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It is nearly impossible to spend a day in our contemporary world without encountering graphic design. Have you ever stopped to notice the symbols used for airport signage? You were likely focused on your travel plans rather than considering that a team of designers carefully developed those icons which have become universal in airports, malls, casinos, and convention centers; the average viewer absorbs the message and continues on his or her journey with little thought as to how that message was delivered.
The set of icons you’ll encounter in an airport was created through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Transportation and AIGA, the professional association for design, and was released in 1974. It won a Presidential Design Award, not surprising considering those on the committee included Massimo Vignelli (perhaps best known for his firmly Modernist rendition of the New York City Subway Map released in 1972) and Thomas Geismar (part of the duo responsible for iconic logos such as NBC, Mobil, MBTA, and PBS).
Signage, of course, is only one small example of the far-reaching influence of graphic design. Graphic design exists in many forms, and graphic design encompasses a large number of disciplines in which to specialize. Designers may create on-screen graphics for television, graphical user interfaces, websites, tablets, and mobile devices; other designers focus on printed materials such as books, magazines, catalogues, mailers, and brochures; still other designers specialize in graphics for our environment, including exhibitions, store displays and packaging for consumer goods.