The architecture, design, and graphics collection is displayed on level 2 and level 6 in the North Building. Works from the Middle Ages to the 1900s that represent major developments in style, form, material, and technique in European and North American furniture and decorative arts are presented on level 6 of the North Building.

A series of rotating spaces on level 2 focuses on modern and contemporary architecture, furniture, and industrial and graphic design. These exhibition spaces showcase designers and movements from this period.

The collection includes the AIGA Design Archives at the DAM, comprising approximately 12,000 examples of communication design created from about 1980 to 2012.

This collection includes work from all disciplines of communication design—packaging, corporate communications, brand and identity systems, editorial design and illustration, and experience design, among others. The materials reflect major design trends as well as many of the leading design firms and individual designers practicing during this period.