Exhibition Design

Raffles Design Institute

Raffles Design Institute
Lecturer: Chantal Deveze
January 2011
 What is an Exhibition?
• An EXHIBITION, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation
and display of a selection of items.

They usually occur (but not always) within museums, galleries and exhibition halls.
 Exhibitions may vary in…
DURATION
• Permanent Displays
• Generally temporary displays (with specific opening and closing dates)

VENUE
• Designed for one venue
• Designed as travelling exhibitions
 Exhibition Types:
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• Art Exhibitions
 Exhibition Types:
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• Interpretative Exhibitions
 Exhibition Types:
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• Commercial Exhibitions
– Conventions, trade shows
Conventions trade shows
– Promotional exhibits, etc
 History of Exhibition Design
y g
• Early exhibitions began as private collections of wealthy individuals,
families or institutions of art and rare or curious natural objects and
artifacts.
if These
h were often
f di l d in
displayed i so‐called
ll d wonder
d rooms or
cabinets of curiosities.
 History of Exhibition Design
y g
• The first public Gallery in UK was the Dulwich Picture Gallery. Thanks to
it’s innovative design of a series of interlinked rooms lit by natural light
through
h h overhead
h d skylights,
k li h iti became
b the
h primary
i i fl
influence on art gallery
ll
design ever since.
 History of Exhibition Design
y g
• London’s 1851 Great Exhibition held at the revolutionary Crystal Palace,
was the first milestone in the history of world expos and the venue itself
b
became an icon
i i architecture.
in hi
 History of Exhibition Design
y g
• Exhibition techniques changed with the Bauhaus movement (1919):
– Walls and pavement started to be considered as “planes”
– Designers used “ spatial proportions” and “volumes” to influence the 
exhibition space
 History of Exhibition Design
y g
• Exhibition techniques changed with the Bauhaus movement (1919):
– Duchamps started the ”installation art” movement, in which the room 
was not only a container, but transformed in artistic elements.
 History of Exhibition Design
y g
• Exhibition techniques changed with the Bauhaus movement (1919):
– Alfred Barr, founder of the MoMA museum, promoted  exhibitions In 
which the paintings were hung far away from each other on white, 
clean walls. All exhibitions were exposed the same way, ignoring the 
historical context and promoting the visitor observe art like an 
autonomous object, making it unique to each visitor.
bj ki i i h ii
 History of Exhibition Design
y g
• Exhibition techniques changed with the Bauhaus movement (1919):
– Herbert Bayer’s “Road to Victory” was one of the exhibitions that 
possessed another strong Bauhaus concept:  “ambience”, or having a 
Omni comprehensive experience that stimulated all senses and placed 
together several  creative disciplines to obtain a complete effect.
 History of Exhibition Design
y g
• In the 60’s the INTERACTIVE EXHIBITIONS were developed and adopted
by Science Museums , that were unsatisfied of conventional exhibition
methods.
h d Visitors
ii were allowed
ll d to interact
i and
d learn
l di
directly
l from
f the
h
experience instead of just observing.
Recent developments
p
o Exhibitions are more interactive and  connected to the internet an the 
virtual world.
o Internet as an important marketing tool for exhibitions
o The visitor is taken much more into account.
 Exhibition Design in the present
g p
• Exhibitions continue to be an effective method of communication.
Whoever desires to have a concrete comprehension of a certain topic in a
short
h amount off time
i should
h ld visit
i i a wellll structured
d exhibition,
hibi i where
h the
h
information is structured throughout a comprehensible tridimensional
trip.
 Exhibition Design in the present
g p
• Although exhibitions are organized by a big group of persons, it’s the
obligation of the designer to organize an environment that establishes a
relationship
l i hi with i h the
h visitor,
ii transforming
f i a simple
i l display
di l off items
i i
into a
stimulating experience.
 Exhibition Design in the present
g p
• Exhibitions must teach to different learning styles, respond to issues of
cultural and gender equity, and offer multiple levels of information.
 Exhibition Design in the present
g p
• Commercial exhibitions in the present allow the visitors to have a general
overview of an entire trade.
 Exhibition Design in the present
g p
• For the exhibitors these trade shows are essential to create a dialogue
with their potential clients through an organized experience – “customer
experience”.
i ”
 Exhibition Design Process
g
• The exhibit design process builds on a conceptual or interpretive plan for
an exhibit, determining the most effective, engaging and appropriate
methods
h d off communicating
i i a message or tellinglli a story.
• The process will often mirror the architectural process or schedule,
moving from conceptual plan, through schematic design, design
d l
development, contract document,
d f b i i and
fabrication d installation.
i ll i
• The first phases establish a thematic direction and develop creative and
appropriate design solutions to achieve the interpretive and
communication
i i goals l off the
h exhibit.
hibi The
Th latter
l phases
h employ
l technical
h i l
expertise in translating the visual language of the designs into detailed
documents that provide all the specifications required to fabricate and
install an exhibit.
exhibit
 Course’s Assignment
g
• TO DESIGN AN EXHIBITION TO COMMEMORATE A BRAND ( WITH A SPECIFIC
PRODUCT).
– Showcase:
• Brand History
• Culture and lifestyle of the brand and it’s users
• The product itself 
The product itself
• Interaction with the visitors

