Abstract:
Graphics as a subject was established in the higher education sector in Sri Lanka during and
after 2000 with the expanding industry expectations and technological evolution in the
industry of print and advertising. With the immergence of television in 1980’s and the
availability ofvideo cameras in the country in 1990’s, the influence ofinstallation art graphics
and theatre rapidly grown over technology. However graphics for commercial interiors not
well established in Sri Lanka until 2010, with the developments in print industry and
technological application graphic application for contemporary commercial interiors has
become a new pathway ofgraphic implication for living and commercial spaces.
In the universal context graphics as a visual communication language was established with
modem art. The immergence ofgraphics as a communication medium evolved into workspace
or environmental graphics, which eventually developed as a subject for commercial interiors.
Research question of this study spans from the understanding graphics as a communication
language for commercial interiors and its functionality as a feature ofthe design. The aim of
the study is to investigate social and economical values involved in commercial contemporary
interiors in Sri Lanka. To achieve the aim of the study the objective of the research is to
understand the influence of graphics for commercial interiors. Whilst in the process of
influences a background study ofmodem art in Sri Lanka and its reflection on graphics from
street art to interiors leads to connect with the next objective which is the understanding of
graphics as a visual language and its functionality in commercial interiors.
This paper discusses the history of graphics in Sri Lankan context and its application for
commercial contemporary interiors with a study of fundamental theories from both interior
design and graphics. Although graphics had been merely treated as software that develops
images or simply text in the context of Sri Lanka - creating a methodology specifically for the
study concentrating on qualitative methods by a comprehensive theoretical study of both
subject disciplines interior design and graphics, lead to well-established criteria of8 factors to
evaluate commercial interiors for the research study. This criteria was then justified with a
quantitative study of user experience to understand the effectiveness of graphics for
commercial interiors.
Selection of case studies is limited to contemporary commercial interiors with graphic
elements. Results established through the evaluation of criteria leads to an interesting path of
how recently the technological expectations have been met with graphics in the commercial
interiors and its implication not only restricted to aesthetic appearances but rationalistic
approach due to social and economic changes ofthe country. The findings ofthe study leads
to a path establishing a criteria to investigate interior case studies concentrating graphics
primary feature and the background of evolution of graphics in the context of Sri Lanka
questioning the implication of graphics as a medium of communication for commercial
interiors. These contributions for the subject graphic design and interior design in the context
of Sri Lanka, leads to a subject path evolving new technology applicable for interiors
‘Experiential graphics’ which has been thoroughly discussed over online resources in
universal context.