-By Katie Weeks

The writing is on the wall…and the floors, the windows, the ceilings, and many other surfaces: Those interior designers and architects who still think of a space's graphics program solely as a means of providing basic wayfinding are missing ample opportunity to connect with end users and spread a client's message and brand.

"People are realizing that architecture can be thought of as a medium of communication, and they are figuring out how the space itself can become a channel," says Jonathan Alger, principal of New York-based C&G Partners, which creates identities, exhibitions, print, graphics, signage, and interactive projects and environments. Lonny Israel, an associate partner at SOM's San Francisco office, concurs, noting that "clients are more interested in the idea of how their spaces can be activated."

While the use of graphics in architecture isn't new—consider the facades of centuries-old cathedrals and how their sculptural elements tell a story, as explored in this month's Practice article "Arts and Crafts" (page 134)—today, the ways in which graphics are being incorporated into interiors and architecture run the gamut, from dominant typography or large-scale photographs to interactive installations and digital signage both inside and out.

"Some people perceive graphics to be just some sort of print on a wall, while others think it has to have type in it to be graphics. And others yet think of graphics as providing information, whether it's wayfinding, storytelling, navigation, or reinforcing the experience," notes Leslie Gallery Dilworth, FAIA, executive director of the Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD).

Many clients and designers alike are exploring dynamic media and signage, such as media façades, like that of Merck-Serono's Geneva headquarters designed by Helmut Jahn (see Contract, May 2006) or Simon Gistra & Partners and Arup's GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall in Beijing, a 20,000-sq.-ft. LED wall that harvests solar energy during the day to showcase low-resolution imagery. In New York, IAC headquarters' public lobby (designed by Gehry Partners with interior architect STUDIOS Architecture and graphic designer Bruce Mau Design) features two large video projection walls that showcase IAC brands and businesses. The West Wall is the world's largest high-resolution video wall at 120 ft. long and 11 ft. high, while the East Wall offers a touch-screen display where guests can rotate an image of earth to access real-time IAC information.

Still Imagery also is being incorporated inside and out to brand a structure. SOM's work at the Dublin Airport's Pier D in Dublin, Ireland, for example, showcases Irish culture throughout the concourse. Using a proprietary computer program that generated pixilated images composed of layered text, SOM crafted portraits of renowned Irish authors. Get close enough to each portrait and you find the image is composed of that author's text. In a similar vein, Alger references the work of Herzog & DeMuron as an example of architects integrating images and architecture. "Rather than a window, you have a window that has a face laminated into it," he explains. "That's a very strong trend."

Large-scale imagery and branding has long been used in sports and entertainment, and in a successful example of all-around integration, graphics powerhouse Pentagram combined a range of environmental graphics that go yards beyond simply marking the locations of restrooms and snack bars at the Arizona Cardinal's Stadium in Phoenix. From large-scale thematic elements to sponsor graphics and end zone treatments, graphics play a large role in branding locker rooms, lounges, corporate lofts, and retail areas. "It's not just a sign telling you how to get to the bleachers," Dilworth notes.

Not only are the means of incorporating graphics into projects continually evolving, but so too is the point at which graphic design enters the design process. Today's wayfinding solutions and graphic elements are anything but generic templates thrown up after the fact. "We're not brought in at the very beginning of every job, but for certain types of projects we're involved very early on because it's essential to the planning of the piece itself," says Israel.

At FXFOWLE Architects, senior architect Sara Agrest, AIA, LEED, began discussing graphics at the beginning of designing a new bookstore for Julliard, the famed arts school in New York. Set for completion in 2009, the 2,800-sq.-ft. space employees large-scale graphics and typography throughout the interiors to push the classical sheet-music store into the 21st century. As a result, "we had graphics from the get-go," Agrest notes. "They were part of the initial space planning. Even if we didn't know the exact imagery or typography, we knew how we wanted to use them to bring people into the space." Since then, she notes, the graphics have evolved alongside the architecture. The earlier you start thinking about the project's individual message and how graphics may interact with the architecture to convey this information, the better, says Agrest, adding, "The hardest part is getting the graphics and the architecture to work together, but if you plan it from the beginning, then the hardest part is already done."

The tightening economy may see graphics playing an even greater role in projects going forward. After all, Dilworth notes, "It's a lot less expensive to change a space using graphics than it is using bricks and mortar."