Exhibition Design Quotes

“10. Materials

• Examine the durability, fixing methods, cost, sheet size and ease of use of materials.
• Check the fire rating of materials to ensure that they conform to local fire regulations.
• Specify combinations of materials and types of construction accurately, in conformity with local building regulations. Where possible, be specific about the supplier of a material, its surface texture, colours (including the appropriate paint or the surface treatment) and the required fire resistance.
• Ask suppliers for produce prototypes wherever possible.
• Build a library of samples that you can refer to quickly and easily.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“9. Sound and film

• Use sound and film to add depth to the theme of an exhibition. Many visitors respond well to audiovisual content, and in some cases, this may be the only bit of the exhibition visitors engage with.
Integrate sound and film into the overall narrative of the exhibition.
• Develop of the content for film and sound at the same time as the exhibition narrative.
• Examine the exhibition environment and make sure the light and acoustic conditions are adequate for audiovisual displays.
• Install acoustic barriers between sound areas where necessary to avoid sound spill.
• Use your imagination to explore how film and sound can be used. Exhibitions offer grate potential for the use of film and sound that far exceed how film and media are used in a day-to-day context.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“8. Interactives



• Work with the client to get detailed feedback and agreement on the interactive brief.


• Work with client to collect great assets (images, videos, language/quotations, etc.) to include in the brief, and ultimately, in the interactive.


• Ensure that the interactive is fun, easy and rich with ideas.


• Maintain simplicity and accessibility.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Expense versus value
Interactives, especially digital ones, can be expensive, so exhibition designers should carefully consider their function in telling the story and the audience they are addressing.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Writing an interactive brief

1. The contest of the interactive(s) within the story of the exhibition.
2. The key content messages.
3. Key learning outcomes—what should the visitor take away from the experience?
4. Details of the assets available—this could be a list of objects, set of reference images, data information or moving film footage.
5. Audience profile—who is the intended audience?
6. Initial specifications of the audiovisual hardware likely to be used.
7. Budget.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“"Find out more" interactives
"Find out more" interactives appeal to visitors of all levels of interest—from those who just want to grasp the big picture to those who wish to dig deeper.

Gaming interactives
Gaming interactives appeal to those who learn by doing rather than being shown or told (sometimes referred to ask kinaesthetic learners). These do not need to be digital—many of the best game-based interactives are mechanical and kinetic.

They are often a great way of helping visitors to see how dry content can be applied to more exciting scenarios.

Environmental interactives
Environmental interactives are immersive interactive experiences, often on a large scale, intended to connect with users in an emotional and awe-inspiring way by carrying a powerful, overarching message. Often, these pieces feel closer to art installations than interactives

The main outcome of the interactive is often a sensory impression, rather than an intense learning experience.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Interactive designers may [...] recommend technologies that do not date as easily as others, such as touch tables rather than apps. One strategy is to use technologies that have been in existence for a while, as component and style have been proved to last, at least for a number of years. The most effective interactive often do not seek to use the latest technology, but rather work with existing technological "gestures", such as using fingertips to zoom in, and exploit these

Given that the only certainty for technology is further change, the success of any interactive is always measured by its usefulness, and its relevance to the exhibition content. The only way to mitigate against obsolescence is the richness of the interpretation—if the story is strong enough, an older technological interface can sometimes cease to matter.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“[...] interactive media is no longer a novelty [...]—it is an expectation.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“7. Lighting

• Carry out a site survey whenever possible to assess the conditions in which an exhibition will take place, and familiarize yourself with any existing lighting infrastructure and daylight parameters.
• Examine existing electrical installations and determine whether they are adequate to support new lighting. Considering the routing of cables carefully.
• Plan the lighting early on. It is easier to add it at the beginning of the the design process than at the end.
• Create a lighting scheme that supports the exhibition structure and helps the convey the show's concept.
• Ensure that all graphical information that is intended to be read and adequately illuminated, and check the readability of the information.
• Consider the amount of heat the lighting will generate. Hot lamps may harm the exhibits and if the heat build-up is too great, additional air-conditioning may be needed.
• Make your collaborators aware of the lighting solutions you intend to provide by circulating your lighting plans to all relevant parties.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Types of exhibit-focused lighting:

1. Spotlights
2. Wall-wash
3. Contoured spotlight”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Exhibit-focused lighting

1. "Ambient light" describes light thrown onto walls creating an overall brightness.
2. "Accent lighting" describes an object illuminated while the surrounding room is in relative darkness.
3. "Sparkle" describes special coloured or accented light features intended to create a spectacle.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“[...] most exhibitors try to outdo each other in light output. The lighting designer Dan Heap describes this as a "lux war" ("lux" is the measurement of illuminance).”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“6. Graphic design skills

• Look at the models, drawings and sketches of a proposed scheme to understand the placement of graphics.
• Work out the space of 3-D drawings so that graphics can be reproduced at the appropriate size.
• Print out graphics at full size and look at them from what will be the visitor's viewpoint in the exhibition environment; adjust the size of text or images as necessary.
• Discuss readability issues with your client and avoid long passages of text.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“In most cases, very long lines of text are avoided, especially at a low level.

Area titles of chapter headings are usually mounted above the heads of visitors so that they can be seen from a distance.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“The Ekarv method, named after Margareta Ekarv of the Swedish Postal Museum, is a proven set of guidelines, the effectiveness of which has been substantiated by research and has been widely adopted.

