Our philosophy

We believe the strategy should be content-led. What stories does the exhibition tell already? What stories would you like it to tell? And how can we include them, whether through didactics, engagement activities, or other means? How do these stories relate to one another? Are they connected by chronology, themes, geographies, or another framework? How do we want visitors to feel?

For us, exhibition design is creative problem-solving. We take the physical space, the object checklist, the curatorial goals and interpretative strategies, and we make them work together, with the goal of creating the optimal visitor experience—achieved through harmonious integration of these components.

While we understand each museum has its own visitor demographics, our goal is to design for all ages, backgrounds, and levels of ability. We champion inclusivity and are committed to creating equal opportunities for meaningful visitor experiences.

Physically, we design to meet ADA and Universal Design guidelines. When a concern is not addressed by either of the former, we refer to the Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design. We also recommend prototyping where needed and possible. Creating an inclusive museum experience involves thoughtful problem-solving for gallery interactions. Developing a strategy means carefully planning content and its availability, and not just within the gallery but also in additional digital and print formats.

We also have extensive experience integrating multiple languages, which includes creating bilingual strategies working with local communities.

We are collaborative by nature. During our previous in-house experience, we worked on a small, closely knit team for each project, which allowed us to move quickly and nimbly and gave us the ability to experiment. Each team member was respected for their contributions, and all decisions were made as a team.

Throughout the schematic design and design development stages of the process, we will offer multiple options for review and feedback. For example, we will offer options for how visitors might move through the space and view the collection, a step which we call Fit & Flow, where we provide flow options while assessing the fit of the proposed checklist in the space. We will facilitate discussion of these options and revise them as needed until the team reaches a consensus.

Open dialogues and iterative feedback sessions are integral to the process, ensuring that every design element harmoniously aligns to deliver an exceptional and impactful experience for museum visitors.

In addition to the artworks, our intention is to integrate digital media, low-tech engagement stations, or seating seamlessly throughout art experiences. Museum fatigue is well-documented, and providing moments of rest as well as variety in the visitor’s experience is important to minimizing fatigue and increasing engagement.

We believe all exhibition didactics, from introductory texts to object labels, should be easy for visitors to locate. We propose to create a clear hierarchy of didactics through design, scale, and placement. This hierarchy helps visitors to navigate and make sense of the exhibition, often in a subconscious manner. Understanding that individuals consume information differently, we believe in incorporating a range of content formats to connect with the most visitors possible.

We also like to create moments of surprise in the visitor experience, which contribute to variety and can inspire a sense of awe or wonder. This can allow the installation to be slowly revealed to the visitor upon closer approach rather than from a distance.