Origins And Purpose Of Environmental Graphic Design

The roots of Environmental Graphic Design can be traced all the way back to cave paintings. This act of illustrating stories on the walls of a cave is not too dissimilar to the way we adorn our environments today. Design is used to tell a story, to communicate an idea. This has only gotten more complex over time as our surroundings can now challenge us to ask ourselves Where are you heading? What are you looking for? Where are you now? Who are we? Who are you? EGD, which is sometimes described as ‘experiential design’, is described as the act of “designing everyday surroundings in a way that can engage people with the space.” (Alscher, 2020) We can trace the beginnings of this more strategic method of design to the 20th century. The industrial revolution, which saw enormous growth in developments like public transport, manufacturing, and urban expansion, led to more advanced techniques in graphic design to meet the need to communicate information throughout the surrounding world.

During this time, graphic design was already making its mark on the world and establishing itself as a profession along with urban planning and architecture. It was through the combination of these three disciplines and the need during this time for improvements in visual communication that environmental graphic design was born. “The boundaries between the two disciplines were clearly delineated until graphic design and architecture began to merge in the mid-twentieth century, with considerable influence from other fields such as industrial design and urban planning. This merger has come to be called the environmental graphic design” (Berger, 2005, p.10).

With the exclusion of only a few key figures, environmental graphic designers didn’t become known as specialists until after WWII. “As developments, complexes, transportation systems, and superhighways proliferated, the need for graphic design consultation became apparent” (Berger, 2005, p.15). The need grew for wayfinding systems in cities to help visitors and residents navigate dense urban environments and transportation systems. Public areas were benefitting from sculptures, murals, and graphic identities by generating a sense of desire and individuality in selected spaces. Another boom of development experiences in the 1980s saw even higher demand for professionals in the area of graphic design. “The urban scene was soon transformed by bustling themed marketplaces and stores, grandiose corporate headquarters, and new or improved zoos, botanical gardens, and museums” (Berger, 2005, p.15). This growth in desire for well-designed civic spaces called for a refined approach to EGD work, to not only make the cities spaces desirable and functional but also to give each area its own unique identity. During this period EGD began to flourish and attain an appreciation for its ability to unite the functional aspects of visual communication with the architectural disciplines of the built world.

The current market for environmental graphic designers is still in high demand today but the profession has a much broader range of challenges and demands. In a broad generalization, they are concerned with “enhancing a person’s relationship and understanding to the environment they are in” (Moscardo, et al. 2007, p.4). This group of designers works to identify a place so that it is distinguishable from other similar places. This could possibly be through forms of design such as, monument signage, a logotype, thematic banners for an event, or perhaps a piece of public art. Another task of an environmental graphic designer which is highly valued in large urban spaces is creating directional sign elements that help people to navigate complex places. This task, better known as wayfinding, has a number of variables to consider. Questions like who is the user and what are their potential destinations are just a couple of the starting points for this assessment. One of the more unique challenges for an Environmental Graphic Designer to overcome is finding a way to supply contextual information about the experience along the way. Using interpretive visual elements, designers can present “information about a place, object, or event that enhances a visitor’s appreciation, understanding, and enjoyment” (Moscardo, et al. 2007, p.3). design elements such as public art, timelines, and historic markers, are just some examples of how this can be done. These different requirements within the discipline; navigation, identification, and interpretation, can invoke a positive connection between the user and the environment to create a more effortless and meaningful experience.