirely accurate because

environmental graphic design also includes aspects of
Introduction
AboutArchitecture and Graphic Design

This book explores the

relationship between two important In the third section of the book, there is a comparison
part of
every building, their occurrence
important design disciplines: architecture and graphic attaches significance to those places that have this of a range of environmental graphic design projects,

design. On the surface these two fields may not appear added purpose. For historians and anthropologists, it and a way to characterize them. Also in this section,
to have much in common. Architecture at its most basic becomes a clue to other aspects of the culture. What conclusions are drawn about the relevance of this work
is about shelter. Graphic design at its most basic is about message is given? What audience is it intended for? in the design world today.

communication. Architecture is about experiencing a Why put it on this building? What is the purpose of
Graphic design, or to use Josef Muller-
space over time. the communication?

Brockmann's term for it, visual communication, is

about
understanding ideas. With the belief that the combination of architecture

and graphic design is both useful and significant, this

Yet the combination of these two apparently unrelated book seeks to interpret its significance by exploring
disciplines can be quite powerful. The result is a space the common ground of its component parts. The first
with meaning, a place with a message, with a story, that part of the book makes direct comparisons between
can be communicated over and over across time. the two fields. Both disciplines originate as visual

experience. Some common aspects of

seeing and
Incorporating graphic design into architecture becomes perceiving in both are shown. Both disciplines offer
another way to broadcast information. Those who ways to communicate messages, for graphic design

occupy a given place at a given time are exposed to a this is its primary function. There are examples that

calculated message. Consider the hieroglyphics on the demonstrate some shared characteristics of meaning.

tombs in Egypt, pictures in stained glass at cathedrals A third section shows how both have recorded similar

such asChartres, or the contemporary example of the ideas through history.

NBC live telecasts on gigantic screens attached to the
outside of a building in New York City. Each of these The second part of the book deals with the results of

tells stories to observers, stories that gain added impact the union of the two disciplines, which shall be
from their monumental surroundings. identified here as environmental graphic design. Some
uses of environmental graphic design are explored in

Putting messages on buildings can become way to

a detail with examples shown to demonstrate how
experience. Consider design is to identify,
unite people by creating common environmental graphic used orient,

the dropping ball at Times Square on New Year's Eve, entertain, ornament, persuade, commemorate and

the digital numbers that count down to the millennium inform. Five case studies follow which highlight some

on the Eiffel Tower, the well-known inscription at the strong examples of environmental graphic design and

Statue of Liberty. Because messages are not an also serve to demonstrate the diversity of the work.

At left: A proposed skyscraper design by Fox and Fowle Architects

 7
Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design
As Objects of Vision

Perceptual Principles
Prinb
The disciplines of architecture and graphic design are

both experienced predominately through the sense of

sight. Design in both fields must respect similar conven
tions that are based on the properties of vision. The
perception of a viewer for either architecture or graphic

design is similarly subject to the amount of light in

which the object will be seen, the distance between the
vRJl object and the viewer, and the degrees of similarity or

contrast in what is seen in the field of vision, among

other variables.

But vision is not a purely physical sensation. Seeing is

also a function of the brain. What we see is what our
brains interpret from what is within the field of vision.

By understanding some of the properties of vision,

including some of the biases of our perception,
designers in both fields can gain a greater appreciation

for how their final product may be interpreted.

While the properties will differ in some degree because

the products of graphic design are typically flat and
architecture has characteristics of depth, volume, mass

This maga2ine cover reinforces the idea that graphic design is a

and shadow, there are similarities worthy of attention.
visual medium. With this illustration perhaps the artist is suggesting Both fields typically deal with parts that are organized to
that it is what we see that gets creative juices flowing.
form a whole.
By understanding general principles of
A symbolic illustration by the French architect of the
Enlightenment, Claude Nicolas Lcdoux- ( 1736-1 806).
Within the eye is a view of his design for a theater at Besancon.

organization of parts, designers can control and Some Reservations is first

intention, that the whole perceived and differently
strengthen the visual impression of their work. The Gestalt theories had great influence for about 50 than its composite parts. Either way, many of the ideas
years. Today, they are considered with some reservation. of Gestalt were compelling and found their way into the
Gestalt Principles of Perception Some of their conclusions are now thought to have mainstream of understanding about visual perception.
In the book, Design in the Visual Arts, Roy Behrens tells gone too far. In the book, Perceptual Organization, An
the story of Christian von Ehrenfels, who, in 1890, Overview, by James R. Pomerantz and Michael Kubovy, The reservations about the conclusions that they drew
wrote an innovative paper about grouping principles. the work of the early Gestalt theorists is reconsidered. psychologi

notwithstanding, Gestalt observations

Ehrenfels challenged a then popular psychological
about perception are still
highly regarded. Their work
theory called atomism. Atomism held that individual One controversial aspect of their work dealt with the helped provide a common vocabulary for some
items had absolute qualities that were independent of concept of Pragnanz, that is, that by following the rules frequently observed visual phenomenon. What follows
their context. To refute this, Ehrenfels submitted a sim of good Gestalt one could create good forms. Today,
are examples chosen from the fields of both graphic
ple example, a twelve tone melody played in two differ however, their claims regarding goodness are said to design and architecture to illustrate some principles the
ent keys. The melody was recognizable in either key be the result of circular
reasoning and are not
wholly Gestalt researchers studied.
although none of the notes were the same. His point verifiable.

was that it was the composition of the pieces rather

than the qualities of each individual note that was Another conclusion Gestalt psychologists reached was

recognized. He called this principle Gestalt. This is a that the mind prefers the simplest arrangement of

German word meaning an arrangement that can parts. But tests to evaluate this concept raised new

survive alteration of individual parts. questions about the context of the figures being judged.
The Gestalt method of demonstration was also

Max Wertheimer continued the work of Ehrenfels, criticized, as well as the reliance on predominantly two

researching the application of his principles asthey dimensional figures to prove more universal concepts.
applied to vision. His writings, published in 1912, about
unit forming factors provided a vocabulary for under The aphorism, "the whole is greater than the sum of
parts"

standing our conscious and unconscious choices about its is commonly attributed to Gestalt theorists.
visual arrangements. These principles can be of use in Even this is under reconsideration as some researchers

making decisions about compositions in both graphic believe this is a popular misconception of their true

design and architecture.

10
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Objects of Vision

IQ kxjng c/rban
>reservationists
.Society
OCEAN AID

A helping hand or a sea creature

The black reads figure, is Black and white compete be Animals or a tree alternate as compete for visual dominance,
as Here, white figure, to
the white as ground. black is ground. figure or ground. figure and ground. both as figure.

Figure and Ground

In The Inquisitive Eye, Mark Fineman describes how in the Alhambra that inspired the ambiguous drawings of

1915, Edgar Rubin, a Gestalt psychologist, made the M.C. Escher.

observation that when we see, we tend to perceive some
portions of what we see as a predominant figure and In most cases, for architecture, the idea of figure
the remainder as ground. In other words, we typically ground relationships should be interpreted more

perceive certain shapes in a two dimensional picture, to loosely. Rather than a question of which object is in
be in front of others. front of another, in architecture we question which ele

ment is predominant. At Notre Dame, the recesses are

The Gestalt psychologists discovered further that some the focal points of the composition and the walls are

compositions have ambiguous figure ground relation background. In Louis Sullivan's buildings with elaborate

ships. In these cases, one may alternatively comprehend terra cotta detailing, the wall and openings compete
parts of a composition as figure and then ground, equally for attention. Sullivan uses ornament that, like
eyes'

switching viewpoints back and forth. This phenome that at the Alhambra, holds the attention
tracing
non is put to use in design as a way to slow down the first one pattern then another.
eye and arrest the attention of a viewer. At its most

sophisticated, it can be used to add an additional layer Another interpretation of the concept of figure ground

of meaning to a composition. in architecture comes from looking at actual masses and

voids and the relationship of inside to outside. Typically,
The figure and ground occur
principles of ambiguous the building reads as figure and the outside as ground.
in two dimensional design because the eye perceives In the New Canaan Glass House, Philip Johnson turns
conflicting cues about the depth of the objects being everything around, making the outside the feature and
perceived. In architecture there is actual depth so the house nearly transparent.
occasions of ambiguous figure ground relationships

are somewhat less common. However, it was the

ambiguous figure ground relationships on the walls of

11
 f*)V

y:. j -*jc. ., u

Sullivan's complex ornamentation tests lie concepts of Complex figure ground relationships cover the wall surfaces at the Alhambra,
figure and ground rel.it ion ships. Granada, Spain.

The Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut

Notre Dame, Paris

12
 ComparingArchitecture and Graphic Design As Objects of Vision

Shared Contours
Related to the idea
the technique

perceived to be
of
of

the
alternating figure and
shared contour.

boundary between the figure and

ground

In this case, the

ground is sometimes

alternatively part of one thing and then

is
Si.
SAINT LUKE'S
[fliCOFrM CHURCH

another. Sometimes, it
may seem to disappear entirely In the Saint Luke's logo, the contour of the cross is also the contour of the letter's*.
into both adjacent figures. In the poster, the outline of the
ship is shared by the outline of a guitar.

In graphic design this is another technique to add extra

meaning. Frequently letter forms share contours with

symbolic objects to add impact. Used another way, two
objects may share contours to give multiple meanings.

In architecture, shared contours can create ambiguous

meanings that lend complexity to otherwise conven
tional forms. Because of long repeated tradition some
forms may no longer hold great interest to a viewer.
They are accepted as background and perhaps go
almost unnoticed.
Employing a shared contour between
two otherwise distinct elements puzzles and intrigues
the alert viewer. It may also provide a message about

why the items are paired.

In the influential book, Complexity and Contradiction

in Architecture, Robert Venturi has collected many
At the Casino di Pio IV, Rome, by Ligorio, the shared contour
examples of
ambiguity in including the
architecture of ceiling and wall disappears between the two planes.
technique of the shared contour. He has
frequently In the kitchen nook, by Josef Hoffman, the arch over the
employed the device in his own work,
blurring the nook fades imperceptibly into the frame of the seat, which in
distinction between building and sign. turn blends into the wall paneling beyond.

13
 In the poster, the number 100 is
embedded in the representation of wheels

giving the message additional meaning.

In Louis Sullivan's elaborate ornamentation, many

different geometric figures overlap and collide
providing a rich visual experience for the viewer.

Embedded Figures
Embedded figures are those compositions where

shapes are present but they are not easily perceived.

This characteristic is often used in graphic design to
give messages two levels of meaning. Likewise in

architecture, embedded figures provide discoveries to

those who gaze longer. Formerly, it was popular to
embed significant initials within a building's

ornament as in the Michelin Building at left.

Tires and the initials,'MTC', for Michelin Tire Company, are embedded in many locations throughout the
1911, Michelin House, London.

14
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Objects of Vision

Proximity
Proximity is the principle that things that are closely
adjacent will be perceived together as a group. In the
earlier example of Notre Dame, for instance, the mind

perceives the many parts and pieces of glass, stone, and

geometric figures bounded in a circle above the entrance
as the rose window. Instead of the many distinct parts,
we perceive a whole, a unity.

In
"Chocolate"
letter is
Some designs test the limits of the proximity principle,
each distinctly different, but proximity enables
the collection of letters to be perceived as a group. like the Looking logo shown, by extending their
component parts as far away as possible while still

enabling their comprehension as a group.

Even though the paired columns are quite different from one another,
Similarity their proximity allows them to read as a uniL

Objects which are similar in size, shape, or color will

tend to be read as a group, objects which are different

will be perceived as separate from the group.

As variables, proximity and similarity are frequently

paired. Objects that are closely grouped and of similar

size or shape are perceived as a group.

C0I10SC1B ie Hat
At this gatehouse, two parts of the building are split across the road,
In die logo at right, similar size and treatment of images combines with
but because they are so similar in form, the mind perceives them as
proximity to make four distinctly different things read as a group.
halves of a whole.

15
 3

In this design by Coop Himmdblau, proximity enables

the extremely diverse elements of this composition read as a group.

o K N
"Looking"

In the logo above, the limits of proximity are tested, the letters are aided

in being read as a group by the relative similarity of their sizes and value
Below: Color is a common way to unify aspects of variety in compositions.

16
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic DesignAs Objects of Vision

Closure and Continuity

The brain has a tendency to interpret incomplete
fragments as complete. Leaving parts of a figure out
and letting the mind complete the shape is a way to
engage the viewer and is often a way to add an extra

layer meaning to the subject. There is a kind of

of

tension in figures that are incomplete. They arrest the

gaze and the attention longer than a completed figure.

A related phenomenon is continuity. Our mind seeks

the most direct path to join incomplete fragments.

While no actual connection exists between the pieces

it is nearly impossible for our minds to interpret these

fragments as independent once we perceive them
as a group.

For this logo for the French National Park, representations of animals,
insects and wildlife converge to form a line, a spiral, suggesting the cycle

of life.

Those familiar with the name Dior will complete and

comprehend the ad tide in spite of the amount of information

that is blocked by the model

The irregular fragments of the walls of

Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum in Berlin
resist resolution into a comprehensible whole

and so deliver a message about Jewish history. For this annual report, there is an implied line connecting the bottles on the

chart Another implied line connects the woman's gaze to the chart.

17
 Implied Lines
As with closure, this is a technique of suggesting,
but explicitly showing. A line can
not engage a viewer.

Often an implied line guides the path of sight to

a focal point in the composition. In graphic design

this can be accomplished with rules or with the
shapes and positions of the subjects in a composition.

Similarly in architecture, string courses, the mark

of separation between floors, or the lines of the
material itself, like with brick joints, can provide a
sense of direction. The placement of different masses

can suggest connection as well.

This characteristic was used to great advantage in

Beaux Arts architecture when significant spaces were

arranged on axis that were sometimes apparent,

sometimes implied. The layout of Washington, D.C.,

In the bridge poster, the hands imply a line. An actual line reinforces the gesture. The water ripples add subtle lines below.
by Pierre L'Enfant, and the reconstruction of Paris, by
Baron Haussmann, makes great use of actual and
In the vodka ad below, the figure's flowing beard points directly at the product
implied lines. In Paris, the implied lines now extend

well past the city to the great arch at La Defense,

many miles away.

In this proposal lor the I'hurvh of the tear 2000, Rishard Meier uses fragments of cireles in plan and in seetion

18
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Objects of Vision

Composition Principles

The preceding section demonstrated that the objects of composition or an irregular, asymmetrical composition

architecture and graphic design are perceived according can be revealing. Many compositional choices reflect

to similar visual principles. It is not surprising then the conventions of their times. Whether a designer
that designers in both fields should choose to create chooses to follow convention, or resist it, reveals mean

their work following similar principles of composition. ing to a careful viewer. A violation of convention may
Both kinds of designers start from a blank field. They signal a deliberate act of rebellion or an accommoda
A diagram from Designing Books, by Jost Hochuli and Robin Kinross, assess the functional requirements of their work and tion made because the desired effect was not possible.
demonstrates that text area that falls on the diagonals of the pages
then begin making a long series of decisions that will It could also be an innovation that in time becomes
will have the same proportions as the page creating harmonious design.
either support or challenge a viewer's comprehension established as the next new convention.

of the content.

Regular compositions are

frequently associated with
Most often, the choices made by the designer are formality, dignity, importance, order, equilibrium.

m \v
transparent to a viewer because their job is to focus Examples in architecture would be Greek temples,
attention on some part of the work. But much can be American Georgian style houses, or Mies van der
learned by distancing oneself from the content of a Rohe's Seagram building. Examples in graphic design
work andreading its composition separately. would be formal invitations, sacred publications, like
Compositions are made of parts and their assembly some Bibles, or important legal documents like the
reveals a designer's intentions. In looking at work, it is American Declaration of Independence-
helpful to determine why your eyes follow a certain
path, where they come to rest, and what techniques the Formal compositions typically start with regular
designer used to make that happen. geometric figures, like squares, circles and rectangles.
They are often symmetrical. From certain periods in
An from Jan Tschichold's classic book Die Neue Typographic
except
There are some long-standing conventions in history this can have symbolic significance. Renaissance
shows how to engage a viewer with dynamic layouts. compositions. The choice of a regular, symmetrica] artists and architects, like in the examples of

19
 ^v.

