Environmental Graphic Design/Experiential Graphic Design Books have been undergoing a renaissance over the last ten years with new books that cover different areas of EGD/XGD and books that incorporate EGD/XGD into other design topics. This is a list of top books to use as background text for educational programs. These books have all been used in SEGD educational programs.

Top General EGD Books

Entro and Gottschalk+Ash. Cultivating a Design Legacy: The First 50 Years. Friesen, 2017.

Abstract: 'Cultivating a Design Legacy: The First 50 Years' provides an overview of the first combined 50 years of project history of Entro and Gottschalk+Ash Toronto, the stylistic decades that determined the course of Canadian design and the milestones and influencers that changed the industry significantly. Sharing their thoughts on design, key members from both firms reflect on their experiences working on these and other prominent projects over the years. They acknowledge the many brilliant and talented designers who came before them—stretching back to Europe in the 1930s—paving the way for Entro and G+A’s graphic design approach and philosophy. Click hereto purchase.

Poulin, Richard. Archigraphia Redux. Graphis, 2016.

Abstract: Richard Poulin, a renowned multiple Graphis Gold Award-winning designer, educator, and author pays homage to Archigraphia: Architectural and Environmental Graphics (Graphis, 1976) by Walter Herdeg (1908–1995), founder and editor of Graphis Magazine. The book is a new international survey of architectural, environmental, and experiential graphic design in the 21st century. Over 150 designers, architects, interior designers, landscape architects, and artists from over 40 countries are represented by their groundbreaking work throughout the book. Click hereto purchase.

Poulin, Richard. Graphic Design + Architecture. A 20th-century History. Rockport Publishers, 2012.

Abstract: This innovative volume is the first to provide the design student, practitioner, and educator with an invaluable comprehensive reference of visual and narrative material that illustrates and evaluates the unique and important history surrounding graphic design and architecture. Graphic Design and Architecture, A 20th Century History closely examines the relationship between typography, image, symbolism, and the built environment by exploring principal themes, major technological developments, important manufacturers, and pioneering designers over the last 100 years. It is a complete resource that belongs on every designer’s bookshelf. Click hereto purchase.

Gibson, David. The Wayfinding Handbook: Information Design for Public Places. Princeton Architectural Press, 2009.

Abstract: The Wayfinding Handbook is a complete guide to the discipline, from planning and design to practical considerations, such as setting up teams and managing projects. “Other Voices” sidebars, presented throughout the book, reveal the opinions of experts who plan, manage, and shape wayfinding projects. A comprehensive bibliography and gallery of resources round out what is likely to become the go-to resource for students, professionals, or anyone charged with designing people-friendly, universally accessible environments. Click hereto purchase.

Hunt, Wayne. Environmental Graphics. Collins Design, 2004.

Abstract: This important approach to signs provides a completely illustrated behind-the-scenes process of over thirty interesting assignments. Included are projects in the areas of Wayfinding, Placemaking and Interpretive Design. Each project is shown from sketch concept to final installation and includes a detailed design analysis. Click hereto purchase.

 

Top books on Wayfinding in Architecture and Environmental Graphic Design

Arthur, Paul and Passini., Romedi. Wayfinding: People, Signs, and Architecture. McGraw-Hill Companies, 1992.

Abstract: This book brings together, for the first time, expertise on all three of the elements which wayfinding is comprised: architecture; graphics; and verbal human interaction, within the context of the built environment. The authors take the reader from a better understanding of the many types of wayfinding difficulties that people have, and why they have them, through an explanation of what wayfinding is and how the process works, to detailed examinations of the architectural, graphic, audible and tactile components involved in wayfinding design. A description, in effect, for a much needed, brand-new design discipline. Clickhere to purchase.

Berger, Craig M. Wayfinding: Designing and Implementing Graphic Navigational Systems. RotoVision, 2005.

Abstract: As more spaces turn into public areas and become increasingly complicated, people, more than ever, need to know where they are and where they are going. To bring clarity to this confusion, graphic design is crucial, but the design of wayfinding systems is also a collaborative process. This is a stress-relieving handbook for designers working across all disciplines. Exciting illustrations and case studies look at how to incorporate logos, graphics, color, and type to relate a complete wayfinding system to the character of a city, exhibition, or sportsground, and to represent its unique qualities. Checklists of requirements provide a blueprint for developing successful and attractive wayfinding systems. Every aspect is detailed, including stakeholder groups; criteria of specific jobs; design elements; fabrication, installation, and placement of signs and banners; and maintenance and management systems. Click hereto purchase.

