Presentation graphics

Abstract

Presentation graphics begin and end on the drawing board but their implications in Landscape Architecture are far reaching. They mark the pivotal point from where design on the drawing board ends and design on the ground begins. They are also the point where a design becomes public and therefore the communication skills used are extremely important.

This document is about modern graphics and their implications for Landscape Architecture, however it would be naive to suggest that this document is fully comprehensive for modern presentation styles and techniques are extremely varied. The major emphasis, therefore, is on three main themes, recent techniques which have some relevance for the profession, the technical options available in differing situations and what the underlying premises are when choosing either one technique or another.

To understand the presentation styles that are available today it is essential to grasp what the influence of earlier styles has been on modern graphics. Graphic design has largely developed over the same period of time as the profession of Landscape Architecture nevertheless their two histories remain relatively uneffected by each other. So by studying the history of modern graphic design it is possible to see what Landscape Architecture has learned, in terms of presentation graphics, and what it has apparently overlooked.