Project 1 : Narratives and Grids in Mobile Exhibitions · Design a mobile exhibition (trailer) that brings a museum learning experience to the schools and rural or suburban museum

Junior IIUniversity of Houston Graphic Communication Program Art 3336 Spring 2015

Instructor Fiona McGettigan [email protected]/mcgettigan/junior2/

Designing an exhibition is a vast undertaking. It begins with a story one wishes to tell, a les-son one hopes to demonstrate, a collection of objects or artifacts one must display. Exhibition design involves the process of finding appropriate form and authentic expression for any content. It requires the conscious arrangement of many parts, both stationary and moving, necessary in creating meaningful experiences for visitors in physical spaces. Ultimately, an exhibition is a living, three-dimensional composition to be experienced and absorbed....Typography as the transmitter must respect the meaning of the texts. Its fundamental responsibil-ity is to convey content. Typography also adds hier-archical clarity to the texts, signaling importance, voice, relationships, and meaning. It should entice and encourage, drawing the reader in, making museum visitors want to spend the time and energy to understand what is being presented.

... All exhibitions, regardless of topic, share the inherent dialectic between the intentions of the presenter and the experiences of the viewer. Who is displaying what and for whom? Exhibitions pro-vide the bones for learning, exploring, and inter-acting. They take visitors on journeys near and far—making the inaccessible, accessible and the commonplace, extraordinary. Exhibits encom-pass broad categories of history, natural history, science, technology, and zoology.

Exhibition Design: An Introduction 2nd EditionPhilip Hughes

Working with Type: Exhibitions Carter, DeMao and Wheeler

http://adage.com/article/on-design/aernout-mik/137210/

https://segd.org/%E2%80%9Clittle-museum%E2%80%9D-big-collaboration%E2%80%94muzeiko-children%E2%80%99s-museum

+++Project Objectives

1. To continue to look at grid structure as devices for organizing information

2. To look at basic exhibit and 3-D design strategies 3. To consider narrative and storytelling in 3-D space.

Creating a good exhibition is about telling a multi-dimensional and interactive story with a balanced and broad array of media—that is the task of the exhibition designer. The challenge is to translate often complex and scientific information into a narrative environment that appeals to a wide audience. When executed effectively, spaces can educate, excite and entertain, providing the visitors with an experience to remember.

Project DescriptionDesign a mobile exhibition (trailer) that brings a museum learning experience to the schools and rural or suburban museum deserts. ProcessIn teams, choose a topic that you consider unique, timely and purposeful for a mobile exhibition. Examples of exhibition content could include science, cultural, historical or social topics. Be thoughtful to the need. Choose an audience and context: local, regional or national. As a team, gather research for the topic. Synthesize the con-tent to help to develop a working narrative for an independent interpretive exhibition. Present the primary and secondary narratives.

Then individually curate an interpretive exhibition that would function well in a mobile context that effectively uses a grid structure to display the narrative, and interaction related to your research. Consider headings, subheads, texts and supporting imagery, digital technology, video, physical inter-actives and related artifacts. Consider the flow and overall spatial relations considering a beginning, middle and conclusion. The exhibit space should immediately identify with the overall topic/story through form, color, typography and may include representational 3-D forms, surfaces, texts, graph-ics, images, representations of possible artifacts. Consider context : mobility, spatial circulation, qualities of light, materials, and structure. The for-mal considerations of grids used in print and on the screen apply to environmental graphics, except that scale, space and context become a factor. Consider the underlying grid structure, visual hierarchy, con-trast, and compositional balance. Your exhibit elements should include:

—exhibition title and subtitle (interior and exterior)—exhibition walls (interior and exterior) —heads, subheads—narrative texts—supporting imagery—supporting texts—supporting interactives and digital experiences—artifacts or objects (2 and 3 dimensional)

Methodology1 In teams. choose a significant historical, educa-

tional, scientific or cultural narrative that is worthy of developing into a mobile exhibition.

