Graphic Design + Architecture
Agency
Poulin + Morris Inc.
Practice Area
Client
Rockport Publishers
Industry
Project Vision
Graphic Design + Architecture, a 20th Century History
Richard Poulin’s long-awaited Graphic Design + Architecture, A 20th-Century History examines the often overlooked union of graphic design and the built environment in the context of artistic, social, and cultural movements and influences of the 20th century. Released in November 2012, Graphic Design + Architecture is the first publication of its kind to provide a detailed historical overview of the pairing of these two disciplines.
Poulin, Principal of the award-winning New York-based design firm Poulin + Morris and an SEGD Fellow, deftly discusses the relationship between typography, image, symbol, and visual storytelling in the modern world by exploring principal themes, major technical developments, important manufacturers, and pioneering designers over the last 100 years. With examples dating back as far as ancient times (cave paintings at Lascaux, France; Egyptian hieroglyphics; Roman monumental inscriptions), to the modern era (Russian constructivist wall murals during the Bolshevik Revolution and the great white ways of Times Square, Piccadilly Circus, and the Las Vegas Strip), Graphic Design + Architecture reveals the continuous dialogue that has been exchanged between graphic design and the built environment throughout history.
Project Details
This book is an important milestone for the EGD field: the first look at the historical relationship between graphic design and architecture, focusing primarily on the 20th century.
This book provides a welcome, unique, and detailed review of graphic design and architecture, often highlighting where these two disciplines are blended to create singular visions. This will no doubt become a core reference for students and professionals alike—a publication that should be embraced, and one that has been long overdue.
The EGD field has very few publications that address the history and evolution of graphic design in the built environment. This book is entirely devoted to the subject and the first to address it exclusively. It’s seminal from that perspective and therefore worthy of acknowledgement. The book will encourage and inspire others to write critically about our profession. It takes on a gargantuan task to chronologically survey the application of messages and graphics in the environment and therefore is an invaluable reference tool for students, professionals, and researchers alike.
Design Firm
Poulin + Morris Inc.
Consultants