Environmental graphic design has been applied extensively throughout history in places such as schools, galleries, workspaces, and more. It can be seen in everything from ancient Egyptian inscriptions decorating tomb walls to contemporary room paintings in lobbies.
It aims to change how individuals relocated through space, engage with others, and feel while they are there. It goes far beyond simply designing a room's structure or a wall's paintings. The environment and the human condition can be impacted by anything, from the colour of a wall to the sound that feet make on the ground.
In order to establish a physical setting that people can relate to, environmental graphic design, often referred to as experience graphic design, integrates disciplines like decor, structure, and artistic work.
What are the different types of environmental graphic design?
Graphic, landscape, industrial, and interior design are all included in environmental designs. These graphic designers, therefore, need expertise in both graphic design and architectural design.
Some of the fields in which environmental graphic designers work in are:
- Wayfinding systems
Wayfinding systems are exactly what they resemble- they are tools that assist users in locating their path. These tools are characterised as solutions to spatial issues.
It is the responsibility of the individual to develop a wayfinding system to provide the user with information about their current position, intended location, and the best route to get there.
The ability to find your way is useful anywhere, but it's especially important in locations like hospitals, offices, parking lots, and large cities. While it may be as easy as labelling the rooms or routes, an experienced designer's duty is to add a bit more flair to the encounter.
- Exhibition
Exhibition design is a type of atmospheric and immersive design that uses technologies, structure, visual design, motion graphics, illumination, and acoustics to convey information to showcase to visitors. This type of designer's responsibility would be to use the components to make a setting that communicates a story elegantly and efficiently.
These designs can be displayed like at a trade exhibition, or they might be spun across an entire structure, as in a museum.
- Interactive designing
This is the kind of environmental design that emphasises user interaction with a physical place significantly raising the bar for user experience. A room's points are intended to inform, prompt, and inspire anyone who enters them.
Users are connected to the concepts underlying the area they are in through these established touchpoints. Compared to other types of environmental design, interactive experience design is naturally a more tactile and virtual medium. These exhibits are made to be experienced rather than being seen from a distance.
An interactive experience's designers must be incredibly aware of user-based research for their models to be usable by as many people as possible. Older people, disabled people, and people from other countries can all be incorporated into this feasibly comprehensive and global channel if enough effort is put forth, helping achieve a good implementation.
- Installations for the general public
Public installations have the potential to be incredibly innovative advertising opportunities when done right. They can also be made to showcase a location's uniqueness of a regional or historical significance. These implementations can be both momentary or permanent.
They end up making us smile, jog our memories, make us reflect, and inspire wonder. Designs for public installations aren't intended to be forgotten.
- Placemaking and identity
Placemaking and Identity Environmental graphic design use distinctive colours, fonts, patterns, and animation to totally transform an area. It can alter the settings of business, retailing, learning, and transport spaces.
The involvement of the designers is appreciated equally with that of the architects, urban planners, builders, and consumers to create something truly extraordinary. Making a place come alive in a fascinating way is difficult, but when it's done properly, it's difficult to take your eyes off it.
Placemaking and identity are frequently combined with navigation strategies in settings like offices, hospitals, and schools so that patrons can navigate while also truly enjoying the brand.
What are the requirements for becoming an environmental graphic designer?
As an environmental designer, you can develop exhibits and buildings that encourage sustainable habits in the workforce or public spaces. Moreover, environmental designers could work on initiatives like building new parks, enhancing the flow of traffic, or renovating public structures.
You will require a solid comprehension of both the surroundings and human behaviour to succeed in this field.
A great career as an environmental graphic designer also requires the following credentials:
- A bachelor's degree or above in a related field, such as graphic design, structural engineering, design, or visual communication.
- A personalized portfolio with samples of completed graphic projects, a diverse and strong design style, and other relevant information.
- A diploma from a recognised design school in web design, ecological design, or a related topic.
- 3+ years' training in designing environmental graphics for a living.
- Solid theoretical thinking, user knowledge and compassion, planning skills, comprising investigation, user analysis, plan, production, and verification of design solutions.
What are some great examples of environmental graphic design?
A transit utility's wayfinding system can assist in directing passengers to their route. A clinic's placemaking system can aid in establishing a welcoming atmosphere for clients and guests. It is one of the best graphic design examples.
Students at universities may use the wayfinding tool to locate their classrooms.
It can be challenging to know where to begin while visiting a new location. This is particularly valid if you are a newcomer to the area. Using public installations designed by environmental graphic designers can also be helpful for scouting out nearby landmarks, or just asking for assistance are a few typical methods for finding your way around unfamiliar areas.
Also, when you visit today’s museums and planetariums, you get the chance to experience interactively designed environments which is made by environmental graphic designing as well.
At the end of the day, environmental graphic design helps the graphic design industry to create better quality virtual and architectural designs while maintaining profits and creating innovations in the design industry.
The UK's graphic designing colleges have started to include the concept of environmental graphic design in their graphic designing courses in response to the demands of the developing design industry in the hopes of fostering the development of graphic design in the future.
The London College of Contemporary Arts' Bachelor's in graphic design was developed to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in building a career in the graphic design industry.
Click here to enrol in this course and start working in the graphic design industry!