This document presents a definition and brief background of graphic design and visual education. It outlines a journalism and mass media course lecture which introduces students to the commercial scope of visual communications and the potentials of design. The script along with appropriate slide titles and descriptions, are provided to recreate the course lecture. First, the use of visual symbols and graphic expression at the time of the birth of the Confederate States of America--bank notes, confederate and union uniforms, and the stars and stripes--is examined in order to provide an historical context. Second, significant branded products utilized throughout history are discussed, including Kellogg, Quaker, Jim Beam, Camel, Ball, Campbell, and Arm & Hammer. Fourth, examples of architecture and environmental design that have contributed to the creation of a corporate identity such as Harrod's Department Store, the Citadel, Fallingwater, and Johnson Wax are described. Finally, some corporations' (Coca-Cola, BMW, and General Motors) communication-driven identities are explained. (Contains 16 references.) (MAS)