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.³⁴⁵⁶⁷ Supergraphics typically wrap around multiple architectural planes or surfaces,⁸⁶ and change appearance of spaces by affecting perception of their size or depth.⁹¹⁰

Supergraphics are one of the tools of environmental graphic design that can allow to incorporate wayfinding or branding³ in public spaces like transit hubs, office buildings, hospitals, or schools.⁴¹¹ Supergraphics have also been used as a tool of urban renewal.¹¹⁸ Unlike murals, supergraphics are defined by their oversized scale and typically incorporate typography, multi-colored abstract graphic shapes, patterns,¹² or illustrations.

Supergraphics originated in mid-1960s⁵ and surged in popularity during the 1970s.⁶ Early practitioners of supergraphics included graphic designers Barbara Stauffacher Solomon,¹³¹⁴ Morag Myerscough, Lance Wyman,¹⁵⁴ and Deborah Sussman.¹⁰⁹¹⁶ Sea Ranch, a 1965¹⁷ project by Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, introduced supergraphics to a wide American audience.^18101920 After a decline in popularity in the decades that followed, supergraphics experienced a resurgence in 2000s.⁸²¹

The term supergraphics was first used by teacher and critic C. Ray Smith²¹⁸ in 1967⁶ to describe experimental work developed by the postmodern architectural movement of Supermannerists.⁸²¹ 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.⁶⁸⁹ Modern interpretation of supergraphics also includes graphics that are projected digitally or displayed on screens.²¹