Calori, Chris and Vanden-Eynden, David. Signage and Wayfinding Design: A Complete Guide to Creating Environmental Graphic Design Systems (2nd Edition). Wiley, 2015.

Abstract: Signage and Wayfinding Design is the cross-disciplinary go-to reference for any designer tasked with environmental graphic design. Fully updated to cover the latest in technology, usage, and requirements, this full-color second edition provides a one-stop resource for all aspects and stages of signage and wayfinding program design. This book's proven, holistic, three-part Signage Pyramid approach segments signage into interrelated information content, graphic, and hardware systems, discussing each system separately to provide deep detail with the clarity and focus that characterize this market-leading reference. Examine over 350 full-color images of projects, concepts, drawings, and diagrams. Discover how signage creates and reinforces brand identity. Explore sign nomenclature and information hierarchy strategies. Learn about sign graphic elements, layouts, and graphic application methods. Gain insight on three-dimensional sign forms, materials, lighting, and technologies. Get up to date on the latest digital technology and ADA considerations. Click hereto purchase.

Uebele, Andreas. Signage Systems and Information Graphics. Thames & Hudson, 2007.

Abstract: A signage system is much more than just a set of signposts and symbols. As well as its practical application, it helps to create an identity for a space and can add decorative flair to any built environment. Here, Andreas Uebele describes the basic rules of signage design—and then goes on to show how to effectively break them. Signs must be visible but not distracting, informative but not unwieldy, and concise but not confusing. Color, typography, pictograms, and icons are all elements that can be varied and exploited to encapsulate as much information as possible and fit the job's requirements: the signage for a hospital, an airport, or a conference center may have little in common, and solutions must always be tailored to fit the location. The book showcases great examples of signage design worldwide, ranging from museums and schools to transport systems, with an emphasis on the most original approaches. It is not only an indispensable handbook for communications designers but also a must for architects, interior designers, and graphic artists who need a better understanding of this essential aspect of modern design. 500+ color photographs and illustrations. Click hereto purchase.

Smitshuijzen, Edo. Signage Design Manual. Lars Müller Publishers, 2007.

Abstract: In an entertaining and straightforward way, Edo Smitshuijzen’s Signage Design Manual leads the reader step by step through the individual phases of signal design. More than nine hundred illustrations guide him or her through this demanding process. Both in-depth and comprehensive, this book is a unique publication. It not only contains information on traditional methods, design questions, and materials, but even touches on future developments, such as navigational aids for mobile devices and other futuristic equipment. The combination of wide coverage and precise, detailed information makes this book accessible to a broad spectrum of readers, from information and graphic designers to design students and professionals of every stripe who are involved with signal design on any level. With the publication of Smitshuijzen’s Signage Design Manual, the canon of signaletics finally has its own engaged textbook. Click hereto purchase.

Mollerup, Per. Wayshowing: A Guide to Environmental Signage Principles and Practices. Lars Müller Publishers, 2005.

Abstract: Riffing on the techie term "wayfinding", which designers and manufacturers use when talking about the function of signs and signage systems as they are used by the viewer, this book, by acclaimed graphic designer and author Per Mollerup, seeks to find a more precise visual language for what sign designers actually do, which is to show the way. Unfortunately, as Mollerup points out, many designers never master the art of wayshowing themselves. For wayshowing relates to wayfinding as writing relates to reading and as talking relates to hearing: The purpose of wayshowing is to facilitate wayfinding. In this accessible but invigorating investigation, Mollerup examines international sign systems and architectural landmarks in detail with his trademark candor and good humor. His analysis is at once pithy, scholarly, and historical. Clickhere to purchase.

 

Top Books in Exhibition Design and Environmental Graphic Design

Berger, Craig M., Skolnick, Lee, Lorenc, Jan. What is Exhibition Design? RotoVision, 2007.

Abstract: What is Exhibition Design? is the ultimate guide to the many facets of this rapidly emerging discipline, from retail design to museums and trade shows û every field that applies graphic information to place and object.This unrivalled handbook is a guide to the world of exhibition design, exploring what constitutes successful design and how it works. It clarifies the roles of the various design skills involved in exhibition design, and explores how new technology and materials possibilities for both form and function. It also describes the tools and processes for design and manufacture, methods of prototyping, and means of transporting, assembling and dismantling exhibits. Click hereto purchase.

Dernie, David. Exhibition Design. W.W. Norton & Co., 2006.

