Dennae Jones
Exhibition Design
Uncertain what exhibition design really is? What all it involves? Ask any exhibition designer how many times they've been asked what they actually do, or what exhibition design really is -- they'll probably laugh. Let's explore what this design discipline is all about...
Real-World Applications
More of a "show--me--don't--tell--me" kind of person? If you're looking for real-world exhibition design examples, head over to the inspirational projects page.
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Compared to architecture, graphic design, and many of the other creative fields, exhibition design is a discipline that is really still developing and establishing its identity. It can be hard to explain; many people haven't heard of it or only have the vaguest understanding. As our society searches for new and better ways to connect communities, tell stories, and engage the public, the need for the discipline of exhibition design has grown. Exhibition design is
up and coming.
SEGD defines exhibition design as the following:
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"...the process of conveying information through visual storytelling and environment. It is an integrative, multidisciplinary process that often combines architecture, interior design, graphic design, experience and interaction design, multimedia &
technology, audio, and other disciplines to create
multilayered narratives
around a theme or topic. [It] spans a wide range of applications including museums, visitor centers, heritage parks, themed entertainment venues, trade shows, corporate environments, expositions, and retail stores. It harnesses physical space and visual storytelling to create environments that communicate."
The George Washington University's MA|EX program describes it as "more than the design of spaces that convey information, share stories or promote products. It does more than relate artworks, objects and audiences in experiential compositions. It has the potential to tell us about how we are living and how we could be living. [It] explores the intersection of design and public communications...at a critical moment in the history of cultural discourse and spatial practice. [Exhibition designers] find shapes for ideas and identities and orient them for diverse publics. They choreograph forms, facts and fictions that put people in touch with each other and with the (built) environment.
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India's National Institute of Design defines exhibition design as "a synthesis of multiple design disciplines that come together to communicate objects, information and ideas across a range of three-dimensional environments. Simply understood, it means communication and storytelling through
environmental experiences that inform, entertain, & inspire.
The discipline considers the exhibition from the perspectives of communication, design and fabrication that involve a mastery of spatial planning, image manipulation, narrative, color, lighting, and multimedia, and working knowledge of structures & typography, combined with an understanding of audience and human factors, to shape storytelling experiences across multiple exhibition venues. This can include staging of representative and experiential spaces; interior-design environments and scenography for festivities; museums, galleries and trade exhibitions; and cultural and theatrical events."