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A diagram from the book, Architecture: Form, Space and Order, The west front of San Miniato al Monte, Florence,
by Francis Ching shows the harmonious relationship of parts I lth to 12th century
on the facade of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, by Alberti (1456-70)

Santa Maria and San Miniato above, were trying to There is less need for architects to pursue these
following pages, the example shown
"active"
of an asymmetrical

express their belief in a perfect and divine order with layout is labeled by designer Kurt Schwitters. explorations. Buildings, by their nature, occupy
their regular and carefully controlled compositions. Schwitters and Jan Tschichold, who designed the book space over time. Nonetheless, there has been similar

shown at bottom left, were part of a of designers, interest in layered space and layered meanings in
group
Irregularity is often associated with energy. In buildings prominent around the 1930s, who promoted the architectural compositions, especially in those that
it may also reflect a priority of function over form. have been designated as PostModern in style. A good
advantages of asymmetrical compositions. They believed
Early American colonial houses, for instance, were built these kind of compositions were more vital and more example is the work of Charles Moore. An excerpt

first to shelter. Concern for formal appearance came appropriate for modern times because they were more from his Piazza D'ltalia appears on page 38. In this
later. One can read the history of the owners in the functional. Unlike the static classical compositions or project, Moore simultaneously combined references

additions, first a shed, then a kitchen, then an extra idiosyncratic Art Nouveau compositions that preceded to Italy, Roman architecture, the project's neighbor

hood, (using his own face

Typography"
wing, added as function dictated and money allowed. them, these designers of "The New sought modern technology and as

Often the materials were similar or datum lines of to better express content by means of the composition. a gargoyle) Moore himself.

floors and windows were kept constant, or roofs had

similar shapes. With these techniques and others, Also since about the time of Schwitters and Tschichold, Some contemporary compositions reflect explo

irregular additions appeared to blend in with the artists and designers have been preoccupied with the rations about the nature of order and chaos. They
original forms. attempt to express the passage of time in their compo reveal ideas about the complexity of relationships
sitions. Influences have come from new media that and have an order that is not always easily discerned

In graphic design, irregularity creates emphasis by allow compositions to be seen over time, like film, or that borders on chaos. These compositions are

providing contrast. In the Living Bridges poster, in the video, and computer. Designers in two dimensional characterized by fragmentation, competing axis, and

section, the irregular line through the center media have attempted to compress the experience of no clear hierarchy. These too, are a reflection of their
preceding
of the poster reinforces the title and enlivens an other perception over time onto a single plane, to simultane times, and like the previous examples cited, they
reveal information about the designer's intentions by
wise static, though elegant, composition. ously express many ideas or many points of view.
Often this results in a densely layered composition that the choices made in the composition.

Irregularity can engage a viewer. The eye lingers in an has instances of both regular and irregular, symmetrica]

attempt to find the pattern, the point of balance. On the and asymmetrical aspects within one composition.

20
Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Objects of Vision

Radial Axial Radial andAxial Axialin Radial Circular Frame

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Top: Anti-WarPoster Top: On Edge, book cover Top: Bauhaus poster Top: Web site for Fonovisa Top: School of the Visual Arts, poster
Seymour Chwast Karen D. Fischler Joost Schmidt Javier Romero Design Group Tony Palladino and Silas H. Rhodes

Below: Skylight Below: Social housing Below: Plan of the Tauride Palace Below: Fargo- Moorhead Cultural Center Below: Castle and palace of Bellver
NY Guggenheim Museum Kochstrasse, Berlin St. Petersburg Fargo, North Dakota near Palroa de Mallorca
Frank Lloyd Wright Peter Eisenman Staror Michael Graves PereSilva

21
Rectangular Frame Symmetrical Asymmetrical Layered Organization

IWVWt
FOR U.S.ARMY
MEUW9T HKCftUmtfO IMtlO*

Top: Recruitment Poster, US Army Top: Adlake Camera Ad Top: Typography booklet Top: Poster for lectures, Royal College of Art

lames Maxfield Parrish Kurt Schwitters Why Not A ssoctates

Montgomery Flagg

Below: Stoclet House Below: Stratford HallVirgina Below: The Winchester Thurston Below: West front, Rheims Cathedral
Brussels, Belgium School, Pittsbugh, PA
Josef Hoffman BohUn, Cywinski, Jackson

22
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Objects of Vision
Datum
Organizing Grids

Shared Conventions
In organizing the elements of a design into an orderly
composition, both designers and architects have some
techniques in common. Architects typically use a grid to
H
organize space, to keep structural members within
conventional sizes, to create
modularity and efficiency
in floor layouts. Grids also
help to create a rhythm
within the space that helps an occupant have a sense of

place and scale within a building.

Graphic designers use grids to aid in the legibility and

functionality of their designs. Alignment of information

along grid lines reduces visual noise, that is, it allows a
viewer's attention to be on the information presented

without unnecessary distraction. As in architecture,

grids create a quiet rhythm that gives a sense of pace to
the unfolding material shown. Grids can also provide a

necessary contrast to freeform or irregular parts of

a composition.

A corollary to an underlying grid is a system of datum

lines. These may be hidden or shown. Like grids they
serve to align diverse parts of a composition in a clean

and uniform way.

Once a pattern is established in a composition it can be Top: Apple Corporation graphic standards
Top: A portfolio of work

irregular. Regular be Tim Brennan, Rob Gemmel, Jill Savini by the firm Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson
regular, progressive or patterns can

used to show strength and

constancy but when used
Bottom: Hypolux Bank Building Below; Tiffany and Company Building
exclusively may become predictable and uninteresting. Richard Meier Architects Stanford White, McKim, Mead and White
Progressive patterns give a sense of movement. Irregular
patterns rely on the existence of regularity in order to

contrast.
supply

23
 Regular Rhythm

Top: Die Sammlung, Bauhaus Archives poster Top: Japan shopping bag Top: Absolut Vodka ad

Grappa Design, Dieter Feseke, Ute Zscharnt Tim Girvin Design McGh/nn

Below: House in Ticino, Switzerland Below: Facade of Grundtvig Church Below: Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum
Mario Botta Klint Frank Gehry

24
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Objects of Vision

Fact foe* obieis quite d'tin nag? lean-Ed. Rofcsrt

r-n
RhetoricalPrinciples

This section, the last in the set of observations about

architecture and graphic design as object of vision,

serves as a bridge to the next section that compares

architecture and graphic design as conveyors of

meaning. The set of examples chosen here demonstrate

visual manipulations designers use to call attention to

aspects of content. Borrowing a term from literature

1 and oratory, visual rhetoric can
effective visual presentation.
be considered the art of

1
Rhetoric in verbal and written language often suggests

flourish or exaggeration in the manner of presentation.

The intent is to persuade the reader or listener to the

presenter's point of view. So too in visual design, the
choices made are intended to arrest the attention of the
viewer and convey a certain attitude or perspective.

Presentations can be considered rhetorical when they

go beyond the requirements of function
include an
and
The cover of Face a face objets quete d'un visage, extra layer of information for the viewer. These are
by Jean Robert for ftntagram
The book is often the kinds of designs that require a second look to
a photographic collection of faces, observed in
parking meters, machines, tools and other found objects. be fully understood.

25
 Face House, Kyoto, Japan, 1974
by Kazumasa Yamashita

In the book, Perception and Imaging, author and perception that say that we seek a face or connection

photographer, Dr. Richard Zakia describes the work of with human form in everything that we see. Designers 33
3-
French researcher, Jaques Durand. Durand analyzed the often oblige by making this form more or less explicit.

use of visual rhetoric for advertising, which

by its very And as viewers we tend to linger and gaze at these faces
nature seeks to persuade. that gaze back, fascinated by their imitation of us. '

He created a matrix with a list of basic operations, In the book, Complexity and Contradiction in
addition, suppression (or subtraction), substitution and Architecture, author and architect Robert Venturi writes

exchange. These were then cross referenced to a list of about rhetorical elements in architecture. He argues

the relationships between visual elements. In this way, that while rhetorical elements may have fallen out of
he created a useful analytic tool for creating and also favor with the advent of Modernism, because of their
interpreting visual rhetoric. association with ornament, they can nonetheless enrich
fanfare"
a building. He calls them "architectural because
Often though, the products of visual rhetoric are they frequently employ redundant means to emphasize

created more intuitively. Accepting the premise that a feature. His book includes many examples from across A little less obvious are the faces in this poster by Faula Scher of pentagram,
for the School of the Visual Arts, and in these twin houses by
leremy Dixon.
designers work with a visible language, examples of different eras and cultures that demonstrate visual
at St. Mark's Road Housing, London, England
visual rhetoric are comparable to, and as common as, rhetoric in built form.

jokes, shouts, whispers or sound bites in the spoken

language. Their tradition is just as long.

One commonly observed form of visual rhetoric is an

operation of similarity, where we see in an object a

resemblance to ourselves. There are theories of

26
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Objects of Vision

Selective Focus Juxtaposition Contradiction Substitution

W-'-. *

nuSSSi:
Top: Poster for the School of the Visual Arts, Top: Excerpt from Graphis Poster 90 Top: Exhibition Poster called Double Take Top: M & Co, Group Portrait
Lou Dorfsman Richard Wilde and Judi Mintzer

Below: House in Tuscany Below: Lloyd 's Building, London Below: Door design, Uffizi, Florence Below: St Peter's, Rome
Ettore Sottsass, Marco Zanini, Mike Ryan Richard Rogers Bernardo Buontalenti Michelangelo Buonarati

A head is enclosed by unforgiving metal Above, the figures heads are reversed from The poster caption reads: Left to right
and a compass. Below, slick, machined Giant Wood's classic American Gothic. Below, Emily Obernum, Scott Stowell, Tibor
When there is a predominantly empty
building parts are juxtaposed with an Mannerist architects were masters of visual Kalman, Dean Lubensky and Marina
ground the gaze is held by the areas that ovcrscaled remnant of Renaissance rhetoric The split and reversed pediment at Kalman as the hat, Below, Michelangelo
have detail architecture, a Palladian window. the entrance begs a second look. used blind windows in place of real ones.

27
 Fantasy Analogy Exaggeration

Nothing Gets \bu

Going Life AGood Breakfast
At Country Kitten.

f U
2-^ t . t L f_ t L

Top: School of the Visual Arts poster Top: Ad for Country Kitchen Top: School of the Visual Arts Poster
Silas Rhodes, Richard Wilde, Charles Lilly, Dee Ito Fallon, McEIJigott, Rice Milton Glaser

Bottom: Best Tilt Showroom, Towson Maryland Bottom: TWA Terminal, Kennedy Airport, NYC Bottom: Submission for the Chicago Tribune
SITE Architects EcroSaarinen Competition
Adolf Loos

A common form of visual rhetoric is exaggeration

of scale. In the poster, a viewer 's perception of the

The image above compels the viewer to remember upper form changes upon
realizing the small black
"the goose that laid the golden without ever shapes below represent people. At right, in his

saying the words. Below, technology makes fantasy Above, fried eggs are compared to wheels. Below, submission to the Chicago Tribune competition,
real in architecture as well. This unlikely facade the airport terminal expresses die concept of flight Loos used several kinds of visual rhetoric, irony, a
draws attention to the store. with its bird-like shape. analogy, pun, and exaggerated, monumental scale

*
28

3Cf3| 7 i
E3 Li At
-
- -T
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design
As Conveyors ofMeaning

About Meaning

Victor Hugo is attributed with the idea that, with the

invention of the printing press, the death knell sounded
for architecture. Today this might seem like an unlikely
connection. But were we to put ourselves back in his
time and context the comparison would become clear.

Centuries of tradition had supported the idea that

buildings be read. Prom the tomb of the Pharoah
could

Seti in Egypt (1300 BC), to the Mayan ruins at

Bonampak Mexico (250-900 AD), to the Ellora caves
of India (7th -8th century AD) there were stories in the

stones. Across time and place, cultures throughout the

world painted, inscribed, or sculpted their most

important messages on their most sacred buildings.

The magnificent culmination of this practice occurred
in the Gothic cathedrals of Europe where every surface,
support, and alcove held symbols and representations

that conveyed meaning to all who saw them.

Further evidence of this association, communication of

meaning in architecture, can be found in the origin of

the English word used for separate floors in a building.
When we refer to the number of stories in a building it
goes back to a medieval practice in some countries, of

painting elaborate scenes on the facades of a building's

upper floors, literally different stories.

But far-reaching changes came with the invention of

the printing press. Laborious hand copying of precious
This diagram from Philip Meggs
History of Graphic Design demonstrates
manuscripts was no longer necessary and information
easily be broadcast
the evolution of the Chinese character, pot could on paper rather than in built
29
form. Four centuries later, in Hugo's time, books, With the coming of the digital age, the apparent threat

magazines, newspapers and other printed material were to printed media is somewhat mitigated by the return
cheap and plentiful. The architects of Hugo's time were of away for buildings to participate again as conveyors
preoccupied with questions of style and formality that of meaning. New building designs include interactive

were becoming increasingly remote from the role archi screens, large scale graphics that are part of the

tecture had formerly played as a conveyor of meaning. ornament, and electronic signs that are the main
externa] feature of the building. Robert Venturi has
With the development printing technology, conven
of compared electronics to tesserae, the tiles that formed
tions were formulated for communicating information mosaic pictures in Byzantine times, a romantic

on the printed page. Perhaps because books had been observation, but one that makes the point that once

precious for so long, by Hugo's time not

only was there again buildings have reclaimed a way to tell stories.
0)
great appreciation for the power and reach of the
3"

printed word but also for the

presenting it. A few
art of

decades later, in the 1920s, William Addison Dwiggins

would name the process of bringing order and form to
a printed page -
graphic design.

In his book, A History of Visual Communication, Josef

Muller-Brockmann advocates using the term "visual
communication"

as a more apt and inclusive expression

for the activity of designers who create "all visible forms

information."

of It is as if the cycle has gone full circle.

Where the printing press was the most advanced

once

method ofpresenting information, time and technology

have moved on. In an interesting parallel to Hugo, the
power of the computer and other modern media have
inspired designer David Carson to put together a book
called, The End of Print. But with Carson, as with Hugo,
Vishwanath Temple, Khajuraho, India, 1 1th century- The form of this Hindu temple
it is premature to announce an ending. It is appropriate couldbe read by worshippers as the sacred mountain, a nearly universal archetype
to consider with both a time of significant change. in sacred architecture.