Abstract: Today exhibitions have to compete in an increasingly sophisticated leisure market. Consequently, the way in which the contemporary exhibition is designed is changing fast; previously aloof cultural institutions are making use of technologies and techniques more commonly associated with film and retail. Exhibition-making is now synonymous with image-making, communication, and the creation of a powerful experience. Exhibition Design features examples of a wide variety of exhibitions from around the world, from major trade and commerce fairs to well-known fine-art institutions and small-scale artist-designed displays. The introduction gives an historical perspective on the development of exhibitions and museums, with particular focus on the developments of the twentieth century. The book is divided into two parts: Approaches and Techniques. Approaches is devoted to the conceptual themes of narrative space, performative space, and simulated experience. Techniques covers the practical concerns of display, lighting, color, sound, and graphics. To illustrate these themes the book features photographs, drawings, and diagrams of exhibitions from around the world, including the work of such internationally renowned architects and designers as Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Atelier Brückner, Casson Mann, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Imagination, METStudio, and Jean Nouvel. Clickhere to purchase.

 

Top Books in EGD Research

Bertucci, Andrew. On-Premise Signs Guideline Standards: United States Sign Council Best Practice Standards. 2003.

Abstract: In 1996 the United States Sign Council and its research arm, The United States Sign Council Foundation, began research into the legibility and traffic safety implications of roadside onpremise signs. Prior to that time, very little research existed relative to the design and safety characteristics of this type of sign. Traffic engineers, seeking to develop a directional sign system to be used by motorists on local and interstate highways, had promulgated some earlier academic research. However, although useful as a starting point, the data had little relevance to the distinct qualities of private roadside signs. By virtue of their diversity and placement on private property, on-premise signs exist as a totally separate class of motorist-oriented communication, encompassing unique design challenges and traffic safety implications. Since 1996, the United States Sign Council Foundation, in concert with traffic engineers, human factors researchers, and statistical analysts of the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute of the Pennsylvania State University, has published a series of research studies. The results from this work now provide a distinct and objective scientific basis for understanding the manner in which motorists receive and respond to the information content of the private, roadside sign system. The research and corresponding analyses afford designers and regulators of signs with an insight into the legibility, size, and placement characteristics necessary for effective roadside communication to occur. outlined in the first half of the book. The author critiques and explains why the design is successful in terms of formal quality (Aesthetics) and function (How does it improve communication?).

Golledge, Reginald G. Wayfinding Behavior: Cognitive Mapping and Other Spatial Processes. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

Abstract: Incorporates cognitive, perceptual, neural and animal perspectives. The authors come from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, yet the writing is accessible to a wide audience. The book represents an exciting and innovative addition to the cognitive mapping literature, and will be a standard reference for the next decade of cognitive map research. Click hereto purchase.

Lynch Kevin, Image of the City. MIT Press, 1960.

Abstract: What does the city's form actually mean to the people who live there? What can the city planner do to make the city's image more vivid and memorable to the city dweller? To answer these questions, Mr. Lynch, supported by studies of Los Angeles, Boston, and Jersey City, formulates a new criterion--imageability--and shows its potential value as a guide for the building and rebuilding of cities.The wide scope of this study leads to an original and vital method for the evaluation of city form. The architect, the planner, and certainly the city dweller will all want to read this book. Click hereto purchase.

Carpman Janet R., Grant Myron A. Design That Cares: Planning Health Facilities for Patients and Visitors. JB AHA Press, 2008

Abstract: Hospital design speaks volumes about the beliefs and values of health care in general. For many years, hospital after hospital has been constructed in the interests of physicians, trustees, and administrators. Rarely has the patient been a top priority in facility design. Design That Cares is a groundbreaking book written for decision makers. Including general guidelines, drawings, and instructive examples, this work develops an essential perspective previously absent from health care design. Design That Cares contains a plethora of concrete architectural advice that will serve as an excellent place for executives to begin in rethinking present facility design in health care. Click hereto purchase.

Venturi, Robert, Izenour, Steven, Brown, Denise Scott. Learning from Las Vegas - Revised Edition: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form

Abstract: Learning from Las Vegas created a healthy controversy on its appearance in 1972, calling for architects to be more receptive to the tastes and values of "common" people and less immodest in their erections of "heroic," self-aggrandizing monuments. This revision includes the full texts of Part I of the original, on the Las Vegas strip, and Part II, "Ugly and Ordinary Architecture, or the Decorated Shed," a generalization from the findings of the first part on symbolism in architecture and the iconography of urban sprawl. (The final part of the first edition, on the architectureal work of the firm Venturi and Rauch, is not included in the revision.) The new paperback edition has a smaller format, fewer pictures, and a considerably lower price than the original. There is an added preface by Scott Brown and a bibliography of writings by the members of Venturi and Rauch and about the firm's work. Click hereto purchase.

