Exhibition Graphics: Flight & the Arts

Three Exhibits at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum Exhibition design including graphics package, space plan and renderings. Completed as part of a course in Exhibit Design and a course in Graphic Communications.

CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT

The challenge of this design was to incorporate three exhibits into one gallery space and to create an arrangement and graphic design that would set each one apart but at the same time tie three very different exhibits together. The ‘International orange’ of the space shuttle flight suit inspired the color for Suited for Space; Goldilocks obviously suggests its own color and the bright blue of the High Art exhibit completes the primary color palette. 

SPACE PLAN

The challenge of this design was to incorporate three exhibits into one gallery space and create an arrangement that would effectively utilize the space. Although Gallery 211 is ostensibly large, various elements in the gallery diminish the available wall space for hanging art and artifacts: the freight elevator, upper level access stairways, emergency stairway and guest elevator all need to remain unobstructed and available for staff access.

GRAPHICS PACKAGE

I used similar fonts and applied a similar treatment to images from the three exhibits in the graphics package, but also gave each a distinct color that could be used in text panels, on walls, and on object labels to clearly distinguish the three shows for visitors. I then tied the three colors together with a neutral, a dark gray, that would be used on the walls to give the gallery a sense of cohesiveness. Circular text panels in the Suited for Space exhibit mirror the rings and helmet shapes seen in the x-ray photographs. These circles are also repeated in the case designs.

Another challenge was determining how to lead visitors around the space and especially into the back of the gallery. One of the methods of doing this was to strategically place two of the Fran Forman works, (one of which is used in the poster for the exhibit), on the freestanding wall directly in the sight line of the entrance, in order to draw visitors into the back gallery where the majority of pieces in the High Art exhibit are displayed. Likewise, the encased replica of the space suit is placed at the far end of the high bay in order to draw visitors through that space.

Article on the class and exhibition:

GWToday, “Students Design Three Exhibits for the National Air and Space Museum.”