2. Develop a rough outline, map or wireframe that considers all of the stories to be told about this event. Establish a general theme/story, or narra-tive for the exhibit.

3 As a team, choose an exhibit title and select the target audience.

4 Individually choose flush out the rough outline and map the narrative relative to the trailer space assigned (48’L x 100”W x 110”H). Be selective and make sure there is enough content to work with that includes heads, subheads and multiple texts to engage with hierarchically and expressively as well as interactivity.

5 Select/edit/rewrite texts/labels (see Ekarv)6 Select/compile supporting imagery7 Consider the flow. You may consider the door

entry from the back to the side. Define this in the elevation drawing. Consider the various elevations, planes and surfaces. Include pedestals, cabinets, and any other surface changes that accommodate artifacts and interactives. Be mindful of flow in this context. Include at least one digital interac-tive and a video component.

The exhibit space is 48' l x 110' h x 100” w. You may work further into the space if you want.Your final presentation will be at 1’ - 1” scale : 48" length x 9" high x 8.5" w. Design the final as a 3-D elevation/model (box split into 2 sides). Consider a floor context and include a presentation with a figure for scale.

+++Final Formats1. 48” length x 9” high x 8.5” w and a floor

reference of 6” (May be primarily digital but include some represented 3-D and ipad interac-tives ). Present with scale reference (person).

2. Exterior with exhibit brand 3 . Select one detail to enlarge to scale 11 x 11”.

Flush mount.3. Present 1 typographic logo for main exhibit, plus

and interior and exterior rendering4. Organize and present sketch process into booklet.

Race, Nationality, and EthnicityMass MediaSociology of FoodYouth CulturesSociology of Gender and SexualitySocial MovementsCults, Clans, and CommunitiesClass Conflict and InequalitiesSpirituality, Superstition, and LegendsConsumerismThe Family

Project 1 : Narratives and Grids in Mobile Exhibitions



Project 2 : Grids in Exhibition Spaces

Schedule

Tues. January 17IntroductionAssign Project 1Team Building ProjectThurs. January 199 am : Field Trip (Holocaust or HMNS)At the museum present your topic/conceptIdentify theme outline, narrative excerpt, main exhibit title ideas, texts and imagery.Tues. January 24Teams present in pdf presentation:— Project Objectives/Concept Statement Need/Goals, Audience— Narrative Outline of major components Titles and Subtitles 1- 2 paragraphs per section to describe major

sections— Mobile Exhibition Title ConceptIndividuals Present— Mood Board Ideas : typefaces, images, forms, colors, surfaces and

images of relevant objects or artifacts. 2 Wireframe/Flow Sketches 2-16” x 3”

- Exhibition Title Concept word marks 3 -11 x 11"

Thurs. January 26Due final experience narrative and outlineDue 2 refined main exhibit title word marksDue : 2 refined grid sketches 2- 16 x 3 x3” exhibit walls:

Consider traffic flow, content relationship, experience narrative.

Further develop exhibit typography and exhibit identity. Indicate 1 or 2 typeface selections and hierarchy of these typefaces for use on all the exhibit graphics.(B+W tiled and reduced scale color)— texts, images, forms, colors, surfaces and images of relevant objects Introduce Exterior Branding conceptsTues. January 31Due 1 refined overall exhibit identityRefined 2 - 48 x 9 x 8.5” exhibit walls(B+W tiled and reduced scale color)Consider material, media, colorsThurs. February 2Due 1 refined overall exhibit identityRefined 2 - 48 x 9 x 8.5” exhibit walls(B+W tiled and reduced scale color)Discuss materials/buildingTues. Feb 7Due Interior and Exterior DraftRefined 4 - 48 x 9 x 8.5” exhibit walls(B+W tiled and reduced scale color)Consider material, media, colorsAssign Interactive Project 3

Thurs. Feb 9Field Trip to GraphTecTues. Feb 14Due Interior and Exterior Mobile Exhibition Final DraftRefined 4 - 48 x 9 x 8.5” exhibit walls(B+W tiled and reduced scale color)Assign production/building

