The unit will ask participants to play the role of both designer and curator by investigating alternative ‘museum’ collections and presenting this assembly through a cultural institution of their own invention. They will develop visual systems to convey the values of the institution through graphic communication and visual style guides. These systems will aim to communicate the ‘brand values’ of the institution, as well as the unconventional collection which it houses.

Throughout the weeks you will undertake several workshops and in class exercises to help develop your own topic of invention, unique assembly, diverse identity system and visual arrangements.

The success of ‘your inventive’ institution will greatly depend on its curation, and maintaining an open curatorial perspective towards what a ‘collection’ can be made of. What unique accumulation of objects, artefacts, paraphernalia would best represent your institution and its unique theme? What dimensional form or media might they take?

The development of an identity / brand will be another key aspect to consider. This part presents the designer with an opportunity to form graphical cultural creative work and establish a distinctive personality and connection with both the institution in question and it’s audience.

Museums are often perceived as established well financed institutions, however hidden amongst this ‘established’ world are some of the most unusual personal home-based and niche museums. These self-initiated institutions exist all around the world often exhibiting strange and unusual collections that document the uniqueness of the human existence. These institutions not only convey their ideologies by housing radical and avant garde collections, but also through the development of their brand identity / visual communication.

The focus of the studio will be on process, research and enquiry; engaging with these aspects in a comprehensive and motivated way. There will be a strong focus on the development of one’s own work through regular deliberation and analytical discussion. 

As the studio progresses you will be asked to develop your initial research into a series of considered outcomes including; mission / vision statement, unique accumulation of objects / unconventional collection, graphical visual system, and establishing a dialogue between process and outcome. 

Over the course of the semester you will create three different design outcomes exploring the development of your accumulation of objects / unconventional collection, brand identity / visual communication & process documentation. 

(1) Research and conceptual framework document.

(2) Development, refinement and implementation of visual Identity, communication and implementation outcomes.

(3) Production of reflective 'SKO' document outlining your 'journey' and the various processes/methods explored in relation to the unit.

Brief 01: Research, Mission and Collection.

Brief 02: Visual Identity, Communication and Visualisation. 

Brief 03: Studio Knowledge Object (SKO)

—Culture Identities: Design for Museums, Theaters and Cultural Institutions, die Gestalten Verlag, 2013

—Richard Hollis designs for the Whitechapel, Hyphen Press, 2013

—Locker Pam. Basic Interior Design 02: Exhibition Design. 2010

—Hughes, Phillips. Exhibition Design: An Introduction. 2015

—Graphic #13: Visual Identity Issue, Propaganda Press, 2010

—Macleod, Suzanne. Reshaping Museum Space (University of Leicester, UK)