In Memoriam: Joe Erhart, Wayfinding Design Leader and SEGD Member
On Thursday, July 16, 2026 we lost our leader, mentor, and friend Joe Erhart.
Born William Joseph Erhart III (better known as “Joe” to his friends and colleagues) on March 23, 1946, Joe co-founded Apple Designs in 1985 where he quickly established himself at the vanguard of wayfinding and signage design and became an early and well-respected voice in the EGD community.
After attending the University of Maryland, Joe began his professional career working for a variety of architectural, engineering, and specialty trades where he could hone his skills in illustration and graphic design. His first real foray into wayfinding came in 1977 when he helped manage the graphic design and signage transition from Friendship Airport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. From there, he stayed within the aviation sector and went on to develop and manage the implementation of corporate design standards for Republic Airlines before eventually deciding to start his own company, Apple Graphics (later Apple Designs) – a name he and his wife, Susan, landed on as an homage to her favorite band The Beatles who founded the record label Apple Records.
In 1984, while serving on the AAAE, AOCI, and ATA National Signing and Graphics Task Force, he spearheaded the development of the industry’s first joint effort to establish wayfinding signage standards for the aviation industry with the publication of Guidelines for Airport Signing and Graphics. This proved a seminal moment for Joe, as he was able to use his experience helping to create this pivotal document as a launching pad to establish himself and Apple Designs as leading experts in designing effective wayfinding signage systems for airports and other large public facilities worldwide.
His deep technical knowledge and distinct design philosophy gained broad industry recognition. In 1993, the Information Design Journal published professional evaluations analyzing his specific work on Chicago O’Hare’s terminal typography and visual communication flow. He later shared his wayfinding expertise as a contributing author to the book Transit Facilities: Building Type Basics for Transit Facilities.
A dedicated member of SEGD since 1994, Joe was a frequent speaker across the organization’s national and regional platforms. His presentations spanned numerous SEGD events—including showcasing the DFW wayfinding program at the SEGD Airport & Transportation Workshop and highlighting RDU projects for the SEGD Raleigh Chapter. Notably, Joe was a featured speaker at the landmark 1989 SEGD National Conference at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan—a formative gathering focused on interdisciplinary collaboration among graphic designers, architects, and interior designers that helped define the early trajectory of environmental graphic design.
He admired architects even though many architects he spoke with – especially in the 80s and 90s – would decry signage as “unnecessary” and “ruining the aesthetic of [their] design”. His list of greats included the likes of Eero Saarinen, César Pelli, Frank Gehry, I.M. Pei, and of course his favorite architect Frank Lloyd Wright. As his success and that of his company continued, he could sit back and smile knowing that in somehow providing a service that wasn’t needed he was able to create a presence and company that has served the architectural community for more than 40 years.
He hoped that his work mattered and that he made a difference. For all of us here at Apple Designs and the millions of travelers who have unknowingly used sign systems he designed to help them find their way, he did…and we will honor him by doing our best to continue the legacy he created.
Words are insufficient to express our sorrow or our gratitude. Thank you, Joe…for everything.
William Joseph Erhart III
3/23/1946 – 7/16/2026