30
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic DesignAs Conveyors olMeaning

OX HOUSE

Evolution ofForms in Graphic Design

An this evolution of letters

As part of their current conventions, both graphic even clearer example of

design and architecture

employ abstract forms which from pictures is found in the explanation provided by
have from simple, direct representations of
evolved Philip Meggs in A History of Graphic Design. Our
"O"

things occurring in nature. Image and text are the basic letter began as a representation of the eye,

forms in graphicdesign. Columns, beams, walls, and "K", a bent hand, "H", a fence. Although Meggs cites

roofs are among the basic elements in architecture. some controversy regarding this direct interpretation
All of these basic elements in their earliest appearances of letterforms from pictograms, for some characters
"O,"

were created as representations of nature. Gradually like the the correspondence seems vividly clear.
their forms evolved to a more abstract level andthe

early associations were lost to all but dedicated scholars Additionally, Meggs shows the example of the

of antiquity. evolutions of the Chinese character for pot, reproduced

on the preceding page. It is easy to trace the stages of
In Pentagram, The Compendium, Alan Fletcher explains change from the shape of the original vessel to the final

how letterforms thatcomprise text typically derived character. This example also serves to demonstrate that
from pictorial representations. Over time, the represen this evolution of letterforms from picture representa

tations became more abstract and the original symbolic tions is not restricted to our own language but may
meanings were forgotten. He gives as an example our have more universal applications.

word alphabet. It comes from the Greek names alpha,

beta which are themselves taken from the first two Our present letterforms bear a closer resemblance to
letters of the Phoenician alphabet, aleph and beth. later, classic Roman letters. In A History of Visual
the
Communication, Josef Muller-Brockmann explains that
The aleph was a pictogram that represented the head of the Romans took the alphabets of the Etruscans or the
an ox. Beth house. In this way our word
represented a Greeks and modified the letterfoms so they would be
alphabet, representing for us the building blocks of all more suitable for engraving in stone. In this way, we
our written communication, can be traced to its origin can understand one part of the heritage of the letters
as the most basic symbols for food and shelter for an we use They originated as simple pictures but
today.
earlier civilization.
along the way were modified by the need to make the

31
messages they conveyed permanent. Our letterforms Ernst and Johanna Lehner. The name derives from the
were influenced by the need to inscribe their meaning flower of the Loys, or Louis, the name of twelve of the
on tablets, markers and buildings, an
early confluence kings of France. It is an abstraction of the iris and in
of architecture and the design of visual information. this form was associated with French history long
before the twelve Louis', dating back to the reign of

In addition to text, graphic design employs images in Clovis I, King of France in the first century AD.
order to convey ideas. Images can take the form of
Clovis'
CD
illustrations or abstract symbols. Some of the most soldiers are said to have covered themselves in 03
common abstract forms have evolved as a kind of iris after a great victory. The Greeks named the Iris 3'

shorthand for the ideas that they represent. Consider after the goddess of the rainbow, a messenger of Zeus
for instance, the traditional heart shape, which is and Hera. The Greeks planted iris on graves in the
universally recognized to mean love. The dollar sign in belief that the goddess Iris would escort their dead to
the United States stands for money. The cross is the an after-life. The Egyptians put iris on the sphinx con
G)
3
symbol of Christianity, the six-pointed star, Judaism. sidering it to be a sign of power. Kings in many cultures
Symbolism was often associated with the attempt to had iris forms on their scepters believing the tripartite 3
S'

communicate the sacred, since by their very nature, divisions represented faith, wisdom and valor. Like the
to represent subjects which are the
"A"
from
c
sacred symbols attempt evolution of an ox, the rich, meaningful
tn
invisible and unknowable. heritage of this simple symbol is largely forgotten. (5"

3
Time and contact with other cultures
using different
symbol systems has altered and enriched our own

visual vocabulary. However, as with letterforms,

we have often lost the connection between familiar
abstract symbols and the original pictorial representa
tion from they sprang. Take as one small example
which

of this, the mark of the fleur de lis as described in

Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees by

32
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Conveyors ofMeaning

Marc Gobe's design is described as timeless, classic and modern all at once.

The oak tree had an even more significant symbolic This interpretation is vastly distant from the use of the
heritage. It was venerated in many cultures and some oak leaf symbol in earlier times. Even if it were to be

considered it to be the Tree of Life. It was associated used to represent its earlier meanings it would not be

with fertility and abundance. understood by the genera] public. Those early
meanings and associations have been lost over time.

Consider the distance between the meaning of

ancient

oak and the reasons Marc Gobe, of Desgrippes, Gobe The point of reviewing these two examples, the iris and

and Associates explained in the book, Marketing By the oak, is not to say that we should be trying to

Design, for making an oak leaf the focal symbol of the resurrect ancient symbolic associations but rather that

Drexel Furniture Company. it is important to language is

recognize that visual

An updated leaf logo for the furniture powerful and fluid. The meaning of forms will change

manufacturer Drexel Heritage is the natural over time. Their power to communicate comes from

extension of the company's attitude. The leaf the degree to which they are universally recognized.
The more familiar the meaning of a symbol, the more
refers directly to wood, while its windblown
state suggests a freedom consistent with potential it has to convey a message to an audience.

current thinking on home decoration: the

freedom to mix styles, periods and tastes, to Choosing the right form for each audience is not easy.
make choices and personalize your home. Some of the most enduring visual symbols are the

simplest, for example geometric forms. The circle was

33
 CALIFORNIA
FOOD * VENDING

Design by Mary Scott for Maddocks and Company, Design by Rick Yurk Design by Charles S. Anderson and Design by Cameron Woo, for AT & T Design Group,
for a vending machine company. for lames Robie Design Associates, Daniel Olson of Charles S. Anderson Design Co. for an international marketing rally.
Cassandre."

for Native, a sportswear company. for Earthwise, recycled paper products. "Willy Loman meets

2
CD
0}
3
used as a symbol for completeness, perfection and Many geometric forms formerly had greater signifi The first logo is a more or less traditional rendering of 3
<o
cance than they do today. Geometry was once held Atlas figure holding up the world. In the second, the
many cultures in many eras. It was used
an
divinity across 3
to represent the sun, the moon, and the cycle of their sacred, certain relationships of form were thought to world has been abandoned for a surfboard. The third

motions. Squares came to represent man, and have a connection to the divine. In our time, this and fourth offer yet another commentary on the frantic
c.
solidity
materiality. Octagons, which are squares within squares, understanding and history is nearly lost on the public pace of modern life. The Atlas figure in the third still 3
symbolized regeneration. Triangles represented balance at large. As a consequence, symbols must return to has the world, but it is no longer held high, it is under 3
his arm. This Atlas is on the move. Not only has he got O
and the idea of a sacred Trinity. becoming more representational in order to be under
stood. They must reference the things that are common hold of the world, he's striding forward, book in hand, C
CD
however, is denominators lives today. The sun, the moon, to do. 0>
Simplicity of form alone not a guarantee of of our with some
reading
few figures from mythology, CO
universality of understanding. In the book, The New stars, a some religious
3
American Logo, Gerry Rosentsweig praises the current symbols, are among the few, meager survivors from our In the fourth version, the Atlas figure is tired. He's
trend towards greater use of pictorial representation in formerly rich symbolic vocabulary. smoking and he needs glasses to see. Once again, the
corporate logos. He makes the point that abstraction worldis no longer over his head but tucked under his
without substance leads to meaninglessness. An interesting example of this constant evolution of arm. One senses that holding the world up is just one of
supporting
He points out examples of beautifully constructed meaning can be seen in three variations on the Atlas his tasks, there is probably more work to do in the
abstract forms that offer no due to the business of the myth in Rosen tsweig's book. Atlas was a figure in briefcase held in his other arm. Symbols will evolve

company they represent. If the viewer does not under mythology who had the task of holding up the world. with the times.
His story may represent one of the few symbolic images
stand the meaning behind a simple geometric
symbolic

design, the resulting mark is entirely forgettable. that is still recognized from ancient times.

34
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Conveyors ofMeaning

Evolution ofMeaning in Architecture

The most significant examples of early architecture are In Western tradition, the Greeks learned much about
number and proportion from the Egyptians. The
buildings. Sacred buildings,
sacred across many diverse
built as expressions of the relationship of
cultures, were Platonists developed complex numerical relationships

mankind to the cosmos. The similarities should not be which they believed had mystical significance, not only
designs from the as a reflection of divine energy, but as a way to channel
surprising because all the sacred stem

translations of nature. All thought

same roots, observations and it. Because these relationships of geometry were
people observed the same cycles of sun, moon, and stars. to be sacred, they were kept secret, shared only among
Most looked to the heavens as the home for divinity. the initiated.
Most looked to human proportions to find a pattern for
divine order. Architecture was considered to be the built manifesta

tion of sacred geometry. Otto von Simson, writing in

Common to all cultures were buildings derived from The Gothic Cathedral, said:

the circle and the square. In Sacred Architecture, A.T. . . .it was the School of Chartres that dramatized
Mann writes: the image of the architect . .
.by depicting God as
The square does not exist in nature, it is created a master builder, . . .and it was with the compass

by the human mind-dreamed and constructed that God himself came to be represented in

by us. The circle is god-like, and indicative of Gothic art and literature as the creator who com

wholeness. The symbolic relationship between posed the universe according to geometrical laws.
Geometric progressions found in nature, like the growth spiral of the nautilus
square and circle is that of human and divine, It is only by observing these same laws that archi
shell became the basis for many built forms.

physical world and spiritual world, imperfect and tecture became a science in Augustine's sense.
perfect qualities. The integration of the square And in submitting to geometry the medieval

and the circle is a metaphor for equilibrium architect felt that he was imitating the work of his
between earth and heaven. divine master.

Other meanings attributed to the square, include the It was during this time that the symbolic meaning of
four corners of the world, the cardinal directions and architecture was at its height. The plan, elevations,
the four elements of the material world, earth, wind, sections, and programs for ornamentation of Gothic
fire and water. The circle was frequently interpreted cathedrals were all based on religious symbolism.

as the circumference of the earth and its center. In There was also lingering symbolism from traditions
any of these interpretations, one can understand the that would later come to be considered heretical,
symbolic significance of combining a circle and a like astrology.
square. Many early temples were square in plan with
This geometric progression is called the golden rectangle
the circle, in the form of a dome above.

35
With the coming of the Renaissance there was a Lethaby's work had influence on, among others,
decline in sacred symbolism. The emphasis was Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Claude Bragdon, Louis
ebbing towards humanism, that is a preoccupation Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. Lethaby sought to
with the humanities, the works of man, in favor of remind architects of the natural forms that inspired
theology. In architecture this was marked by a return the earliest known archetypes in architecture. It is
in influence the traditions of Rome easy to see how his writings fit in with the growing
of architectural

and Classical Greece. It was during this time that influence of nature in the Art Nouveau and the
Leonardo drew his famous picture, after the writings principles of organic architecture that followed.
of Vitruvius, of a man inscribed in a square and a

circle. The meanings were shifting but the geometric Another tradition that lingered was the belief that
symbols remained. architecture was still somehow superior to all other

arts. When Friederich Nietzsche wrote passionately

The next important phase of architecture was the about the return of the superman, after the model of
Baroque style which was a highly plastic interpreta Leonardo and other multi-talented Renaissance men, CD
0)
tion of Classical architecture, full of dramatic effects architects were among those who responded with 3
I"
of light and space. By this time, the effects of the greatest fervor. It was a feeling that fueled their utopi-

printing press were taking effect. Buildings no longer anism and made them believe that they could change
3'

needed to fulfill a role as story-teller for a

largely illit the world with their architecture.
erate population. Building forms were variations and

abstractions derived from earlier Classical precedent. While Classical architecture still served as the model

Architecture had become merely fashion and was no of ideal proportions, knowledge of the intricate
CD
longer an important conveyor of meaning. geometric relationships upon which it was based was r>
no longer commonly understood. In an atmosphere 5
-^
For the next three hundred years after the Renaissance, that favored ignoring tradition and inventing anew CD
architectural styles were derivative of prior styles, for a new age, architect Le Corbusier invented, or

culminating, ironically, in the middle of the nineteenth rather, discovered, a complex set of proportional

century with a revival of Gothic style. This was judged relationships that had close resemblance to ancient
to be the last true style according to influential critic, systems. This is not
surprising since both were

John Ruskin. Coincident with this was a renewed derived from the proportions of man and nature. In
interest in symbolism in architecture. It was at this thisway architecture entered the twentieth century
time that architect William Lethaby wrote Architecture, with a flicker of its former wealth of meaning.
Le Corbusier's powerful intellectual achievement,
Myth and Mysticism, which revived interest in the early a rediscovery and popularization of
long ignored geometric
natural and symbolic origins of architectural form. relationships

36
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Conveyors ofMeaning

A comer of the Erectbion, showing the caryatids.

The idea that meanings in architecture have been lost

can be shown with an example that parallels the Atlas

logos seen earlier. It concerns the figures above, called

caryatids in architecture. Writing in the first century,

B.C. the architect Vitruvius wrote of the importance of

education for an architect:

A wide knowledge of history is requisite because,

ornamental parts of an architect's design
among the
for a work, there are many the underlying idea of
whose employment he should be able to explain to his
inquirers. For instance, suppose him to set
up the
marble statues of women in long robes, called
Caryatids, to take the place of columns. . . he will give

the following explanation to his questioners. Caryae, a

state in Peloponnesus, sided with the Persian enemies
against Greece; later the Greeks, having gloriously won
their freedom by victory in the war, made common
cause and declared war against the people of Caryae.
They took the town, killed the men, abandoned the
State to desolation, and carried off their wives into
slavery, without permitting them, however, to lay aside
the long robes and other marks of their rank as mar
ried women, so that they might be obliged not only to
march in the triumph but to appear forever after as a

type of slavery, burdened with the weight of their

shame and so atonement for their State.
making
Hence, the architects of the time designed for public

buildings statues of these women, placed so as to

carry a load, in order that the sin and the punishment
of the people of Caryae might be known and handed
I

Fhr
down even to posterity.

At left, Michael Graves interpretation of caryatid-like

figures for the Disney Corporation.

Michael Graves design for a Disney building.

37
Evolution ofMeaning in Architecture

Column Capitals

*^
Egyptian columns were fashioned after The Greeks stylized previous forms. Charles Moore stylized lurther and In this version, the capital is notable

lotus blossoms. used neon and stainless steel. tor its absence.

Pyramids

n 7lE^^'mmmr

Early architectural forms were the The Egyptian pyramids employed The Mayans of Mexico also used A modern, transparent interpretation
manifestation oi mankind's beliefs geometric relationships that were pyramidal torm In rdiyious rites. of the pyramid, by I.M.Pei.
about our to the Universe held sacred.
relationship

Circles

Circles were the basis of many sacred The Roman Pantheon employed a The cathedrals used circles to hold Louis Kahn used scaled
monumentally
structures, shown here, Stonehenge. circle in plan, section and elevation. a myriad of sacred symbols. and totally empty circles.

38
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design
As Recorders ofHistory

William Morris lived from 1834 to 1896.

The Arts and Crafts Movement

Buildings and graphic design examples can be viewed

as artifacts of history. Both give important clues to the
spirit of their times. In the pages that follow some pairs
have been chosen that demonstrate the similarity of
themes and styles in the two fields across different eras.

A clear example of this point is found in the work of

William Morris and Company which formed the

foundation of the Arts and Crafts movement. This

movement, from the late 1800s, was influential in

architecture, graphic design (especially book design),
furnishings, and interior decoration.

More than just passing fashion, this work represents a

response to deep struggle with some of the social issues

of its time. Its influence was felt across great distances,
inspiring, among others in the United States, Gustave
Stickley in Syracuse, Elbert Hubbard at Roycroft, and
the Greene Brothers in California. This influence is
apparent even to this day with the continued popularity
of Craftsman style furnishings.

In collaboration with architectPhilip Webb, Morris produced many influential architectural designs, chiefly for large houses.
Pictured above is Wighrwick Manor which demonstrates their influence on English style in the 1890s.

39
William Morris was the focus of a furious burst of

creativity. He in turn, had been influenced deeply by

others. Like many of his era, Morris had been
impressed by the writings of John Ruskin, architectural
critic. Ruskin crystallized sentiment that had been
growing for some time. He wrote that architecture
must be the product of honesty. By that he meant that

the structure of a
building should be apparent, that the
materials used should be true to their nature. He wrote

this to protest what he perceived as the accumulation

of artifice that had crept into architecture beginning

with the work of the Italian Renaissance. Ruskin said

that the last true style had been the Gothic. This
sentiment confirmed in Morris and others a growing
interest in medieval style.