Thurs. Feb 16In Class work on Interior and Exterior Mobile Exhibition Final Draft. Refined 4 - 48 x 9 x 8.5” exhibit walls(B+W tiled and reduced scale color)Small Group: Interactive App Concept Review

Tues. Feb 21In Class work on Interior and Exterior Mobile Exhibition Final Draft. Refined 4 - 48 x 9 x 8.5” exhibit walls(B+W tiled and reduced scale color)Small Group: Interactive App Concept Review

Thurs. Feb 23Review Models + Exhibition Collateral

Tues. Feb 28In Class work on Interior and Exterior Mobile Exhibition Final Draft. Refined 4 - 48 x 9 x 8.5” exhibit walls(B+W tiled and reduced scale color)Small Group: Interactive App Concept Review

Thurs. March 2In Class work on Interior and Exterior Mobile Exhibition Final Draft. Refined 4 - 48 x 9 x 8.5” exhibit walls(B+W tiled and reduced scale color)Small Group: Interactive App Concept Review

Tuesday, March 7Due Project 1 Assign Project 3: EEDC Branding

Thursday, March 9 Proposed initial meeting between students, business owners/constituents + EEDC

March 14/16 Spring Break

Tuesday, March 21 Branding Concept Discussion and Review (Groups)

Thursday, March 23 Due App



Project 2 : Exhibition Design Process from:

Typical Deliverables for Final Design PhaseThree in-person meetings (and distribution of meeting notes)Content: Final textContent: Draft scripts: interactives & A/VDesign : Plan w/content (measured CAD drawing)Design : Elevations w/graphics & dioramas/murals (measured CAD)Design : Sections/details (measured CAD)Design : Electrical plan/schedule (measured CAD)Design : Mechanical plan/schedule (measured CAD)Design : Lighting plan (measured CAD)Design : A/V Signal plan (measured CAD)Design : Finish scheduleDesign : Interactive operation diagramsDesign : Audiovisual concept sketchesArchitectural Permit documents (as required)Graphic Design: Exhibit graphic design (measured drawings)Graphic Design: Image management & acquisitionExhibit component database with product and material speci-ficationsSchedule: Final fabrication and installation scheduleSchedule: Final fabrication budget

Design Process – Construction DocumentsBy the conclusion of the Final Design phase, a complete package that illustrates the full exhibit design—how it will be built, where every component is located and how each works within the larger space. This package includes exhibition identification, exhibi-tion descriptions, a database of exhibit components, measured CAD plans with content, floor plans, elevations, artifact lists, measured graphic design elements and samples, draft scripts with details for audio visual components, interactive exhibits, final text, sound and lighting systems specifications, production schedules and a fabrication cost estimate.Once this phase is completed and has been approved by the team, the team can transition into fabrication.

Typical Deliverables for Final Design PhaseContent: Final textContent: Draft scripts: interactives & A/VDesign: Plan w/content (measured CAD drawing)Design: Elevations w/graphics & dioramas/murals (measured CAD)Design: Sections/details (measured CAD) Design: Electrical plan/schedule (measured CAD)Design: Mechanical plan/schedule (CAD) (if required)Design: Lighting plan (measured CAD)Design: A/V Signal plan (measured CAD)Design: Finish scheduleDesign: Interactive operation diagramsDesign: Audio visual concept sketchesArchitectural Permit documents (as required)Graphic Design: Exhibit graphic design (measured drawings)Graphic Design: Image management & acquisition (as defined in budget)Exhibit component database with product + material specificationsSchedule: Final fabrication and installation scheduleSchedule: Final fabrication budget

Museum – “An organization in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which researches, communicates and exhibits things and ideas, for the pur-poses of education, study and enjoyment.”Many museums are non collecting, so a museum is not about displaying a collection. Some museums are “for profit”, so a museum can’t be defined by tax status. Some museums don’t have a building or a “home”, so it is not about a location.

