Herbert Bayer’s World Geo-Graphic Atlas and Information Design at Midcentury

Between 1947 and 1953, the Austrian-born, Bauhaus-trained artist Herbert Bayer (1900-1985) oversaw the design and production of the World Geo-Graphic Atlas, a landmark work of graphic design and data visualization. Commissioned by Container Corporation of America to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Chicago-based company's founding, the Atlas's imaginative presentation methods have had a lasting impact within the fields of information design and visual education, transforming the look and character of subsequent geographic atlases and popular scientific illustration. In Herbert Bayer's World Geo-Graphic Atlas and Information Design at Midcentury, Benjamin Benus tells the story behind this work's creation. Richly illustrated and drawing on extensive archival documentation, Benus's study offers broader insights into the roles twentieth-century artists and designers played in popularizing scientific knowledge and shaping audiences' geographical worldviews.