Graphic Design

By 1948, when this photo montage was made, Times Square was a riot of lights and special effects. Many of these lighted signs were the work of Douglas Leigh.

Times Square's Glitzy Look was One Man's Bright Idea

Douglas Leigh's ability to imagine new kinds of advertising shaped the signs of the city

This shopping bag was designed by the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union and handed out to shoppers in front of department stores around New York in 1964.

Fuel Your Design Obsession With 200,000 Newly Digitized Artifacts

Explore 30 centuries of design at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum without leaving your computer

Images are fast outpacing words as the major means of communication.

How to Avoid the Pitfalls in the Politics of Graphic Messaging

The director of the National Portrait Gallery offers a few pointers on how to acquire visual intelligence

A map shows the distribution of the slave population in the Southern states of the United States, based on the 1860 census.

The Surprising History of the Infographic

Early iterations saved soldiers' lives, debunked myths about slavery and helped Americans settle the frontier

Meet "Opaque Couché," the world's most hideous hue.

The World’s "Ugliest" Color Could Help People Quit Smoking

Officials hope hideous packs of cigarette packs will make would-be smokers think twice

Sewer in a Suitcase: This handy kit shows people where water goes after it goes down the drain.

These Kits Beautifully Explain How City Sewers and Zoning Laws Work

New York's Center for Urban Pedagogy uses art and design to help people better understand complex laws and systems

Cartoonist and concept artist Jean Giraud.

Meet the Man Who Helped Define How Science Fiction Looks

The renowned cartoonist Jean Giraud had a hand in some of science fiction’s most iconic films

The iconic brochure format was designed by the man responsible for New York subway signage.

Want to Browse Some National Park Maps? There’s a Site For That

Can you guess the most popular map?

One of a series of psychedelic concert posters done by artist Wes Wilson between 1966 and 1968 for concert promoter Bill Graham of San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium

How a Psychedelic Concert Poster Rocked the World

C'mon baby light my flier

Roald Dahl’s Iconic Illustrator Inspired This New Font

Quentin Blake’s handwriting has elements of spontaneity and joy

This could be New Zealand's next flag.

New Zealanders Are Voting Whether to Adopt a New Flag

The country could drop the Union Jack in favor of a design with a more distinctive national symbol

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new logo.

New Met Logo Typifies the Eternal Struggle of Rebranding

From the Met to the MoMA

"You & I," by Pranita Kocharekar.

This Company Transforms Indian Taxicabs Into Original Artworks

Intricately designed fabrics help taxi drivers stand out from the crowd

The New Yorker Editor Who Became a Comic Book Hero

The amazing tale of a determined art director who harnessed the powers of the greatest illustrators around the world to blow kids' minds

Screenshot from Histography 

This Is What 14,000,000,000 Years of History Looks Like

A designer's ingenious timeline covers the Big Bang to the Internet

The Jazz pattern that graced paper cups, like this one in the 1990s, remains a source of fascination in pop culture.

How the Internet Tracked Down the Designer of the Beloved Jazz Paper Cup

Meet Gina, the woman behind the iconic paper cup pattern

Graphic design student Oskar Pernefeldt envisions a blue and white flag to symbolize Earth's presence on far off planets like Mars.

Does Planet Earth Need Its Own Flag?

Some think we need a universal flag to stake our claim in space

Meet Your New Favorite Font

Haas Unica, Helvetica’s long-lost sibling, is back after 30 years in obscurity

Can You Draw the Apple Logo From Memory?

New research shows you probably can’t

A pixelated design by the architecture firm Snøhetta will soon grace Norway's money.

Architects and Designers Make Money for Norway

Literally, that is. Two firms have been selected to design Norway’s new currency.

Page 3 of 4