1. Use simple language to express complex ideas.
2. Use normal spoken word order.
3. One main idea per line, the end of the line coinciding with the natural end of the phrase. "The robbers were sentenced to death by hanging" is short and to the point.
4. Lines of about 45 letters; text broken into short paragraphs of four or five lines.
5. Use the active form of verbs and state the subject early in the sentence.
6. Avoid: subordinate clauses, complicated constructions, unnecessary adverbs, hyphenating words and the end of lines.
7. Read texts aloud and note natural pauses.
8. Adjust wording and punctuation to reflect the rhythm of speech.
9. Discuss texts with colleagues and consider their comments.
10. Pin draft texts in their final positions to assess affect.
11. Continually reverse and refine the wording.
12. Concentrate the meaning to an "almost poetic level".”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Designing for readability

Some exhibiting institutions recommend in their guidelines that all texts should be readable by an average twelve-year-old. Studies show that even competent readers are less able to see and understand text in the often confusing environment of an exhibition, and reading ages are effectively lower for exhibition texts than for reading in less demanding surroundings, such as the classroom or home.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“5. 3-D design skills

• Generate guiding ideas through research, mindmapping and personal observation.
• Research and analyze relevant precedents.
• Refer to the exhibition strategy when you develop the plan.
• Use models, sketches and computer visuals to envisage how the scheme will work in practice.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“4. Exhibition strategy

• Investigate the premise for the exhibition.
• Construct an interpretive strategy to bring the premise to life.
• Create a storyline that can be divided into chapters to suit the exhibition space.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Devising a path

The single path:
A single path ensures that all visitors have similar experiences and allows the exhibitor to plan their approach to them in detail, so that they encounter a succession of exhibits in a preconceived fashion. This may be important where the objective is to build a platform of knowledge in the visitor's mind. [...] Later exhibits will be better understood once a basic understanding has been established. This process of introduction and preparation is called "scaffolding".

Single path displays often involve visitor management problems and "dwell time" needs to be strictly managed.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“The exhibition strategy always resounds to access and sustainability issues, and must rescind to a given budget. It is not the design per se, but an approach to the design. It can often be best described through images showing the types of activities and moods the designers wishes to create without too much design information.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“3. The site

• Thoroughly investigate the spaces you are designing for by taking photographs, drawing and measuring.
• Measure loading bays and delivery doors to determine a maximum size for exhibits and display devices that will be taken through them into the display area.
• Analyze and develop exhibition content to see how it might best work within the physical constraints of the exhibition area.
• Determine which walls and internal structures can be moved to facilitate displaying the exhibits.
• Examine the route from the building entrance to the exhibition space.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“2. The visitor

• Ask your client to pass on information about their current audience and any new audiences they would like to attract.
• Research the audience carefully and try to find out what might attract it.
• Build up a visual archive of "moodboard" images from your research.
• Respond to visitors' diverse learning styles by providing a variety of ways for them to engage with exhibits.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“The architecture of the exhibit reflects the product's brand values, with its form, the tactile qualities of the materials, and the sound and smell of the environment specifically chosen to amplify and reflect the brand message.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“The first rule is that all corporate signage but be scrupulously reproduced; normally no company or institution allows their corporate logo to be altered. However, beyond the obvious strictures of corporate graphics, the further interpretation of the brand is in the creative domain of the designer. As long as he or she can argue convincingly that their ideas coincide with the client's brand values, there is often scope.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“The Visitor Bill of Rights
1. Comfort
2. Orientation
3. Welcome/belonging
4. Enjoyment
5. Socializing
6. Respect
7. Communication
8. Learning
9. Choice and control
10. Challenge and confidence
11. Revitalization”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“1. Then brief

Be clear about what you're required to do.
Make sure the brief allows for creative interpretation.
Research the subject and the exhibition.
Anticipate potential problems at the briefing stage.
Share briefing information with important project workers as required. ”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“An "organogram" [is] a hierarchical diagram setting out the roles and responsibilities of the staff designing an exhibition. [p31]”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Very often exhibition designers are asked to create "interpretive masterplans". These address the need to plan links between disparate content/gallery areas, and often encompass an entire site, or a large section of a site. A completed interpretive master plan shows potential visitor routes between galleries, illustrates logical content sequences (such as chronological or thematic approach) and might illustrate a range of costed options to help the client decide how to best use their buildings and galleries within a given budget.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Commercial exhibitors will often have strategic goals that explain the competitive strengths and unique advantages of their current offer. Related but slightly different are visitor outcomes. These describe the ideas of impressions the client wants the audience to take away from their visitor experience.

[...] It can be really helpful to state intended "visitor outcomes" as well as "visitor messages", as there is a critical difference between delivering messages (saying that "science is fun") and designing an experience that creates an understanding in the mind of the visitor (having visitors say "science is fun" after their visit).”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design

“Exhibition designers often specialize in one or two areas: museum displays for publicly funded institutions or commercials displays for corporate clients.

[...]Typically, exhibition design encompasses areas such as "customer experiences", "brand environments", trade fair stands, launch events, consumer pavilions (including World Expos), museums, art galleries, and science and "discovery" centres.”
― Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design