The resonance of this idea was based on the under

standing that, in the Middle Ages, work was the

product of true craftsmen who labored in cooperative

guilds. In the Victorian era, mass production was on

the rise and craftsmanship was on the wane. Morris

responded to Ruskin by founding a workshop of artists
who worked cooperatively, producing stained glass,
wallcoverings, furniture, tapestry, fabric, carpet and

embroidery designs. In the face of

rising capitalism,
this partnership was also an experiment in socialism.

A related artistic movement which held deep interest

for Morris was the work of the Pre-Raphaelite painters. A painting by Roserti of lane Morris, the wife of William Morris.
It hangs in Wightwick Manor against a backdrop of wallcoverings
Among his close friends were Dante Gabriel Rossetti
designed by Morris.
and Edward Bume- Jones. These artists hearkened back
to medieval times for their inspiration as well. They
sought to express truth, spirituality, and the beauty of
use of allegory and symbolism in
nature. They made
their paintings. These kind of themes also appear in
Morris'

the publications that were produced under

A page from tbe Kelmscott Chauar, thought to be among the great books of tbc world
direction for his publishing company, called the
because of the richness of its design and the beauty of its execution.
Kelmscott Press.
40
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Recorders ofHistory

ArtNouveau

The emphasis on Gothic style promoted by Morris,

Ruskin, Pugin and others could be viewed as one final
revival in a long series of historical revivals. With an
emphasis on truth and a return to inspiration from
nature, this last revival did however, open avenues to

more original forms of artistic expression.

For some, the pursuit of honesty that was raised as an

issue by the Arts and Crafts designers meant a rejection
of historical recreations and a search for a fresh style

that was expressive of the new times. Instead of looking

to previous designs, themselves derivations of other

designs, artists looked to nature. The twentieth century

began with great creative energy and that, coincident
with this renewed interest in natural forms, led to the
development of the explosive, sinewy, curvilinear style

called Art Nouveau.

Also known as the Liberty Style (from a store that

promoted it), the Noodle Style, in Italy and the Jugend
Stil, youth style, in Germany, the exuberant expressions
of Art Nouveau were destined to be short-lived and
transitional. They seemed, literally, to take the high
Morris'
contrast designs that had become popular in
time, off the page to envelop a viewer in space that

wrapped, curled and flowed around.

This dear cross-over between two-dimensional and

Although considered by many as representitive of late Arts and Crafts, rather three-dimensional design One
was quite purposeful.
than Art Nouveau, the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh demonstrates the
legacies left from the preceding Arts and Crafts
of the
transition to the new style. Organic forms, long, curving lines, and intertwining
forms are characteristic of the work of this era. Movement was increased collaboration among artists of Staircase of the Tassel House, Brussels, Belgium by Victor Horta, 1892

41
 different disciplines. There was a deliberate attempt to

unite the arts to produce whole environments of

seamless artistic experience. Van de Velde even went so

far as to design dresses for his wife that were harmo

nious with the interior of their home and dinners were
served to guests with the object of satisfying aesthetics

as much as appetite.

This emphasis on aesthetics was an inheritance left

from the romantic and Utopian aspirations of the

preceding art style. There was also a growing belief that 3D

CD
art should not remain enshrined in academies but that O
O
artistic talent should be brought to bear on the design This drawing by Koloman Moser is representitive of
the influence of Art Nouveau on artists in Vienna.
ofeveryday items. Artists believed that in so doing, they
could elevate the lives of the common man. 3

As noble as these aspirations were, in architecture in In both architecture and graphic design, Art Nouveau
3:
particular, many of the effects of Art Nouveau designs also reveals influence from Japan. Japanese
traces of 55'

were only possible with careful, time consuming hand prints were very popular at this time. Their simple, flat,

labor and so were destined to have only limited influ calligraphic quality became a source for forma]

ence on the general population. In graphic design, the inspiration in graphic design. In architecture, the idea
goals were more successfully met as poster and publica of screens and the flowing spaces of a Japanese house
tion design emerged as vehicles for artistic expression. increasingly influenced floor plans.

The style's emphasis on nature was also somewhat an

aspect of romantic escapism. It was reflective of the

awakening appreciation of the harmful effects of

industrial and technological progress. It was in some
ways a backwards glance in the midst of a forward step

In this American publication celebrating Thanksgiving, designer Will Bradley's flat

towards the increasing domination of the machine.

shapes and use of high contrast suggest the lapanese influence on Art Nouveau.

42
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Recorders ofHistory

the
bouhous The Bauhaus building in Dessau, designed by Walter Gropius, benefited from a restoration effort in 1976.

The Bauhaus was a design school founded in 1919,

in Weimar, Germany under the direction of Walter
Gropius. The purpose of the school was to eliminate
the boundaries between art and technology, to unite

the arts and incorporate high quality training in

#^ crafts.

inheritor
With this

popularized
of
purpose, it can be considered an
the art and craft philosophies

by William Morris.

Early promotional brochures for the school, designed

by the American, Lyonel Feininger, sounded an echo
that were

of the earlier art movement by picturing a cathedral.

But this cathedral was not representative of the dark

and brooding Gothic that had inspired Ruskin and
Morris. It represented instead, the cathedral of the

future, a crystal space bathed in light.

Bauhaus'
architectural aesthetic.
This floor plan by Mies van der Rohe, is a typical example of the

43
 The early Bauhaus reflected some of this passionate, In 1921, Theo van Doesburg became associated with
Utopian and expressionistic bent The preliminary the Bauhaus. He brought with him the influence of

courses, for example, under the direction of Johannes De Stijl, which in turn had been influenced by the
Itten, stressed fitness, special diets and exercises in self- Russian Constructivists and indirectly by Cubism. His
discovery as essential parts of the core curriculum. work favored rectilinear compositions of primary
colors, or for printed pieces, red and black ink on a
Walter Gropius also was a practical man and part of the white ground. The emphasis was on abstract form and

tradition he invested in the Bauhaus came from think relationships rather imagery or
than representational

ing about business. In this he was following in the decorative motifs. The architecture of van Doesburg
footsteps of Hermann Muthesius who, in 1907, had and other members of De Stijl was likewise planar and

founded the Deutscher Werkbund, an alliance of manu abstract and absent of decoration.
facturers, architects and writers. Muthesius had been in
Morris'

England at the height of the influence and he Around this same time, publications of the work of
recognized that uniting art and standardized production Frank Lloyd Wright were becoming popular in Europe.
could give a manufacturer a competitive edge. This His compositions of shifting planes and flowing spaces
same kind of thinking helped Gropius raise money and seemed to answer questions that European architects

gain support for his ideas about a building school. were simultaneously posing in their own work. The
Gropius'

combined influence of all these and own

Another inspiration to Gropius was Peter Behrens. developing factory aesthetic inspired the planar, axial

Behrens had begun his career, as a painter, as one of the compositions in graphics and architecture that have
founding members of the Darmstadt Artist's Colony, come to be associated with Bauhaus style.

another collection of artists inspired by the philosophies

of Arts and Crafts cooperatives. Eventually, Behrens
EAUHAUS-AUSSTEIL1JNG found his calling in architecture. He produced several

WEIMAR. JUNI-SEPT. 1923 very influential designs for the German Electricity
Company, the AEG, that explored the expression of

In this early Bauhaus poster a face is reduced to planes and the eye, power and modern technology. Behrens, in the kind of
is seen as, just as it sees, abstract rectangular form.
cross-over of disciplines that was fostered at this time,
also produced graphic design work including publica
For the Bauhaus tions and exhibitions in support of the AEG. Walter
reflected not
only the preceding tradi
tions of the Arts and Crafts but the influence of artists Gropius considered Behrens to be among his most

important influences. Feininger's cathedral

and thinkers across the intervening years. The crystal

vision came from Bruno Taut, an architect who

dreamed of a socialist Utopia. This was a time of fervor.

The philosopher

all previous tradition as a

Nietzsche had
necessary step to creating the
promoted
abandoning
Qbcdefghijklmnopqrstuvujxyz
future. The Italian Futurists were celebrating speed and
glorifying modernity. The world had just gone to war. Adopting the ideal of design stripped to its essence, Bauhaus graphic design often employed a typeface based on primary forms that used no capital letters.

44
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Recorders ofHistory

Moderne

Stylistically, the fashion of the 1930s that came to be

known as Streamline, or Moderne, sat philosophically

in a middle ground between the Utopian aspirations of

the Bauhaus and the decorative traditions inherited

from the Art Nouveau. Moderne was a successful and

popular commercial style. Moderne literally took the

rough edges off the strident, visionary minimalism of
the fledgling International style and unapologetically
created fashion.

Moderne was immediately preceded by Art Deco,

sometimes called Jazz Modern, which took hold in the
imagination of American designers from about the
middle of the 1920s. Art Deco was characterized
by a
rejection of historical precedent and the use of recti

linear, often
zig-zag forms. Moderne was somewhat
less exuberant than Art Deco, perhaps in response to
the sobering effects of the world-wide financial crisis
that was marked by the American Stock Market crash
of 1929.

Like Art Deco, Moderne was influenced by Cubism. It

took its inspiration from simple geometric forms and
it emphasized originality over historic revival.
Influenced by the lingeringeffects of line, from the Art

Nouveau, and an emphasis on speed, as celebrated by

This house from the 1930'sexJiibiU cksac details of Moderne, curvilinear forms, pipe railing at the stair, glass block, and light, neutral colors.
the Futurists, Moderne design usually included

45
 flattened surfaces, curvilinear forms and thin parallel
L'AMERIQUE DU 5UD lines, often resembling speed stripes to reinforce the

feeling of movement. It was during this time that

industrial design came to be recognized as a design
profession and many of the early products of industrial
design were in the Moderne style.

Transportation became a popular theme. Trains, ships

and automobiles supplied decorative inspiration. In
architecture, other characteristics of the style were pipe
railings, glass block, round, porthole-like windows and
metal surfaces. The emphasis was on shine and the tone
3D
was sleek.
(b
o
O
Graphic design in the Moderne style,
movement toward more abstract, geometric
also exhibited a

form.
I
3
Typographically, serif type faces were abandoned in
favor of cleaner, sparer type. From Art Nouveau there
was left a lingering softness of effect, that served to 5"

contrast Moderne against the hard, angular abstractions

cT
of the contemporary Bauhaus style.
3

(40000T.)
In ihis classic example of Moderne graphic style, designer A.M. Cassandre
COMPAGNIE DE NAVIGATION starts with a rectangular block then erodes the block with a curve that becomes

SUD-ATLANTI9UE the edge of the ship. Smoke and blended color soften the hard forms.

46
 Comparing Architecture and Graphic Design As Recorders ofHistory

Frank Gehry 's house, an early foray into Deconstructivism.

Deconstructivism

In his book, Architecture Today, architect and critic

Charles Jencks makes the point that Deconstructivism
is a form of rebellion. It depends on the existence of
accepted conventions in order to violate them and
produce its characteristic shocking effect. With this as

its basis, it cannot long sustain itself as a formula for

design. If it becomes successful, if most designs follow
its example, it then itself becomes the norm, and must
reject itself in order to sustain rebellion.

Another interpretation of Deconstructivism is that it is

the ultimate and inevitable reaction to the abstract,

geometric style of the Bauhaus and International

Styles. Those idea of a universal

styles promoted the

expression of form. All different kinds of buildings

were translated into pure, cubic forms. There was a

belief that this kind of design could effect social

reform. Good people with high ideals, designed build
ings to express absolute truths. There came a time
The interior of the New England Aquarium by Schwartz Silver Architects.
when they realized
they had promised too much.

47
 mm
Preac \ soi r
iu

R(i; In
OIHIK
WOWOS
I If r SIKKS
?
AMI) lMtN VOt I

IriAIS

A layout from David Carson's book, 77te End of Print

PostModernism was the reaction to Modernism. In this they are the inheritors of the artistic train of Another influence on Deconstructivism is the explo

PostModern thinkers believed in many small truths told thought begun with Dada. Followers of Dada, itself a ration of scientific ideas about order and chaos. If the
by many voices. They rejected the idea of a single nonsense word, challenged the idea of
meaning and International Style took Classic order to its extreme,
universal truth that could be expressed with a universal meaninglessness. They were
reacting to the horrors of Deconstructivism can be seen as a full swing of the
style. In architecture, this rejection of Modernism took the First World War. They had been let down by science pendulum, taking irregularity and disorder to its own
different forms. Early on there was a return to Classical and technology in which, up to that time, there had extreme.

forms and historical allusions. These were usually been so much faith.

rendered ironically or in layers, the characteristic multi-

While these ideas may prove fruitful to those in the fine
valency of the PostModern view.
They invented art happenings and recited nonsense arts or philosophy, graphic design and architecture both
words and made strange sounds they called poetry. must fulfill functional requirements of end users. A
Deconstructivism began in part as a rejection of Post Some of their art was made from scraps and trash page layout that is difficult to understand or a
building
Modernism. Deconstructivists reject both the idea of an collected in the streets. The influence of their actions that looks asif it is collapsing may be clever and provide
absolute truth and the idea of many truths. They are and the questions trickled down in influ its small truth but whether it will have
they raised own
any long
nihilists who believe that anything can be meaningful ence to the art world across the succeeding generations. lasting impact in the world of visual communication
and that nothing is meaningful. Deconstructivism is one among many examples. remains to be seen.

48
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design
Environmental Graphic Design

The integration of architecture and graphic design is

often known as environmental graphic design. It is

supported by an international, professional, nonprofit

organization called the Society for Environmental
Graphic Design. The goal of the Society, sometimes
called SEGD for short, is "to provide powerful voice in
both increasing awareness of environmental graphic

design as a profession, and

building bridges among
practitioners."

its

The multi-disciplined nature of this kind of design is

reflected by the membership of the Society. Members
are graphic designers, exhibit designers, industrial
designers, architects, landscape architects, interior
designers, researchers and educators. Membership also
includes industry members such as suppliers, artisans

and manufacturers and who produce the final objects

of design.

This hybrid design field has many important design

applications. The next section of this book will look at

some of these in more detail. Under consideration will

be environmental graphic design's applications to:

identify, orient, inform, entertain, ornament, persuade

and commemorate.

As fitting entrance to this section, at right is pictured a contemporary

a

application of environmental graphic design, the Town Gate of the

Okawabata City, by architect Toyo Ito. The Egg of the Winds, as it is called, is
shiny and reflective as it floats in the breezes of the day. At night, video and
television images are visible through an opening in the egg's aluminum shell

49
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

One of the most basic applications of environmental

graphic design is the identification
of space. The mark,
the sign, claims territory, proclaims significance and
says to the viewer, you are here.

The tradition goes back to

early times. In The History
of Visual Communication, Josef Muller-Brockmann
tells how signs were important in medieval times:
In the twelfth century guilds were formed in
many European countries as a protection against
competitors but also to maintain standards of
quality. .
tradesmen, publicans, apothe
.Many

caries and merchants acquired a signboard and

displayed it in a striking and conspicuous form

outside their house. England businesses were

..In

even required by law to fix signs or shields to

their houses in such a way that the illiterate

could also find their way about.

This phenomenon is not exclusive to Western culture.