Postgraduate MA Narrative Environments

Abstract: Narrative environments are spatial stories that can be found across cultural, civic, technological and digital spaces. Narrative environments activate dynamic histories, forward immersive presents and propose futures. On this course, you will develop theoretical and practical expertise in designing narrative environments. Working across spatial design, speculative design, social and systems design, you will learn to compose interactive stories that explore systems and phenomena of science, technology, politics, society and culture in new ways. Narrative environments is part of the Spatial Practices programme. Click here to view.

Tricia Austin - Narrative Environments and Experience Design Space as a Medium of Communication, 2020

This book argues narrative, people and place are inseparable and pursues the consequences of this insight through the design of narrative environments. This is a new and distinct area of practice that weaves together and extends narrative theory, spatial theory and design theory. Examples of narrative spaces, such as exhibitions, brand experiences, urban design and socially engaged participatory interventions in the public realm, are explored to show how space acts as a medium of communication through a synthesis of materials, structures and technologies, and how particular social behaviours are reproduced or critiqued through spatial narratives. This book will be of interest to scholars in design studies, urban studies, architecture, new materialism and design practitioners in the creative industries. Click here to purchase.

Top Books in Information Design in Environmental Graphic Design

Hora, Mies Official Signs & Icons 3, 2018

Abstract: More than 8,400 images in sixteen standard symbol sets, designed by internationally recognized designers for organizations including the AIGA and SEGD. This up-to-date studio reference is thoroughly researched, indexed and annotated with chapter intros, notes, bibliography, and resources. Click hereto purchase.

Baer, Kim and Vacarra, Jill.  Information Design Workbook: Graphic Approaches, Solutions, and Inspiration plus 30 Case Studies. Rockport Publishers, 2008.

Abstract: This new volume takes a methodical yet comprehensive approach to conveying the fundamentals of avant-garde, innovative, information design by examining history, theory, criticism, technology and media, process, method, and practice. Opening with a very brief history followed by an instructive breakdown of the discipline, readers will get an intimate understanding of the complexities of crafting information design to effectively improve communication both functionally and aesthetically. The back half of the book contains a wide range of case studies from design firms around the world so designers can see the techniques. Click hereto purchase.

Tufte, Edward R. Envisioning Information. Graphics Press, 1990.

Abstract: This book celebrates escapes from the flatlands of both paper and computer screen, showing superb displays of high-dimensional complex data. The most design-oriented of Edward Tufte's books, Envisioning Information shows maps, charts, scientific presentations, diagrams, computer interfaces, statistical graphics and tables, stereo photographs, guidebooks, courtroom exhibits, timetables, use of color, a pop-up, and many other wonderful displays of information. The book provides practical advice about how to explain complex material by visual means, with extraordinary examples to illustrate the fundamental principles of information displays. Topics include escaping flatland, color and information, micro/macro designs, layering and separation, small multiples, and narratives. Winner of 17 awards for design and content. 400 illustrations with exquisite 6- to 12-color printing throughout. Highest quality design and production. Click hereto purchase.

 

Top Books in Branded Environments

Wheeler, Alina. Designing Brand Identity: A Complete Guide to Creating, Building, and Maintaining Strong Brands. Wiley, 2006.

Abstract: From translating the vision of a CEO and conducting research, through designing a sustainable identity program and building online branding tools, Designing Brand Identity helps companies create stronger brands by offering real substance. With an easy-to-follow style, step-by-step considerations, and a proven, universal five-phase process for creating and implementing effective brand identity, the book offers the tools you need, whether a brand manager, marketer, or designer, when creating or managing a brand. This edition includes a wealth of full-color examples and updated case studies for world-class brands such as BP, Unilever, Citi, Tazo Tea, and Mini Cooper. Click here to purchase.

Neumeier, Marty. The Brand Gap: Expanded Edition. Peachpit Press, 2005.

Abstract: Using the visual language of the boardroom, Neumeier presents the first unified theory of branding -- a set of five disciplines to help companies bridge the gap between brand strategy and brand execution. Those with a grasp of branding will be inspired by what they find here, and those who would like to understand it better will suddenly "get it." This deceptively simple book offers everyone in the company access to "the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet." Click hereto purchase.