Supergraphics

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Locker room at Moonraker Athletic Center at Sea Ranch, California, designed by architect Charles Moore. Painted graphics on the walls of the space, by Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, are an example of supergraphics. Locker Room at Sea Ranch's Moonraker Athletic Center.jpg
Locker room at Moonraker Athletic Center at Sea Ranch, California, designed by architect Charles Moore. Painted graphics on the walls of the space, by Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, are an example of supergraphics.

Supergraphics are large-scale painted or applied decorative graphics used over interior or exterior walls, floors, or ceilings in order to alter visual perception of a building or interior space. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Supergraphics typically wrap around multiple architectural planes or surfaces, [8] [6] and change appearance of spaces by affecting perception of their size or depth. [9] [10]

Supergraphics are one of the tools of environmental graphic design that can allow to incorporate wayfinding or branding [3] in public spaces like transit hubs, office buildings, hospitals, or schools. [4] [11] Supergraphics have also been used as a tool of urban renewal. [11] [8] Unlike murals, supergraphics are defined by their oversized scale and typically incorporate typography, multi-colored abstract graphic shapes, patterns, [12] or illustrations.

History

Supergraphics originated in mid-1960s [5] and surged in popularity during the 1970s. [6] Early practitioners of supergraphics included graphic designers Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, [13] [14] Morag Myerscough, Lance Wyman, [15] [4] and Deborah Sussman. [10] [9] [16] Sea Ranch, a 1965 [17] project by Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, introduced supergraphics to a wide American audience. [18] [10] [19] [20] After a decline in popularity in the decades that followed, supergraphics experienced a resurgence in 2000s. [8] [21]

The term supergraphics was first used by teacher and critic C. Ray Smith [21] [8] in 1967 [6] to describe experimental work developed by the postmodern architectural movement of Supermannerists. [8] [21] Smith's definition of supergraphics excluded depiction of alphanumerics or figurative illustrations. Over time, the term had been expanded to include any large-scale architectural graphics that alter the viewer's perception of architectural environment. [6] [8] [9] Modern interpretation of supergraphics also includes graphics that are projected digitally or displayed on screens. [21]

References

  1. ↑ Unknown (2020-07-11). "Oceanic Properties: Sea Ranch Athletic Club #1 (Moonraker)". People’s Graphic Design Archive. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  2. ↑ ""No, kid, make it happy!"". Communication Arts . 13 (3): 46–47. July 1971.
  3. 1 2 Baldwin, Eric (2017-06-19). "Building Identity: 10 Bold Supergraphics That Make a Statement - Architizer Journal". Journal. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  4. 1 2 3 Dawood, Sarah (2018-02-22). "Supergraphics: how to transform public spaces through design". Design Week. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  5. 1 2 "Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 AnOther (2015-04-27). "Really Super Graphics". AnOther. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  7. ↑ "A Tour Of The World's Coolest Supergraphics". Fast Company. 2018-03-02. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 PrintMag (2011-01-23). "Su, Sup, Super Graphics". PRINT Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  9. 1 2 3 Brook, Tony; Shaughnessy, Adrian (2019). Supergraphics : transforming space : graphic design for walls, buildings & spaces. Unit 2. Internet Archive. London: Unit Editions. ISBN   978-0-9562071-1-1.
  10. 1 2 3 "A supergraphics superhero". Torched. 2024-05-16. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  11. 1 2 "Supergraphics". formsofinquiry.com. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  12. ↑ "The Iconic '70s Design Trend That's Back in a Big Way". Food52. 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  13. ↑ Gortmaker, Christopher (2025-07-28). "'Like art vanishing into architecture': Barbara Stauffacher Solomon's Modernist Supergraphics". ASAP/Review. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  14. ↑ "Loving Supergraphics: The Bold and Colorful World of Babara Stauffacher Solomon". Lateral Objects. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  15. ↑ Inglis, Theo (2023). Graphic Design Bible: The Definitive Guide to Contemporary and Historical Graphic Design for Designers and Creatives. Prestel Verlag. p. 292. ISBN   978-3-7913-8990-5.
  16. ↑ PrintMag (2012-10-10). "Supergraphics and Computer Art: Deborah Sussman and April Greiman in L.A." PRINT Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  17. ↑ Adams, Sean (2018-03-30). "Big". DesignObserver. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  18. ↑ "Supergraphics: Is this OTT '70s Design Trend Making a Comeback?". Apartment Therapy. Archived from the original on 2024-12-05. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  19. ↑ Heller, Steven (2024-05-13). "The Daily Heller: Supergraphics Supernova Barbara Stauffacher Solomon Dead at 95". PRINT Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  20. ↑ Walker, Alissa (2018-01-03). "Sea Ranch's world-famous supergraphics almost didn't happen". Curbed. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Shaughnessy, Adrian (2010-09-07). "A new generation of supergraphics". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
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