Exhibition: “An event at which displays are put out in a public space for people to view and interact”

Design – “The making of a plan for the construction of an object or a system”

Now, can I create a definition of “Museum Exhibition Design” that can apply to all the different types of museums?

Science Center

Natural History Museum

Airport Museum

Natural History Museum

Traveling Exhibition

Art Museum

History Museum

Aquarium

Mobile Museum

On line Museum / Virtual Museum

Zoological Park

Botanic Garden

Definition:

Museum Exhibition Design: “The making of a plan for the construction of public displays for the purposes of educa-tion, study and enjoyment, in the service of society and its development.”

Exhibition Design Process — PhasesThe museum exhibition design process can be divided into five distinct phases:

Concept Development

Schematic Design

Design Development

Final Design

Construction Documents

The output of the design process:

Fabrication

Installation

http://museumplanner.org/museum-exhibition-design-2/

Exhibition Design Process – Concept DevelopmentConcept Development provides the “road map” for the project, where is the project going?, how will it get there? and a definition of the resources available to complete the project. Concept Development is culminated with the signing of a Project Charter outlining all of the compo-nents of the project.

Project Objectives

Project Filters

Project Charter

Initial Budget

Initial Schedule

Project Narrative, included in the Project Charter

Front End Evaluation Umbrella Concept

“Look and Feel”

Typical Deliverables for Schematic PhaseContent: description of project goals and messagesContent: visitor experience narrativeContent: outline of major componentsDesign: Rough plan view w/contentDesign: Diagrams of content relationshipsDesign: Traffic-flow diagramsDesign: Sketches of key points in exhibitionDesign: Color perspective sketches (for fundraising and exhibit naming opportunities)Graphic Design: Collage of look & feel for exhibits and graphicsSchedule: Fabrication and Installation scheduleSchedule: budget developmentSchematic Design Phase deliverables: bound II” x 17” booklets + electronic master copy

Typical Deliverables for Design Development PhaseContent: Final outlineContent: Draft textContent: Initial image and object listContent: Interactives and audio/visual outlinesDesign: Plan w/content (CAD drawings)Design: Elevations and Sections (CAD drawings)Design: Preliminary Electrical plan (CAD draft)Design: Preliminary Mechanical plan (CAD draft)Design: Preliminary Lighting plan (CAD draft)Design: Exhibit Component DatabaseVisuals: Interactive sketchesGraphic Design: Exhibit graphic designGraphic Design: Inventory/matrixGraphic Design: Layout & design of typical panelsGraphic Design: Directional Signing (way-finding) — loca-tions plan and elevations with specifications for interior spacesSchedule: Revised fabrication and installation scheduleSchedule: Revised fabrication budgetDatabase of graphicsPrototyping of interactive exhibits




