Deborah Sussman & Co. letterhead (Letter to Elaine Lustig Cohen)

Deborah Sussman was an American graphic designer and environmental designer whose work shaped the visual identity of public spaces and cultural institutions in the postwar era. Her practice ranged from large-scale wayfinding systems and architectural graphics to exhibition design, pioneering an approach that treated typography, color, and pattern as structural elements rather than ornamental additions. She worked across institutional commissions and public projects, establishing design frameworks that remain influential in environmental graphic design.