The student must have the ability to  showcase the BRAND  IMAGE  while 
The student must have the ability to showcase the BRAND IMAGE while
using a wide range of technologies and techniques to develop experiences 
that will resonate with diverse audiences–enabling these targeted 
audiences to access the messages, stories and objects of an exhibit.

The exhibition must have a coherent structure and  exhibition strategy.
 Example
p
• Harley Davidson 100 Year Anniversary Open Road Tour
• Cultural
• T commemorate its
To i 100th
100 h anniversary,
i H l D id
Harley‐Davidson l
launched
h d a traveling
li
exhibition of unprecedented scale. The Open Road Tour includes three 20,000‐
square‐foot exhibitions that tell the story of the MACHINE, its connection to
popular CULTURE, and the company’s historic JOURNEY over the last 100
years. Artifacts, videos, photographs, and interactive displays were designed
to appeal to riders and non‐riders alike. Each exhibition has a distinct
organizational approach related to its content and its relationship to other
exhibits on the site. The circular form that houses the Machine exhibit serves
as a node around which the Journey and Culture structures, both rectangular
in plan, radiate. Through the use of thematic detailing and consistent
materials, the entire event is unified. The design celebrates Harley‐Davidson’s
rich heritage and promising future.
future
Example
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 Example
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• Rolling Stones Covers exhibition
• Cultural
• To commemorate 20 years of the magazine. Showcasing the best covers.
Example
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 Course’s Assignment
g
• For Today:

Choose a brand
–Choose a brand
–Choose a possible venue that will 
match your brand’s image.   ( museum, 
h b d’ (
art gallery, expo center, open‐air 
temporary structures)
 THE BRIEF
• Every design project must start with a brief, which is the
definition of itself.
– Usually provided by the client and  enriched by meetings 
and emails
– In the absence of a written brief the designer must  direct 
his own interpretation of the project and confirm it with 
the client.
THE BRIEF
– The Context Document
• All Companies or Institutions should provide an explicit 
All Companies or Institutions should provide an explicit
description of their corporate identity to the designer .
• The description must include an explanation of the 
market in which they operate, competitors , and the 
accomplishments they have obtained in the past.
 THE BRIEF
• The Core idea of the expositions
– Why is the exhibition organized?
Why is the exhibition organized?
– Which is the objective?
– In order for the designer to help the client achieve his 
goals, he must know in which direction the client wants to 
move.
 THE BRIEF
• STORYLINE
– Document that allocates the exhibition in a coherent 
Document that allocates the exhibition in a coherent
narrative context.
– Justifies the arrangement criteria of the objects in the 
exhibition 
– It describes all the singular elements, motivations, and the 
way these will be arranged in the exhibition
way these will be arranged in the exhibition.
– Almost all exhibitions can be arranged in a series of 
chapters , specified in the storyline, to which the visitors 
will approach accrding to the given narrative sequence
 THE BRIEF
• The target audience
– Client must specify it
Client must specify it’ss target audience,  if it fails to , 
target audience if it fails to
market research companies can provide accurate data.
– Knowing which is the target audience, the designer can 
realize investigations in the learning styles and 
preferences, along with the necessities of the visitors.
 THE BRIEF
• The Content Document
– In this section of the brief, the object or the typologies of 
In this section of the brief the object or the typologies of
the objects  to be exhibited are specified.  Based on that 
the scope, dimension and relation to nearby objects are 
d id d
decided.
– This is usually provided in an excel chart, with the list of 
j p
the objects an their descriptions.
 THE BRIEF
• Exhibition usability
– Indicates the main message the client want to 
Indicates the main message the client want to
communicate to it’s visitors.
– It’s important not only to create an aesthetically  beautiful 
exhibition, but also an easily comprehensible journey in 
order to get the main message through.
 THE BRIEF
• The tone
– The style in which you tell a story is as important as it
The style in which you tell a story is as important as it’ss 
content.
– It must be discussed with the client since the begging of 
the project.
– Example:   If the target market is young people, the tone of 
the exhibition will be completely different than if it was for
the exhibition will be completely different than if it was for 
middle age people.
 THE BRIEF
• Visual Identity
– The designer must be acquainted with the company
The designer must be acquainted with the company’ss 
corporate identity (logo, font and color information).
– In most of the cases the companied will provide their own 
manual
– The material in the exhibition must correspond with the 
corporate identity
corporate identity.