Typography as Transmitter // Barbara Fahs Charles

The basic building blocks of an exhibition are artifacts, words (concepts and interpretation), physical design, graphic design, and lighting. Many exhibitions, of course, have additional, often very significant components—audio, video, mechanical and computer interactives, live actors, etc.—but these primary five form the core palate of every exhibition. Of these, graphic design—often primarily typography—is the connecting tissue, the carrier, the transmitter. Through typography the words have a physical presence and through the words the concepts of the exhibition and the interpretation of the artifacts are expressed most basically. Text and typography are Siamese twins—the existence of each dependent on the other. At their zenith they are intertwined creative expressions that capture the imagination. At their nadir, they are unintelligible, illegible wasted efforts that quickly destroy all visitor interest. Words are too often the silent partners in an ex-hibition. As designers, we typically discuss the objects, the setting, the “mood” and the special elements of the exhibition. The quality of the texts our basic way of understanding the goals of the exhibition—are paramount, but rarely offered the high regard they rightfully deserve. Visitors come to an exhibition, often like foreigners in a new land, not knowing what to expect. They have to learn the signs and symbols of the natives (i.e. the museum personnel, a worthy anthropological study in itself). Words, conveyed through typography, are their tools and maps for understanding. The typography and the texts must be welcoming and illuminating, at the beginning and throughout the exhibition. Typography as the transmitter must respect the meaning of the texts. Its fundamental responsibility is to convey content. Typography also adds hierarchical clarity to the texts, signaling importance, voice, relationships, and meaning. It should entice and encourage, drawing the reader in, making museum visitors want to spend the time and energy to understand what is being presented. At the same time, typography has other roles, both intellectual and aesthetic. Typography signals a time, a place, a culture, a style, enhancing the theme of the exhibition with subtlety or “hit-them-on-the-head” directness. It can provide unity to disparate elements or express a diversity of viewpoints. Typography at its best is a leitmotif for an exhibition, setting a tone, adding visual meaning with wit, humor, solemnity, and elegance. Typography can also add texture and significant color. Before the computer revolution, type, in its original form as an inked element most often metal, sometimes wood—pressed into paper, had an expressiveness that could be exploited for exhibitions. The quality and textures of the paper and the pure color of the ink added a richness no longer easily available. Now, as digitized output is increasingly being used in exhibitions, we are both gaining and losing. The sophisticated integration of typography and imagery that computers make possible is positive; the uniformity of the final product disheartening. On the other hand, sophisticated computer-driven cutters have brought dimensional type—raised, etched, or cut from almost any material—within the range of often limited museum budgets. A theatrical comparison is not inappropriate. No matter how wonderful the script, if the actors are inaudible, it they fail to capture our attention and draw us in, we will never comprehend the full message. In the theatre of exhibition, typography, of course, doesn’t act alone. The objects have the starring and primary supporting roles. Typography might be best compared to the chorus. In a Greek tragedy or the ballet, the best choruses perform with clarity and synchronized precision. Good typography requires the same attention to con-nection and separation, to emphasis and underscoring, to line and alignment, to rhythm and form.

Top 10 Successful Exhibit Requirements

1. Motivate VisitorsTarget an audience — the general public and/or specific communities2. Focus Content:Filter content so visitors are not bombarded with information overload3. Immersion:Engage visitors within a “story”4. Modularity:Present smaller themes instead of one larger complex topic5. Skimmability:Information should be easy to take in because visitors are often standing and/or have different levels of education6. Patterns:Incorporate traffic/circulation patterns, exhibit sequence patterns and pre-existing framework patterns (architectural elements)7. Capture Curiosity:Use storytelling techniques to engage visitors8. Interaction:Give visitors a “fun” experience by tapping into their emotion9. Integrate Technology:Technology should enhance visitor’s experience, not detract from it10. Layer Content:Present information in a hierarchical manner

Carliner, Saul. Modeling Information for Three-Dimensional Space: Lessons Learned from Museum Exhibit Design. Models, Processes, and Techniques of Information Design



Project 2 : Grids in Exhibition Spaces : Writing Text for Exhibitions

Ekarv Text Guidelines

One idea expressed per lineLine breaks placed at natural pauses in a sentenceNo more than 3 lines per sentenceSimple sentence structures, no complex clausesUse active forms of the verb where possibleConversational rhythms, easily spoken out loudMaximum 52 characters per line (including spaces)Maximum 8 lines per paragraphMaximum 15 lines for labels, 22 lines for panels (including spaces)

Text writing and EditingInteresting, concise writing and editing is key

Use a 3 level hierarchical approach—KIDS, GENERAL, SPECIALIZED (divers, swimmers and waders )

Keep text panels short enough that they can be read without the well-known feeling of impatience for moving ones focus to the object on exhibit

Keep paragraphs to under a hundred words.

Group paragraphs into twos oActaullr threes with subheads.

A good guide line to follow is a 65 word maximum length paragraph

https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/28-writing-effective-interpretive-text.pdf







Trailer Example

Sketching Methods

Traffic Flow/Wireframe

Schematic Traffic Flow

Schematic Collage Concept