In essay in Sign Communication, called "Signs,
an

Festivals and Signposts, A Japanese Cultural History,"

Osami Sakano writes that the earliest recorded signs in

hisculture had religious associations. These were sign

posts put
along the paths of religious pilgrimage to

assure the travelers they were on the right road. There

were also signs
along the way that were considered
small temples. Even today, he writes, in some Southeast

Asian villages it is still common practice to put statues

of a man and a woman at the edge of the village as
At left the Cleveland version Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
sign to prevent the entry of evil deities. of the
includes a guitar that stands over forty feet talL
Above: Planet Hollywood sign
51
Both Japan and the West share a feudal tradition. One
aspect of this is the development in both cultures of

heraldic crests. Not only was this a way to proclaim

in war.
family identity, it served very practical purposes

The colors and patterns chosen for these occasions were

usually vividly distinctive so they

could be found amidst

the tumult of a battlefield

Sakano writes that, in Japan, family crests were not

restricted to nobility the way they were in Europe.

family had a crest Unlike the complex and

Every
colorful European crests, Japanese family crests were
based on simple abstract patterns, within a circle,

and were monochromatic.

usually

Sushi,"

In the essay, "Chameleons and Spam from his

book Cross Cultural Design, Henry Steiner takes up the
called mon, on <t>
story of the influence of these crests, 3
European design. With the opening of Japan to trade
in the middle of the nineteenth century there was a
great exchange of cultures. In Europe, Japanese style
became quite fashionable and its influence can be seen
in the works of of the artists of the time, like
many
Van Gogh, Degas and many of the other French

Impressionist painters.

the designs
Germany and Austria, particularly in
of
In
the Wiener Werkstatte, one can see the influence of

Japanese art, including their own adaptations of the

mon. This idea of marking identity on artwork with a

eventually developed into the

pictograms
small symbol,

and logos with which we are familiar today.

In Japan, family crests have evolved into company crests.

Steiner cites the three diamonds in a circle from the
Mitsubishi family as a familiar example.

At right: the New York version of the Hard Rock Cafe

All signs on these two pages fabricated by Empire Forster of Rochester, NY. 52
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

Today's battlefield is more likely to be the business

arena. Crests, in the form of corporate logos, still play
an important role in distinguishing one competitor
from another. The design and marketing of brand
identity, has become big business. As in medieval
times, the logo is meant to assure the consumer of a

level of quality.

In environmental graphic design, the influence of this

practice is seen in signs. In our modern world where

the consumer is often found in a car, the logos and

brand signs take on gigantic proportions. The guitar

shown for the Cleveland Hard Rock Cafe for instance

is over forty feet tall. Size, design and color all become
tools of the designer to attract attention and to
persuade the consumer to leave the car and enter.

At left: Environmental graphic design elements help convey identity

to motorists and to unite elements that are separated
by the street
atCircle Centre Mall, Indianapolis. Design by Symmetry.
Above: The disrnctive look of Cybersmith stores attract interest and
reinforce brand identity.

53
iP,

HIHIi-- Q.
ct>
3

I
in*''

UlMUl
At left: BMW usedits entire building as a sign.
iniwl Above: Brand identity becomes an im portant part of distinguishing
one company from another. Using the symbol of the Caribou

makes a distinctly Minnesotan version of a coffee bar, by Signia Design.

u M
"""Jin-fi
HUM Hui

54
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

Orient

Video signs work well for fast-changing information. Signage at the subway platform conveys information about routes.

55
 Environmental graphic design finds one of its most

important applications in helping to orient and direct

people to a destination. Consider how many such signs

we encounter in a single day. The pictures at left

suggest just a
sampling of the signs encountered by a
visitor to a city. From the monitors that give flight and
gate information, to the overhead signs that identify
destinations and services within the airport, to the

subway signs that

bring visitors to and from the air
port, to the signs in the heart of the city, there is a

sequence of information to guide and direct. The term

wayfinding has recently found its way into use to

explain this process.

Paul Arthur and Romedi Passini, in their book,

Wayfinding, People, Signs and Architecture, credit

architect Kevin Lynch coining the term in his

with

1960 book, 77ie Image of the City. Lynch, who

probably
derived the term from the word wayfaring, was inter
ested
mostly in the elements of a city that provided its
inhabitants with a sense of orientation within, like
edges, landmarks, and nodes. Arthur and Passini say
that in the 1970s, Steven Kaplan, Roger Downs and

David Stea added concepts of cognition to Lynch's

ideas about the actual artifacts of orientation. The
combination of these concepts is called wayfinding.

Romedi and Passini offer their definition of wayfind

ing as spatial problem solving comprising the follow

ing processes: decision making, decision executing, and
information processing. Or, put even more simply,
wayfinding is the process of
understanding where one
is within a space, where one's destination is within a
space and the development of a plan for
getting from
where one is, to where one wants to be.

The volume of tourists that travel to Washington, D. C makes a well designed waylinding system essential.

56
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design
Designing a wayfinding system is a challenging
exercise.

Important considerations are providing the right amount

of information for the traveler and providing it at the

right time, for instance, critical points of decision

intersections
making like the
of paths.

Designers must also keep in mind the viewer's distance

to signs. Signs for those in automobiles should offer a

different level of information than those for pedestrians.

information must match the amount of

The amount of

time that the message is in view, which for automobile

traffic maybe quite short.

SMITH
| COLLEGE '"'

v*
While the designer should not overwhelm the traveler

with too much information, redundancy of key infor

mation is another important concept. Some people

^Jfe*
MAIN ENTRANCE I
J$
A Hfi understand

understand

from
their way best by reading maps. Some will
better with words. Some will ask directions
passersby, no matter how well constructed the
.*-;_
M
wayfinding system Offering information in diverse
.

/ ways is often helpful. Number and color systems rein

I force a sense of direction. Landmarks, pictograms, and
representative icons can also help by being quickly
recognizable and memorable.

Language is important consideration, as any

another
The entrance to Smith College speaks of tradition. Design by Jon Roll and Associates, foreign country can appreciatively attest.
traveller to a
in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Many subway wayfinding systems are so well designed
that even those who don't speak the language are quickly
able to find their way around a foreign city.

Human Resources J> Providing information

aspect of understanding.
in a recognizable system

When there is a
is
recognizable
a key

3 pattern to information, from

to exterior signs, the traveler
the scale
is
of interior
given a greater sense
signs

rTr of ease.

Typefaces on signs should be chosen for legibility, as in this example of a design by Lorenc Design for MCI Business Services Headquarters.

57
 These three signs demonstrate the benefits of a coordinated signage system. From outside the shopping mall to the interior, o
the look and clarity of information is kept consistant. Design by ELS/Elbasani & Logan. q>"

These dimensional pictograms,

Chorus Dressing Room
designed by Yukio Ota, help
international travelers at this
At left, sign company, Kaltech demonstrates that utilitarian signs
ski resort, Alpha Resort Shimcup.
KTO4CI don't have to be boring.
MiliAB<rf< lUI.r BuAc Above, another Kaltech installation by designer, Michael Manwaring,
shows the importance of function combined with fun. In a sports arena,
Will R^*n Flo ZitptU
the im portant information about the location of the women's room
I-
to ZirglVM W.C- F.rlJ. is conveyed W.
by a gigantic striped

58
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

Inform

In this Werkbund Exhibition, Paris, 1930, designers Gropius, Moholy-Nagy.Breuer, and Bayer based the location of the panels on their relationship to the field of vision.

59
Environmental graphic design has an important role to

play in informing and educating the public. The most

memorable examples of this are found in exhibition

designs. The combination of images and text in a place

specifically designed to support their content can make

a
deep impression on the viewer.

With advances in photography and printing technolo

gies, the incorporation of large scale photographic
images altered the texture of trade exhibitions and
World's Fairs forever. From about the 1930s onward
there were exciting innovations in visual presentations

of information. The pioneers in this effort included the

Bauhaus members shown at left, as well as Alvar Aalto,
George Nelson, Will Burtin, and the Italian designers
shown at right, among others.

It is from these designers that we inherit the concept of

3
enveloping the viewer in information. This concept has
been accompanied by increasingly sophisticated tech
nologies so that now a viewer is not only surrounded by,
This exhibit for Pirelli is a combination of sign and shelter. Pirelli Exhibit, 30th Trades Fair, Milan, Luigj Gargantini.
but interactive with, the visual presentation. Museums,
especially science museums, have adapted this technique
and thousands of patrons
daily learn by seeing and
by doing.

Walt Disney understood the power of this kind of

presentation to inform as well as to entertain. His

vision became the driving force behind DisneyLand,
DisneyWorld and most recently EuroDisney. The

impact of the quality of the presentations of the Disney

Corporation can be felt world-wide.

A common type of exhibition is the trade fair.

Attracting viewers to a booth to make contacts and to

promote sales is an enormous business. Attendance and

response to trade shows can make or break a company's

sales for the year. Car shows and computer fairs are well Thisexhibition building itself becomes a huge three dimensional sign seen across the grounds.

known examples. Breda Exhibition, 30th Trade's Fair, Milan, Luciano, Baldessari, Grissoti.

60
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

Some of the premier exhibit designs of our time have

come from the offices of Chermayeff and Geismar.
Writing about exhibit design in a 1978 essay called
Exhibition Observations, Ivan Chermayeff reminds us

that in spite of advances in presentation media this

essence of an exhibit is the object the exhibit is about.
Chermayeff wrote:
Exhibitions are an opportunity to present real

stuff. Stuff which you can walk around, maybe

even touch. No flickering images; no half-tone
dots. No excuses. No limits of the media. The
real thing is beyond the powers of reproduction.
Above and below are scenes from an exhibit at Ellis Island designed by Thomas Geismar
(In this sense, exhibits are to
photography what of Chermayeff and Geismar. The paths of immigrants are traced in lightsonaglobe.
Below, as the viewers walk past, the American
flag dissolves by means of prisms
photography is to illustration.) into pictures of the faces of American immigrants.

Exhibits are more than the presentation of things.

They are the result of choices considered.

Deletions reluctantly or deliberately made.
Relationships. Between object and object, between
subject and subject, from object to source, from
source to source, bridging object and words, and
even words to music. Exhibits can
include, along
with the thing, enlightening texts, revealing
real

captions, explanatory drawings and diagrams,

photographs to reveal contexts, to enlarge and

reduce, sounds to enrich and even explain. All

in all, an exhibit can make a subject manageable

and comprehensible.

61
 A clearsystem of support information is
key to a successful exhibit. This exhibit, by
Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc. is the Fossil Hall at the American Museum of Natural History.

A more light-hearted example of exhibit design is this installation at the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, by Pentagram.

62
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

One of the most impressive uses of environmental

graphic design in the field of entertainment comes from

the musician, Jean Michel Jarr& To accompany a
concert of his electronic music, a spectacular collage of
lights and images were projected on to buildings and

screens on the Mont St. Michel, in France.

island of

The viewer was enveloped in a monumental visual and

experience.
sensory

At the far right, a similar show was presented to

celebratethe bicentennial anniversary of the French

Revolution. The arch at La Defense, outside Paris acted
as a screen for the projections.

p*
4

Uallit
In this view, giant eyes peer back at the viewer. Here, the time and motion studies of photography pioneer, Edward
Muybridge are used on the backdrops.

63
H>* Mfwl
IMIII

H * i -

Hp * *

1 *

ItMltllt

^feft,* *

*>
1 f
* #!

* t a .

' .mm
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

Ornament

One of attributes of environmental graphic design is

that it is often unexpected. It replaces a plain surface

with a place for communication. In the example at left,

an artist's interpretation of a map of the Washington,
D.C. area is translated into a tile mosaic in the Ronald
Reagan National airport. It adds an element of interest

and fun in what would otherwise be an ordinary corri

dor. It says something to the visitor about the pride of
the residents in their city and, even a
passing glance
while walking past, may provide a reinforcement of

basic orientation to the surrounding area.

In the example at right, an ordinary generic building,

wide, tall, and unrelieved by windows, is transformed
into an attractive destination. The lights and signage
announce that Tinseltown is a place for entertainment.

The stripes on the towers recall the Moderne style and

an era when Hollywood (Tinseltown) was in its heyday.

At the far right, the plain surface of the National

Warplane Museum is transformed into a billboard
announcing the museum's presence on an otherwise
plain facade. The awning, reminiscent of an airplane
Overview and detail of a floor mosaic in the Reagan Natrona! Airport in Washington, DC
wing, provides an additionallayer of meaning and
foreshadows the experience inside.

65
 Type becomes the predominant ornament on the building facade.
The winglike canopy reinforces the design theme.

This chain of movie theaters makes use of environmental graphic design to enliven its buildings.

66
 "WHO IS f-RioSz

Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design TO CHOOSE?

BE-
10 IS
THE
Persuade LAW? WHO IS HEALED? WHO
.ND

IS HOUSED? WHO SPEAKS?

WHO IS SILENCED? WHO
SALUTES LONGEST? WHO
PRAYS LOUDEST? WHO DIMS
FIRST? WHO LAUGHS LAST?

Installation of artist, Barbara Kruger, Mary Boone Gallery, New York.

The National Archives, Washington, D. C. Artist Barbara Kruger. at the Mary Boone Gallery, New York.

67
Environmental graphic design has the power to
persuade. It gives prominence and power to words and

concepts by making them part of the built world. This

technique has a long history. In the example at left,

the National Archives borrows from Greek and Roman

tradition, incising the building name in stone to mark

its stature.

Below the inscription is another form of persuasion.

Colorful banners entice a weary tourist to see just one

more exhibition. The arms of the figure of Liberty

beckon and the language on the other banner,
American Originals, appeals to the values at the heart

3
of the culture. It seems almost unpatriotic to walk past

and not enter the exhibition. IT)

c

Environmental graphic design has also been a tool for Q.

social protest. Making the essence of a
experience can evoke a deep response
cause a visual

in a viewer.
JENIE.I*/
Whether the viewer is persuaded to the cause or not,

the use of environmental graphic design will likely

impress the issue in the &r*
any Statr.
viewer's memory.
j&yr

This power of persuasion is not lost on the commercial

marketplace. Environmental graphic design has

changed the retail experience. Pioneered by such
product giants as Nike, Disney and Ikea, among many
others, stores use environmental graphic design to
ornament their spaces, to entertain, and in every way
possible make their customers linger longer. With the

bttfCSEIk
theory that the longer a shopper stays in the store, and

the more they know about a product, the more likely a

purchase, its power of persuasion has made environ

mental graphic design has become big business in the

Design to celebrate the anniversary of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. Design by Drenttel Doyle Partners, NY.
retail world.

68
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

Commemorate
iNAffi. EDWARD \\ CONNELLt Ir DANtEL i CCWTESTABILI
it V\ IIHELM k DAMMER GLENN E 0A\ IS THO/vi X. ". \ DE,i
EN^SON.RW.MO'MDl.COQK'jIMMlEADOLE.N'JOHNLl
:
ll .t |ERR\ R DL MEMS
IOHN W ECKELl RUSSEL1 W ECQ
SONCARTtAND GERALD VV FIEGt t MORRIS I I
'THOMAS
f
S! CUNN T fe\ RAYMOND L GEE Ir '

Ri,-h^D CASTILLO roNZALES w

'

.
r ?c
'

UEK HtRM^ G'

M'i .
WRELL'
RICHARD W HAffi r ABI . ,.
COODALL
V-,,-
r v
tjA*' ^CL
-

r
LtSLtE E HARRIS jrWI, | ?#? HALh '
FOSTER H Far left and below left:
VietNam Veteran's Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Designer, Maya Lin
Left Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.,
Designer, Henry Bacon
Below: Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
Washington, D. C.

INSOs r-'11^ -^

""TO-ru?0**: '
THE STRUCTURE
OF WORLD PEACE
CANNOT BE THE
WORK OF ONE MAN
i.rLRlCHiST-av^.
OR ONE PARTY
OR ONE NATION .

IT MUST BE A PEACE
WHICH RESTS ON
THE COOPERATIVE
EFFORT OF THE
WHOLE WORLD

69
 l^^^^vH
THEY (WHO! SEEK TO ESTABLISH
SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT BASED ON
THE REGIMENTATION OF ALL HUMAN
BEINGS BY A HANDFUL OF INDIVIDUAL
RULERS CALL THIS A NEW ORDER
IT IS NOT NEW AND IT IS NOT ORDER

.flttUii

m :

ttfAfll c
o
3
3
3
o
Above and left: Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial 3
Washington, D. C 3
I HAVE SEEN WAE At right: Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade
San Diego, California
N LAND AND SEA. I HAVE SEEN Designers, Patrick O'Connor and Chris Kraft

BLOOD -
IING FROM THE WOUNDED .I HAVE
SEEN THE DEAD IN THE MUD. I HAVE SEEN CITIES
DESTROYED... I HAVE SEEN CHILDREN STARVING.
WIVE!
I HAVE SEEN THE AGONY OF MOTHERS AND

I HATE WAR -

70
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

Commemoration of people and events is one of the

most powerful uses of environmental graphic design.
Memorials are markers that give a physical presence to

memory. They serve as a testament and witness across

time. Even when those that were part of the event

commemorated are gone, and those that remember

them are gone, the monument remains for successive

generations. It tells its viewers to stop and remember.

