The past and present of environmental graphic design at airports worldwide.

Airports are places with multi-layered identities that millions of people pass through and where cultures meet: On the one hand, the history and the design heritage of the particular country can be identified and local characteristics are intensified and reinforced almost stereotypically.

On the other hand, airports represent hypermodern functional environments in which processes are internationally standardized and maximally efficient, with a strong emphasis on entertainment and consumption. Guidance systems navigate people through airports. The graphic language creates an image in the viewer’s head carrying the respective identity in its own compact form through color, fonts, and pictograms.

The authors, both specialists in the field, decipher this identity and trace its emergence and evolution over the decades. From the perspective of information design, they examine and analyze the wayfinding systems of approximately 70 airports by aligning their identities and functions.