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Wayfinding - Olympics/Montreal Olympic Games Organising Committee. Art Direction - Georges Halle/Pierre Yves Berthier. Design - Pierre Fontaine/Raymond Bellemare 1976 Scanned from Graphic Elements of the World Vol 3, Kashiwa Art Publishing, 1984

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Navigating Public Spaces and the Principles of Good Design

Just like people, cities are complex systems. Planners and designers play a key role in making them function smoothly through well-designed signage systems and visual identities. These elements must not clutter the environment but instead serve to inform, direct, and warn the public effectively.  

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More graphic design articles

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Graphic Design 08, 1962. Cover design by Tadashi Ohashi
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Tadashi Ohashi. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1916 – 1988

Tadashi Ohashi was at the forefront of Japan's postwar design movement, with his illustrations widely celebrated. In 1952, he became the chief designer for Meiji Seika Confectionery, producing some of his most renowned work.

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La Biennale di Venezia XII, Festival Internazionale Di Musica Contemporanea, 1949. Designed by Max Huber
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Max Huber. Swiss Graphic Designer | 1919 – 1992

Max Huber was born in 1919 in Switzerland. He studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Arts and Crafts) in Zurich where he excelled in graphic design and photography.  Huber worked across advertising, packaging, design and industrial design. He had a distinctive style that skillfully blended bright hues with photomontage.

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Design (Japan), 027, 1961. Cover design by Ryuichi Yamashiro
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Ryuichi Yamashiro. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1920 – 1977

Ryuichi Yamashiro (山城隆)  was a Japanese graphic designer and artist, born in Osaka in 1920. He belonged to the same generation of pioneering Japanese designers as Kohei Sugiura, Kiyoshi Awazu, Yoshio Hayakawa, Yūsaku Kamekura, Kazumasa Nagai, and Ikko Tanaka.  

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FILM Quarterly, 05, 1970. Cover design by Kiyoshi Awazu
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Kiyoshi Awazu. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1929 – 2009

Kiyoshi Awazu (粟津) was a renowned Japanese graphic designer, known for his contributions across various creative fields including poster design, architecture, set design, filmmaking, and illustration. His unique style was commissioned by theatre groups, design and architecture magazines and various organisations for the covers of book covers and posters.

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Design (Japan), 61, 1964. Cover design by Kohei Sugiura
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Kohei Sugiura. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1932

Kohei Sugiura’s work spans an impressive range of mediums, including record jackets, publication covers, posters, exhibition catalogues, and stamps. He perfectly merged functionality and data visualisation with aesthetics. Drawing on his background in architecture, Sugiura applied a systematic, programmatic methodology to graphic design, similar to the approach of Swiss designer Karl Gerstner. 
Typografische Monatsblätter, 04, 1961. Cover design by Emil Ruder
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Swiss Design Principles Today

A short free-to-access feature on Swiss Design. The movement was influenced by Bauhaus and De Stijl, sought clarity and visual unity, making it a powerful force in global graphic design that remains influential today.

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Drawings for rhymes by Annie MG Schmidt, Netherlands Stamps, 1967. Designed by Wim Bijmoer
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A Visual History of the Netherlands Children’s Charity Stamps (Kinderpostzegels)

In December 1924, the Netherlands introduced children's stamps (Kinderzegels). Over the years, these stamps have featured designs by some of the most prominent Dutch designers, including Gerard Kiljan, P. Koch, Gerrit Noordzij, Otto Treuman, Robert Deodaat Emile ‘Ootje’ Oxenaar, Dick Bruna, Jan van Toorn, and Karel Martens.

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Playing Cards, Takenobu Igarashi, Museum of Modern Art, 1993
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Takenobu Igarashi. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1944

Takenobu Igarashi was born in 1944 in Tokyo and is best known for his typographic work as both a sculptor and designer. His work in over 30 permanent museum collections and continues to inspire designers today.