It requests honor for those who are represented.

Representations of commemoration can take on

many
forms. They may be outdoor monuments, as with the
war memorials and Roosevelt memorial pictured.

They may take the form of an entire building, as with

the Lincoln Memorial. They may also be as simple as
plaques that are given a featured location inside
a building.

Maya Lin, the designer of the Viet Nam War

Memorial, has gone on to design a number of other
memorials. She frequently employs other sensory
experiences such as sound and touch, as when water

plays across a surface, to create deeper impressions.

Another very common form of commemoration is

found in buildings with donor walls. These are usually
to honor those who have made financial contributions

to the building or the cause that the building serves.

At right: The symbolic form of a cross is rendered in light in this church

by Tadao Andao.

71
 **.;f*

Cl '<'
f "it

Above: The empty grids form a Greek cross in the Mon u men l to Those Fallen in Germany,
inMilan by Relgioso. Peresutti ;md Rogers.

Above: Famous texts are an important pan of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D. C.

soldiers'

In this Italian wui memorial, a hill of tombs

rises to the horizon. Long rows ol text span above

their resting place that reminds the visitor th.il here

they are present Sacranum. Redipuglia by Giovanni

72
 This bridge area contains the photographs of over 1,000 villagers from a town in Lithuania,
most of whom were killed in a single day.
73
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

The U.S. Holocaust MemorialMuseum V! a * *

Jl.endorfj
Washington, DC. pdlte
Par Cobb freed& Partners. Architects
baum andAssociates, ExhibitDesigners

This first of a series of examples observed in detail demon

strates the application of environmental graphic design
techniques throughout an entire building. The purpose of
this building is to commemorate those who died in the
Holocaust. Commissioned by the United States Holocaust
Memorial Council, established by Congress in 1980, the
memorial
building sits just outside the National Mall, nearby
Smithsonian Institution and not far from the
to the
Washington and Lincoln Memorials.

In accepting this difficult commission, architect lames Inigo

Freed knew he wanted to convey to visitors some sense of that
terrible time by using allusion and metaphor. Writer, Mildred
Schmertz, in the July 1993 issue of Architecture, described the
challenge this way,
The architecture was to be in part distillation of

Holocaust death camp construction, intended to disturb,

upset, and forewarn its visitors, a prelude to the more
focused sorrow the exhibits would engender. Freed knew
that he was taking a great risk. If the
building were to
become a hyperreal death camp reconstruction, his
museum would surpass
kitsch."
Disney in the perpetuation of The names of citizens and their towns are etched onto the glass on bridges
theme park
that connect different parts of the building.

Along with exhibition designers, Ralph Appelbaum

Associates, the building and exhibits envelop the visitor in a
carefully programmed experience with three main parts. On
the fourth floor is the story of the rise of the Nazis. The third
floor tells of the death camps. The second floor is about the
aftermath of the Holocaust, telling of those who risked their
lives to end the horror, and the stories of survivors who went
on to make life anew. The sequence ends in the Hall of
Remembrance designed for quiet reflection.

74
75
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

The National School of Theater

Churubusco, Mexico City

TENArquitectos

Occupying the exposed tip of campus, this building provides

a strong visual presence on its site. Seen from adjacent
highways, the large exterior shell acts as a landmark. The shell

also serves to connect and shelter a variety of irregular spaces

within

halls
the building including: offices, a gym, a library, lecture
rehearsal rooms, studios and workshops.
^L
The space between the enfolding shell and the buildings acts
Hk
as tunnel and stage. It is neither indoor or outdoor space but
a comfortable mix of both. What makes this an example of A^'

environmental graphic design is the way the text is used to

communicate and ornament the facade. v

"VwXt y
On the glazed curtain wall that faces the shell there are lines
of type about theater at different scales and on different
planes. The type itself, the reflections, and shadows of the

type all play against each other creating a richly layered visual

experience. The lines of type cross the regular grids of the

curtain wall softening and enlivening the severity of the

*T| l> I i
i

m
structural order.

In the monograph, TEN Arquitectos, by Enrique Norten and

Bernardo Gomez-Pimienta, the building is described this way. '
"The backdrop -.
cavernous, continuous shell acts as a
for this amalgam of contradictory fragments, a proscenium
unifying
^ rl
for a diverse cast, each character charged with a different
purpose but forced to share a stage. space is a meeting
. .This

ground not only for the building's users, but also for paradoxes
order."

and opposing forces, a balance of chaos and Type acts as pattern and u message on the glass curtain wall of the building.

76
77
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

Microsoft Prototype Stores

I
>( 'j*-
#'%%}

Recognizing the increasingly competitive nature of the

r t C*-a
software marketplace, Seattle based company Microsoft
| i
Ti-

sought to create a brand image for their products that would

appeal to the average, home computer Using the power
user. l*f
of environmental graphic design to persuade, Retail ~-
Planning A
i~

5 '.-- i' ^1
Associates developed an attractive and
1 1
compelling set of
1 s
display components that can be assembled as a store within V niii j"- iiiF
-*

a store.
'
y
1 1
?I i i ,-
"*"\
In the September issue of VM+SD Magazine, Lynn Baxter
explains theimportance of easy access to information for
consumers. Stores today may have fewer sales people on the
floor, or those that are there may have less knowledge about
the product than in former years. It becomes critical for the Retailers may purchase their in
stores modules including walldisptays, gondolas, interactive stations
displays to inform the consumer about a product and so close and continuous video
loop screens.
the sale.

Creating an entire environment that carries the brand

message sends a strong signal to customers. Baxter writes,
"Such vendor shops have validated themselves with significant
sales increases, not only for their own brands, but for other
retailer."

products in the same category as well as for the

Microsoft shops may be found in the United States in stores

such as Media Play, CompUSA and Best Buy, and in other

countries including Canada, France, Sweden, South Africa and

the Pacific Rim. Baxter cites figures that "show the installed
shops to produce consistent sales increases of one hundred
fifty to three hundred
percent."

78
79
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

World of Coca-Cola

Atlanta, Georgia
Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates
This example of environmental graphic design contains
I mIbI
many described in the previous section
of the attributes

this book. The 45,000 square foot building is a museum

of *
^r
i
II^

about the history of Coke and exhibit center. As such, it

fulfills the function of commemorating history and of

*
S
^j
\\
informing the public. It also provides a significant mark of
1 *
identity for the company and for Atlanta, whose association * '
with Coca-Cola is comparable to Detroit and cars.
* .

In the December, 1990 issue of Architecture, architect

Bo Crum explains another function of the building. *
1
1
'

'
I

1
1
' J B(2 1 J
"Through both direct and indirect corporate patronage,
Coca-Cola has had a positive impact on Atlanta and contin
1
1
4
ues to be instrumental in elevating the art of architecture in ".'
Af
the city. Yet, for its museum, the company knew the pavilion
shouldn't be an architectural jewel in and of itself. Coke

wanted a building that would make people

smile."

This was a t^,

to ""i
building that was meant entertain.
i ""1
The building uses several design techniques to convey its
meaning. The rhetorical technique of monumental scale is
used at the The huge logo is wrapped in a spherical
entrance.
Details building are calculated to surprise and delight.
grid that could be an analogy to Coke being found all over of the

the world. Using the technique of substitution, the script

version of the Coca-Cola logo replaces the traditional deco
ration found in a classic entablature. Grids at many scales
give a sense of rhythm and proportion to the building's face.

80
81
 Integrating Architecture and Graphic Design

The Fremont Street Experience

Las Vegas, Nevada

The Jerde Partnership

Conceived way to make the businesses on this street in
as a

Las Vegas competitive with flashier neighbors, ten hotel

owners declared their neighborhood an entertainment
district. They commissioned the lerde Partnership of
Los Angeles to create a connection between their establish
ments that would attract and delight The result was
crowds.

a dynamic lighted corridor, made of a spaceframe and over

two million lights and with sound generated from a 540,000

watt system. Thirty two computers generate the animations

that are projected on the canopy roof. Shows change every
hour to provide continual interest for passers-by.

82
 Understanding the Intersection
ofArchitecture and Graphic Design

Embarcadero Center Cinema, Debra Nichols Design

San Francisco, California
The Value ofGraphic Design
to Architecture

Architecture needs graphic design. Graphic design gives At the other end of the spectrum, for buildings of great

architecture a way to return to its origins as, not

only significance, graphic design way to make them
offers a

shelter, but as a conveyor of meaning. The inclusion of readable and significant to the public at large. The
graphic design in architecture is a trend that marks a graphic messages on buildings are not coded in some
returning swing of the pendulum, from a preoccupa arcane symbolic language but a vernacular one, the
tion with abstract form to substance, from architecture written language we use every day and images whose
of nothingness to architecture filled with meaning. meanings are current.

The incorporation of graphic design in architecture is The greatest gift that graphic design brings to
not important in every building. Ironically, it becomes architecture is flexibility. Onbuilding, which is by its
a
significant at both ends of the spectrum. For inexpen nature intended to be somewhat permanent,
very
sive, generic buildings, the kind that architect Robert graphic design offers a way for the building to change
Venturi decorated sheds, it offers a way to make
calls over time, sometimes over years, or as in the case of the
them interesting. For instance, the plain, undifferentiated example above, over minutes.

facade of the cinema above has become, with the

application of graphic elements,a source of fun and

a landmark in its community.

83
 K before and after look at the impact of adding graphic design
elements to an otherwise nondescript building s
3
The Value ofArchitecture CI

to Graphic Design I
o
3
Graphic design has much to gain from architecture. Enter architecture. Architecture gives graphic design a Additionally, providing graphic design services for
In a world of constant change, the products of graphic more permanent way to have an impact. Even if the architecture extends a designer's potential customer
design have short lives. They fall out of fashion, or graphic design for their ability to be
elements are valued base. Perhaps though, the greatest advantage this
worse yet, set fashion and become copied endlessly. Or changed over time, the typical duration of their combination offers is the visibility of the Whether
work.

the information they carry goes out of date. The paper installation will likely be longer than a paper or some it is used for commercial, political, social, educational,
they are printed on is easily thrown away or recycled. form of newer media design. artistic entertainment or commemorative purposes, the
The products of graphic design are, for the most part, combination of architecture and graphic design has the
expendable. New questions confront a graphic designer working power to create lasting impressions, the power to make
with architecture, about lighting, viewing distances, a difference with design.
Graphic design on newer media faces different risks. transparency and a whole new scale of proportions.

Designs created for the web, video, or television are But once these new challenges are overcome,
interfacing
often at the mercy of the person at the keyboard or with architecture offers graphic designers something
remote control. Faced with an audience with a short that can only be simulated on a computer screen, real
attention span, the designers for these mediums have depth, real space and real contact with the public
no guarantee that their intended message will even be over time.

visible long enough to convey anything at all.

84
 Image Only Text Only

abstract image

85
 Understanding the Intersection ofArchitecture and Graphic Design
Image and Text

Graphic Design Applied To Architecture

The examples at left show how graphic design can

add to a building even as a simple application on the

surface. The lower series shows two dimensional
applications of graphics in or on buildings. The upper

series shows three dimensional translations of two

dimensional graphic design.

The Upper Series: (from left to right)

Abstract lines and scribbles take dimensional form on the face of townhouses
in Georgetown.

This campus bookstore announces its un conventionality with its logo,

strikingly framed in a bright blue band.

The letters on the top of this airport building provide another answer to
an architect's perpetual dilemma, how the building should meet the sky.

In this interior application candy colored letters, dimensional dashes and

squiggles set an appropriately happy scene at this ice cream store.

At this stadium, large dimensional letters and colorful, changeable banners

give the building a presence from a distance.

The Lower Series: (from left to right)

A blank facade takes on new life with a full sized trompe I'oeil rendering
of a building.

Image aloneis enough to convey an atmospheric message in this backdrop for

a concert by the famous three tenors, Favorotti, Domengo and Carrcras.

White vinyl letters in regular lines recaD great authors and their works in this
text only application in a library.

Putting images on buildings has a long tradition. Here is an old advertisement

painted on the blank, brick wall of a building.

86
 tin

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Text Only Image and Text

87
 Understanding the intersection ofArchitecture and Graphic Design

Graphic Design Integraf To Architecture

These examples show graphic design in an even more

integral role with architecture. If the graphic design

elements were removed, the buildings would not create

as deep an impression. The upper series shows

predominantly interior applications and below, exterior.

The Upper Series: (from left to right)

The abstract design in stained glass and the cross are graphic elements that

convey meaning and help set the mood for reflection in this church.

Interactive computer screens, videos and signage convey information and keep
customers interested in this store and cafe.

"Zowie"
With words like "Ouch", and in vinyl on the floor of this store, there
can be no mistaking the atmosphere or the comic themes of the merchandise.

At this design center, Massimo Vignelli gave the dogged designers a sense of

orientation and scale by marking the floor levels on the elevators. Banners are a

festive touch.

The Lower Series: (from left to right)

For this Italian shopping center, Aldo Rossi planned the names to be integrated
Into the brickwork providing a beacon to train travellers. He also designed
platforms for the installation of advertising panels in the future.

In the Michelin Building, tires, initials and the Michelin Man himself in the

stained glass window reinforces the brand image.

Discreet golden arches and an enormous

bag of French Fries, causes the public
to take a fresh look at an old, familiar restaurant

Technology and imagination combine to make graphic design an integral part

of the design of this proposal for a Manhattan skyscraper by Fax and Fowle.
v yjnsi
In this store design by Alvar Aalto, the tall signs are the predominant

architectural feature.

88
89
Understanding the Intersection olArchitecture and Graphic Design

Graphic Design Integral To Architecture

The Upper Series: (from left to right)

The Knoll showroom uses floor height letters in neon to announce the brand
name and provide an interesting framework to show off the furniture maker's
products inside.

Images and text are projected on screens and walls to tell stories in this
memorial to the Holocaust

Text and image integrated in an environment are essential elements to

exhibit design.

Text on the windows, sculpture and a coordinated graphics program on

the interior entice customers into this store.

c
Dimensional graphics at sports events is big business. The most dramatic exam c
ples come from the Olympics where designers seek to showcase not only the
sport, and the spirit of competition, but the atmosphere of the sponsoring

country as welL c

The Lower Series: ( from left to right) 0

In this proposal for Arizona State University, by TEN Arquitectos, billboaid-like a
screens will be controlled by computers generating changing messages to the
students outside.

In this design for a newsstand by Pentagram, text and graphics are not only
the way to attract customers but are representative of the products for sale.

In this museum, the exterior graphics by Michael Beirut of Pentagram,

convey a sense of fun and are designed to appeal to the museum's target

audience, children.

Like many government buildings, the National Archives makes use of text

etched into the stone and representational art to symbolically convey its
importance and purpose.

90
 Architecture Influenced
By Graphic Design

In this last set of examples, the buildings do not have

representational images or text to qualify as integrating
graphic design in their designs. They do, however, seem
ST
to exhibit the influence of graphic design.

In the upper row at left, is a store designed by

Stephen Holl. Like some of the examples shown in
the first part of this book, the pattern of the window

mullions could just as easily be used as a layout for a

poster or page in a publication. At bottom left, the

Cranbrook Institute of Science, another building by
Holl shows similar graphic design influence.

The winery at the upper left uses the building as

background to make the landscape beyond the figure in
the composition. Using the building to frame the view I w%& *Wwtt
for image that is to
I
-J--I

shows a concern pictorial related

M
graphic design. - J* i 1 j
1 <* '

I -

Likewise, the building below with its large expanse of

L L
'

clear glass on the main level, appears to frame a careful _J

.1-

composition of furniture beyond.

$4-

91
 Understanding the Intersection olArchitecture and Graphic Design

Graphic Design Influenced

By Architecture

Finally, there are also occasions when graphic design is

I
influenced by architecture. Often buildings are used in
graphic design symbolically, to convey gravity, power,
strength, or national character. The examples on the
lower half of the page, from the news show Sunday
Morning with Cokie Roberts and Sam Donaldson,
demonstrate how this show uses architecture as part of

its background graphics to symbolize government.

The upper series of examples are from advertising. First

1if Union bank sets an ominous tone for the future with its
images of monumental architecture. Xerox uses the

backdrop of classical Greece to dramatize its message.

Teknion uses architecture juxtaposed with a person to

arrest attention.

With these examples the circle is complete. This book

has demonstrated that although architecture and

graphic design are unique and different disciplines, they

share many attributes in common. Their overlap has
evolved into a unique discipline of its own called

environmental graphic design. And finally, the ripple

effect from the conjunction of the two disciplines is
shown here, demonstrating some of the ways the disci
plines influence one another.

92
 Selected Bibliography

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A History of Graphic Design, Philip B. Meggs, New York: John Designing and Planning Environmental Graphics, Edited by
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A History of Visual Communication, Josef M tiller- Brockmann,
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David Watkin, New York Andrew MacmiHan, George Rawson, Peter Trowles, San
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Architecture, Mysticism and Myth, W. R. Lethaby, London: The

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Chermayeff & Geismar, Japan: Seibundo Shinkosa, 1981. Merrill C. Berman Collection, Deborah Rotschild, Ellen On Edge, Breaking the Boundaries of Graphic Design, Karen D.
Lupton, Darra Goldstein, Yale University Press, New Haven Fischler, Gloucester, Mass: Rockport Publishers, 1998.
Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, Robert Venturi, and London, in conjunction with Williams College Museum
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Roy R. Behrens, University of Graphis: the International Journal of Visual Communication, Posters American Style, Therese Thau Heyman, National
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Design Through Discovery: The Elements and Principles, Italy Builds, Its Modern Architecture and Native Inheritance, Print, America's Graphic Design Magazine, Print XLV:VI, The
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Print's Regional Design Annual 1984, July/August, 1984,
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93
Pentagram: The Compendium, London: Phaidon Press, 1993. The Architecture of Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson, Rockport, Mass: Theory and Design in the Second Machine Age, Martin
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Perception and Imaging, Richard D. Zakia, Boston: Focal Press,
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Perceptual Organization: An Overview, James R. Pomerantz Arts Council of Great Britain, 1985.
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Urban Entertainment Theme Parks and
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Sacred Architecture, A.T. Mann, Rockport Mass: Element 1995.

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The Gothic Cathedral Origins of Gothic Architecture and the University of St. Thomas, 1968.
Sacred Geometry, Symbolism and Purpose in Religious Medieval Concept of Order, Otto von Simson, Princeton:
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andRomedi Passini, New York: McGraw-Hill Book
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Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, editor University Press, 1981.

Vitruvius: Ten Books on Architecture, New York: Dover
Neil Leach, New York: Routledge, 1997.
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School of Visual Arts Gold: Fifty Years of Creative Blackwell and David Carson, San Francisco: Chronicle Books,
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The Oral History of Modern Architecture Interviews with the You Are Here: Graphics That Direct, Explain and Entertain,
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94
 Sources and Photo Credits

Page 17
Page 7 Page 13 Diary"

Liebeskind Building: Daniel Ubeskind, from "Project by James S. Russell,

Fox and Fowle Office Building, from Architecture, August 1998, 4 Times St. Luke's Episcopal Church: Don Weller, the Weller Institute, for St. Luke's
Bitter and Bredt
Episcopal Church, from, Letterhead and Logo Design 5, Rockport Publishers, ALA, in Arc/iirecrura/ Record, January, 1999. Photography by
Square, under construction, diagram credited to Fox and Fowle.
Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1998.
Dior ad: Christian Dior Advertisement from Vogue, December, 1998, no photo
Page9
Print Magazine Cover, September/October 1995, Print XL/X:V. Ship/Guitar: Willoughby Design Group for Alligator Records, from, Letterhead credits given.

and Logo Design 5.

Page 10
French Park logo: Graphic Identity for the National Parks of France, 1990 to
de Creation Graphique-Grapus, designers, Dirk Behage, Pierre
present, Atelier
Claude Nicolas Ledoux, view of the Theater at Bescancon, illustration listed as Casino di Pio IV, Vatican, Same: from Complexity and Contradiction in
Architecture, photo credit, Sir John Summerson: Heavenly Mansions, WAV, Bernard, Fokke Draaijer, from Experience.
courtesyof Princeton Architectual Press, from an article by Martin Filler, HG

Norton Co., Inc., New York, 1963; p. 197.

Magazine, date not available. and
annual report Urban Outfitters, annual report designrd by Howard Brown and

Hoffman nook: Josef Hoffman, Bergerhohe, photo by Evelyn Hofer, from an Mike Calkins, Richard Hayne and Ken Cleeland, from Marketing by Design.
Page 11
identified.
Button: Michael Beirut, Esther Bridausky, New York, 1993, article by Martin Filler, House and Garden Magazine, date not
Page 18
Pentagram Design, logo for a trade organization, from
The New American Logo. Page 14 Living BriagesAVhy Not Associates, Andy Altmann, Davis Ellis, Patrick
Michelin House: Architects, Conran Roche, from Architecfunal Record, October, Morrissey, Iain Cadby, for the Royal Academy of Art, photo credits, Rocco
Sun: Michael Stmson, California, 1993, Stinson Design, 1988, photo credit, Richard Bryant Redondo, from On Edge, Breaking the Boundaries of Graphic Design.
symbol for Spectra-Sign- a complete sign service,

100th Anniversary Logo: KeUy Allen, Texas, 1993, Sullivan Perkins, Art Director, Forest Spirit Vodka ad: Finlandia Vodka, Vogue, Alko Group , Ltd December,
from Vie New American Logo.
Ron Sullivan, from The New American Logo. 1998.

Heart and Arc/i: Joel Tachau, Illinois, 1993, Monogram Design Inc., Art
Louis H. Sullivan, Merchants National Bank,Grinnell, Iowa, Meier c/iurcH.Richard Meier, Chuch of the Year 2000, Rome, Italy, Richard
Director, Scott Markman, logo for the Young Urbanists Preservation Society, Sullivan ornament:

from The New American Logo. 1914, Cervin Robinson, photographer, from Louis SulHvan, Vie Function of
Meier and Partners, photo credit Jock Pottle, Esto Photos, from Architecture,
Ornament. August, 1996.
Tree with Animals: Kevin Akers, California, 1990, Burson-Marstellar, symbol

for an ecological organization, from Tlte New American Logo. Page 15 Page 19
Conasci/Biella: Impress SAS for Provincia Di Bella, from Letterhead and Logo book diagram: from Designing Books: Practice and Theory.
Fish/Hand: Takaaki Matsumoto, NY, 1990, M Plus M Incorporated, Art Design 5.
Director Takaaki Matsumoto, Michael McGinn, for the Okinawa Aquarium, Jan Tschichold book Jan Tschichold, Die Note Typographic, Germany, 1928,

from The New American Logo. Twisted Columns: from an antique postcard, no photo credit given- from Graphic Design in the Mechanical Age,

Page 12 Gatehouse: Marechale Gate, Bruges, Belgium, from Images of World Architecture. Page 20
Cathedral: front facade Dame, Paris, from Images of World
of Notre Santa Maria Novella, Florence, diagram, Francis D. K. Ching from Ardriracmre;
Architecture, Edited by Jim Harter, Bonanza Books, New York, 1990. Chocolate: Pat Hansen, Washington, 1989, Hansen Design Company, logo for a Form Space and Order.

specialty chocolate company, from The New American Logo.

Prudential Building: Adler and Sullivan, Guaranty Building, Cervin Robinson, Page 21

photographer, from Louis Sullivan, The Function of Ornament Pagel6 Upper Series
Uncle Sam: Seymour Chwast,aEnd Bad Breath", 1967, The Pushpin Group,
Looking logo: John Clarke, 1992, California, logo for a graphic design studio,
Aihambra: Court of the Myrtles from Moorish Style, Miles Danby, Phaidon from The New American Logo. from Posters Amercian Style.
Press, Ltd. Regent's Wharf. London, 1995.
On Edge: Cover from On Edge Breaking Boundaries of Graphic Design.
Boxesfor Sensei Software: Woods + Woods, from Marketing By Design. me

Glass House: Philip Johnson, from The Oral History of Modem Architecture,
Interviews with the Greatest Architects of the Twentieth Century, photo credit, Himmelblau building: Coop Himmelblau and Partner, UFA Kinozentrum, Bauhaus poster. Joost Schmidt, Staatliches Bauhaus Ausstellung, poster,
Coop
Alexandre Georges. Dresden, Germany, for UFA Theater AG, from Sixth International Exiiibition: Germany, 1923, from Graphic Design in the Mechanical Age.
Sensing the Future The Architect as Seismograph.

95
CD Diagram: Web Site for Fonovisa, Design firm, Javier Romero Design Pentagram Design, Robert And Durrer, London and Zurich, Creative Director
Group, Art Director, Javier Romero, designer Enrique Gonzalo, from On Edge. entryway: The Winchester Thurston Lower School, Pittsburgh, Pa., photo cred and Designer, Jean Robert, Photography credits to Jean Robert and Francois
it, Karl A. Backus, from The Architecture ofBohlin, Cywinski, Jackson. Robert, 1977, from Graphis No. 266.
pencil Tony Palladino, copy writer Dee Ito, Art Director, Silas Rhodes, from
School of Visual Arts Gold: Fifty Years of Great Graphic Design, Rizzoli cathedral: West front of Rheims Cathedral, 1235, from A History of Western Page 26
International Publications, New York, 1997. Architecture, p. 133. face house: Kazumasa Yamashita, Face House, Kyoto, Japan, 1974, from
Architecture Today.
Lower Series Page 23
Guggenheim skylight: Frank Lloyd Wright, from Frank Lloyd Wright, Iain Upper Series Scher poster: Subwsy poster, Paula Scher, from. School of Visual Arts Gold
Thompson, photo credit, Simon Clay, Thunder Bay Press, 1997. Apple corporate identity poster Apple, Art Directors,, Tim Brennan, Rob
Gemmell, Designer, Jill Savini, Photographer, Wo") Mosgrove, copywriter, Rob housing: Jeremy Dixon, St Mark's Road Housing, London, England, 1975-80,

housing project: Peter Eisenman, Social Housing Kochstrasse, IBA Berlin, West Price, from Graphis, No 266. facade, p. 155.
Germany, 1982-7, south elevation, from Architecture Today.
datum lines in book: from The Architecture ofBohlin, Cywinski, Jackson. Page 27
floor plan: plan of theTauride Palace, St Petersburg, 1783-88, by Starov, Upper series
A History of Western Architecture. Lower Series Lou Dorfsmarr. poster from School of Visual Arts Gold.
Meier building: Richard Meier Architects, Hypolux Bank Building, photo cred

Graves Michael Graves, FargoMoorhead Cultural Center, Fargo, Head from Graphis Poster 90.
elevation: it, Scott Francis/ESTO, magazine source not available. with compass:

North Dakota and Moorhead Minnesota, 1977-78, south elevation bridge

detail, from Architecture Today. Tiffany Building Double Take: Richard Wilde and Judi Mintzer, from School of Visual Arts Gold
Stanford White, of McKim, Mead and White, Tiffany And Company Building,
castle: Casde and palace of Bctlvcr, near Palma de Mallorca: the circular court 1906. Fifth Avenue and 37th Street, from Stanford Wlutes New York. M&Co. Group portrait, from Marketing By Design., p. 152.
(1300-14) designed by PercSilva, from A History of Western Architecture, p.
176, photo credit to Conway Library, Courtauld Institute, London. Page 24 Lower Series
Upper Scries House in Tuscany: Ettore, Sottsass, Marco Zanini, Mike Ryan, from the Sixrft
Page 22 Bauhaus poster: Die Sammlung, Stifftung Bauhaus Dessau, Grappa Design, International Ardiitecture Exhibition.
Upper Series designers. Dieter Feseke, Ute Zscharnt, for Client, Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau,
Uncle Sam: James Montgomery Flagg,"] Want You For the US Army", 1917, from On Edge. Lloyd's of London: Richard Rogers Partnership, from Architecture Today, photo
from Posters American Style. credit Martin Charles.
japan bag: Tim Girvin, Tim Girvin Design, from Manufacturing by Design.
Pnrrish ad-
Maxfield Parrish, The Adlake Camera 1897, from fosters American Door: Uffizi, Florence, Bernardo Buontalenti, from Michelangelo: Architect.
Style. by David McGK/nn, advertisement by
Absolut McGh/nn, Artwork
ad-
vodka

and for Wired Magazine, for Absolut Vodka, 1 997 from Wired, 7.02, February St. Peter's, Rome: Michelangelo Buonaroti from Michelangelo: Architect.
Typographic"
Schwitters page: Kurt Schwitters, "Die NeueGestaltung in der 1999.

booklet, Germany, 1930, from Graphic Design in the Mechanical Age Page 28
Botta house: from Mario Botta, Ardiitecture and Projects in the 7Cfs, FJectra Upper Series
Disturbanisms: Why Not Associates, Designers, Andy Altmann, Davis Ellis, Edifice, Texts by Emilio Battisti and Kenneth Frampton, Milano, 1979, p.49. Golden Goose: Illustrator Gil Stone, from School of Visual Arts Gold.
Patrick Morrisey, lain Cadby, photo credits to Rocco Redondo, Photo Disc, for
client, The Royal College of Art, from On Edge. p. 133. graduated building: Klint Facade of Grundtvig Church, Copenhagen, from Country Kitchen: Fallon McEUigott Rice, Minneapolis, art director, Pat
A Hisrory of Western Architecture, p. 536. Burnham, copy, Dick thomas, illustration, Don Biehn Advertising Art, from
Lower Scries Print: Print's Regional Design Annual '84.
house: Josef Hoffman, Southside Stodet house, Brussels, 1905- 11, photo
of the Gehry building: Frederick R. Yfeisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
credit, Bildaichiv Foto Marburg, from A History of Western Architecture. Frank O. Gehry and Associates, photo credit, Don F Wong, from Archtitecture, Milanese Graphics Poster: Milton Glaser, from School of Visual Arts Gold.
June, 1994.

Stratford HaR: Stratford Hall, Virginia, photo credit, Charles Schoffher, Lower Series
Virginia, from Palladian Style. Page 25 Best Tilt Showroom: SITE Architects, Towson, MD from Ardiitecture Today,
face cover: Face a face, Objets quete d'un visage, Ed. Jean Robert, for photo credit, SITE (Ron Feldman Fine Arts).

96
 Sources and Photo Credits continued

Page 37 Page 40
TWA Terminal: Eero Saarinen, photo credit, Ezra Stoller, ESTO, from The Oral Tale"

caryatids:Erechtheion, The Caryatid Porch, photo credit Hinner Verlag, from A Bookplate: William Morris, "The Clerk's from the Kelmscott Chauar,
History of Modern Architecture.
from William Morris, His Life and Work
History ofArchitecture: Settings and Rituals, Spiro Kostof, New York: Oxford
Chicago Tribune Column: Adolf Loos, from, The Architecture ofAdolf Loos: University Press, 1985.
Macdonald Group, from Colonial
An Art* Council Exhibition. painting and wallpaper: photo credit, The
Disney elevation: Michael Graves, Disney Corporation building, from Homes, August, 1992.
Architecture, June, 1991, no photo credit found.
Page 29
diagram: from Pentagram: The Compendium, credited there to Philip Page 41
pot
Page 38 Mackintosh relief: Charles Rennie Mackintosh, specially commissioned photo
Meggs, A History of Graphic Design, Allen Lane London,1983, p.67.
Capitals graph, Ralph Burnett, from Mackintosh's Masterwork.
Page 30 Egyptian: Plant Capital of the Ptolemaic Period, Egypt, 332-30 BC.
-Roman

temple:Vishwanath temple, Khajuraho, India ( 1 1th century), photo credit to from, The Visual Dictionary of Buildings, London: Dorling Kndersley, 1992, p.7.
Hotel-
Victor Horta, Tassel House, Brussels Belgium, Christine Bastin and

Spectrum Colour Library, from Sacred Architecture, A.T. Mann, p.97. Greek: Ionic capital, the Propylaeum (Gateway) temple of Athena PoHas, Priene, Jacques Evrard, from The Nineteenth Century in Belgium, Jos Vandenbreeden
Greece, c. 334, B.C from, The Visual Dictionary ofBuildings. and Francoise Dierkens Aubry, Iannoo Publishers.
Page 31 Charles Moore: Charles Moore and Perez Associates, Inc., UIG and Ron Filson,
Development"
Piazza D'ltalia, photo credit, Norman McGrath. from Architecture Today.
alphabet: from "Character by Alan Fletcher, an essay in Page 42
plain column: no photo credit available.
Pentagram: The Compendium, p.67. William H. Bradley. The Chap Book: Thanksgiving, Number, 1 895", The
Baltimore Museum of Art, gift of Alfred and Dana Himmelrich, from Posters
from The Illustrated Stock Doctor Livestock Encyclopedia, Pyramids
ox: and American Style.
diagram: "the schema of the archetypal relationship between man and the cos
Philadelphia: Hubbard Bothers, 1882.
mos", from Time Stands Still, p. 51. Vers Sacrum: Umschlagvon Kolo Moserfur Ver Sacrum, Heft 4, 1899, from
Egyptian pyramid: Great Pyramid, Gizeh, photo credit Spectrum Colour Library,
Page 32 Jugendstilund Buchkunsr. Leipzig Edition, Alfred Langer, Leipzig: EA Seeman,

fleur de lis: Emblem of France, from a 15th century Engraving, from, Folklore from Sacred Architecture, p.105. 1994.
Mexican pyramid: Avenue of the Dead and the Pyramid of the Sun at
and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees.
Teotihuacan, Mexico, from Sacred Architecture, photo credit to Spectrum Page 43
iris from Better Homes and Gardens, Step by Step Successful Gardening, p.122, Colour Library, P. 70. Bauhausphoto: from "Historic Architecture: The Bauhaus, Revisiting Walter
photo credit, Bonnie Maharam, Maris/Semel Hopkins Associates.
Pel pyramid: I.M. Pei, photo credit Serge Hambourg from Architectural Record,
Gropius's Seminal Buildings in Dessau, Germany", article by Nicholas Fox
January 1989. Weber, magazine not identified, possible House and Garden.
page 33
Circles
oak: Oak Tree, from Mattioli's Commentaries, Lyons, 1579, from Folklore and
Mies plan: "Brick country House Project", 1923, from Tlie Oral History of
Stonehenge at sunset: photo credit to Spectrum Colour Library, from Sacred
Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees, p.42. Modern Architecture
Architecture, p. 67.
Pantheon: illustration credit Hulton Deutsch Collection, from Sacred
Drexel Heritage logo: Marc Gobe, Desgrippes, Gobe and Associates, from Page 44
Arclutecture,p.43.
Marketing By Design. Bsunaus poster: From Graphic Style from Victorian to Post-Modem, Seymour
stained glass: Notre Dame, Paris, North Rose, (c. 1268, photo credit Bridgeman Chwast and Stephen Heller.
Atlas logos: California Food and Vending, surfer, Eman, smoking man, Art Library, from, Sacred Architecture, p. 146.
from 77re New American Logo. Kahtv Opening at library, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India,
all Feininger: Frontispiece woodcut of the 'cathedral of the future", from the
photo credit, John Nicolais, p. 57, from, Between Silence and Light : Spirit in the
Bauhaus manifesto (1919), from A History of Western Architecture.
Page 35 Architecture ofLouis I. Kahn, John Lobell, Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder,

nautilus shell and golden section diagram: from The Old Way of Seeing, How CO, 1979. Page 45
Architecture Lost Its Magic (And How to Get It Back), Jonathan Hale, Houghton Moderne Interior: Andre Putnam, renovation of a 1930s aparment, photo
Page 39
Mifflin Company, NY 1994, p,62. credit and magazine source not available, possibly House and Garden,
Morris interior: photo credit, The Macdonald Group, from Colonial Homes,
August, 1992.
Page 36 Page 46
DaVinci diagram, from Sacred Architecture, A. T Mann,
Cassandre,"L*Atlantique"
pJ4.
ship poster: poster, France, 1931, from Graphic
Morris: William Morris from article, "The Magic ofWilliam Morris", article in
Design in the Mechanical Age.
Colonial Homes, August, 1992.
Corbusier diagram: Francis DK Ching, from Architecture: Form Space & Order.

97
Page 47 Page 57 Page 67
Aquarium interior: New England Aquarium West Wing Addition, Boston, Smith College: Jon Roll and Associates, photo credits Marvin Lewiton, from
,
National Archives:photo by the author.
Matters"
Schwartz Silver Architects, photo credit, Matt Wargo, from Architecture, "Diverse in Identity, May/June 1996.
Flag and Room with graphics: Barbara Kruger, Mary Boone Gallery, Photo
January, 1999. Human Resources sign: Lorenc Design, for MCI Business Services Headquarters,
credits, Dorothy Ziedm an/Fremont, from Experience.
from Designing and Planning Environmental Grapfucs.
Gehry house: photo credit, Chad Slattery, from an article by Martin Filler in Page 68
House and Garden magazine, date not available. Page 58 I9th Amendmem Exhibit: Grand Central Station, New York State Division for
icon sign:
Shimcup Communications Signs, photo credit, Takeshi
Alpha Resort
Women, Drenttel Doyle Partners, photo credit, Scott Frances, from Identity,
Page 48 Hirose, Gendai Bureau Co, Ltd., from Sign Communications. May/June, 1996.
Carson spread'
David Carson, from Tlie End of Print, the Graphic Design of slwpping center signs: ELS/Hbasani 8c Logan, Architects, EAstridge Mall signs,
David Carson. photo credit David Wakely Photography, San Francisco, from "What's New Page 69
Sun,"
Under the by Todd Hays, from Identity, May/June, 1996. photographs by the author
Page 49 room sign: from promotional brochurejnfonorra Sign System, Kaltech
excerpts from pictures on succeeding pages Industries Group, Inc., NY, NY. Page 70
sports arena: The Office of Michael Manwaring, San Jose Arena, from Designing Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial detail:
and photographs by the author
Page 50 and Planning Environmental Graphics.
Winds"

egg:Tayo Ito, "Egg of the Town Gate for Okawabata River City, 1991, Martin Luther Landscape Architect Pa trick O'Connor,
King promenade:
from Experience. Page 59 DesignrChris Kraft, Patrick O'Conor, from advertisement for Bcga
Lighting
exhibitdesign: Werkbund Exhibition, Paris, 1930, Gropius, Moboly-Nagy,
Lighting, Bcga, Carpinteria, CA
Page 51 Breuer, Bayer by Bayer, based on field of vision, from Display.
Hard Rock Cafe, Cleveland and Planet Hollywood: photographs courtesy of Page 71
fabricator, Empire Graphics, Rochester, New York. Page 60 Andao church: Tadao Ando, Church of the Light, Ibaragi, Osaka, Japan, photo
Pirelli Exhibition Building. Trades Fair, Milan. Luigi Yargantini, from Display.
credit, Mitsuo Matsuoka, from Experience.
Xerox: photo courtesy of Xerox Corporation, Rochester, New York. Breda Exhibition: 30th Trades Fair, Milan, Luciano, Baldessan.Grisotti, from
Display. Page 72
Page 52 Greet Cross Monument to those Fallen in
memorial Germany, Milan, by
Hard Rock Cafe, New York: photo courtesy of fabricator. Empire Graphics. Page 61 Bclgiosio, Peressutti and Rogers, from Italy Builds
Ellis Island globe & flag with pictures: Chermayefl and Geismar, from Identity,
Page 53 Spring 1991, P.40. Stepped memorial: Presente Sacrarium, Rcdipuglia by Giovanni, north east Italy,
Shopping Center: Ehrenkrantz and Eckstrut, Circle Centre Mall, Indianapolis,
"
from Italy Builds.
photo credit, T. Wathen, Quadrant, Jeffersonville, lnd.from The Sky's the Page 62
Limit"
Pat Matson Knapp, VM+SD November, 1996. Museum exltibit: Pentagram, James Biber and Micad Beirut, Rock and Roll Hall
by Jefferson memorial: photo credit Allen Russell, from Washington, The Nation's
Fame, Cleveland, OH, photo credit, Peter Mauss, ESTO Photographies, from
of
Capital
Cybersmith: Schwartz, Silver, Boston: John Nakazawa, from "A Rest Stop on VM+SD, Nowmber, 1997.
the lnfobahn:CybeTsmith", by Lynn Baxter, photo credits Mark Steele, Fitch, Page 73 8c 74
Worthington, Ohio, from VM+SD September, 1996. Page 63 8c 64 Holocaust Museum: Pei, Cobb, Freed & Partners, article, "Cultural
Sensibilities"

Mont St. Michel and Paris, photo credits. Serge Dekroix, Jean Michel Jarre,
by Mildred F. Schmertz, photo credit Timothy Hursley, from Architecture, July
Page 54 from Experience. 1993.
BMW: BMW Museum, Architect Professor Karl Schwauzer, Munich, from
Experience, Page 65 Page 75 & 76
photos by author School of Theater: Enrique Norten, Bernardo Gomez-Pimienta from Ten
Caribou Cafe: Architectural Alliance, CSN Architects, Fitch Inc., Logo, Clifford Arquitectos.
Sdbert Design Collaborative, photo credit, Brian Droege from "An American Page 66
Coffeehouse", VM+SD November, 1996. Tinseltown sign and National Warplane Museum, photos courtesy of fabricator. Page 77 & 78
Empire Graphics, Rochester, NY Microsoft store display: from "Windows Shopping", article by Lynn Baxter,
Page 55-56 photo credit, Studiohio, Columbus, Ohio.for VM+SD. September, 1996.
photos by the author

98
 Sources and Photo Credits continued

Page 79 & SO
Ceresota: Minnesota Building photo credit Shin and Erich Koyama, from Lower series
Coca-Cola Museum: Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates, and Turner
Architecture Record, August, 1990. IVnrVersjfy ofArizona: TEN Architects, Enrique Norten, from Architecture,
Associates, photo credit, Timothy Hursley, from Architecture, December, 1990.
March 1998.
NJPAG Newark Performing Arts Center, Article, Encore Performance, by Joseph
Page 81 fit 82
Giovanni, from Architecture, no date available. Pentagram kiosk: James Biber, Pentagram, from Pentagram: The Compendium.
Freemont Street Experience: The Jerde Partnership, Jon A Jerde, FAIA, Bob
Cloud, AIA, David Rogers, AIA, Gaston Laguna, and light show design, Jeremy
Page 87 Page 90
Railton and Associates, from Urban Entertainment Graphics: Theme Parks and
upper series Upper series
Entertainment Environments.
church: Carl Abbott, for St Thomas More Catholic Church, Sarasota, FLorida, Tempus Expeditions Store: FRCH Design Worldwide, photo credit Dan Forer,
from Architectural Record, 7/98, p.94. no photo credits available. from Urban Entertainment Graphics.
Page 83
Embarcadero Cinema: Debra Nichols Design, Debra Nichols, William Comstock,
store: Follett store interior, see credits referenced on page 85. Olympic banners: 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Copeland ffirthler with Primo Angeli ,
photo credit Charles McGrath, from Urban Entertainment Graphics.
Inc., Favermann I
comics store: Marvel Comics store at FAO Schwarz, New York City, photo credit,
Page 84
Michael Irwin, from VM8rSD, December, 1996. Minnesota Museum: Pentagram Design, Michael Bierut and Tracey Cameron,
.SportmartCharles Sparks and Company, design: Donald Stone, Charles Sparks,
photo credit Don E. Wong, from You Are Here.
Michael Wildman, architect, Michael J. Sparks, photo credit to James Norris,
Lower series:
from Urban Entertainment Graphics.
Italian shopping center. Aldo
Rossi, Studio di Archi tec turn with Gianni National Archives: photo by author.
Page 85
Braghieri, Centro Torri Shopping Center, from Ardiitecture Record, August,
1988. Page 91
Upper series
Showroom forthe Pace Coilectiom Steven Holl, Photos Paul WarchoL from
Georgetown: Ray King, photo credit Jerome Adamstein, Metropolitan Home, Michelin Building. Conran Roche and YRM Architects and Planners, London, House & Garden, date not available.
May 1988. photo credit, Richard Bryant, from Architectural Record, October, 1988.
Reserve"
Winery. Herzog and De Meuron Architects, from article, "Swiss by
Follett store: AAD, Bill Weikart, Tim Plager, PFDA, Bruce Belrose, Folkt College
MacDonatd's: Gensler San Francisco, photo credit, Chris Barrett, Hedrich Aaron Betsky, Architectural Record, date and photo credits not available.
Stores, John Carbona, photo credit, Mike Norton Photography, from VM&5D,
Blessing, from Architecture, May 1998.
November, 1997.
Steven Holl: Cranbrook Institute of Science, from Architecture, 3/99.
Page 88
ittctory of learning: Rem Koolhaas, University of Utrecht's Educatorium, from Fox and Fowle building: diagram
Architecture, March, 1998. by Fox and Fowle Architects, from Ardiitecture, Pei Building Creative Artists Agency, I.M. Pei and Partners, Architectural Record,
August, 1998. January 1990
Lower series
VignelU: from Progressive Architecture, 3/ 88.
trompeI'oetk Jeff Green, Evergreen Studio, architects Mackey and Associates,
video clips: from Sunday Morning with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts,
The Lennox Hotel, New York City, from Commercial Renovation, December 1986.
Aalto: kiosk with Advertising pillars for the 1929 Trade Fair for Turku, from commercial for First Union, and Xerox Corporation commercial.
Architectural Record, April, 1998.
backdrop: Laszki Skekely, Opera backdrop at stadium for Hungarian
Man with Building on Head: Vanderbyl Design, Teknion, Inc. advertisement.
Millecentenarium opera concert, Budapest open air stadium, from The Big
Page 89 1999.
Picture Magazine.
Upper series
Knoll slwwwom: Paris France, Eric Lieure, Architect, Charles Pfister, Interiors,
libmry Spagnola and Associates, Tony Spangola principal, Gwathmey Siegel 8t from Interiors, January 1986, .

Associates, New York Public Library, photo credit Christopher Little, from
VM&SD, December 1996.
Holocaust exhibit-

Douglas/Gallagher, The Museum of Jewish Heritage, photo

credit, Batwin and Robin Productions, from Contract Design, July 1998.
Page 86
Matter's Tony Chi/ Albert Chen 8c Associates, and graphic design, Mike Quon
dinosaur exltibit from Urban Entertainment Graphics.
Design Office, photo credit, W. H. Rogers III, magazine not identified,
September 1989.

99