assignment 5b

In Semester One we were given a brief to design an exhibition space based on the Jute industry in Dundee. As part of this project we visited Verdant Works, a current exhibition centre in Dundee. This provided part of our research as we had the opportunity to speak to people who worked in the factories when they were in the peak of the Jute industary in Dundee. This was a group project in which we decided to base our idea of the maps of Dundee and how the landscape changed over time because of the industry.

We carried out some primary and secondary research while doing this project. We looked at old and new maps of Dundee and spoke to people about the changes in Dundee and how they felt about them. We also looked at other exhibition designers and their work, and the thoughts and ideas behind it, for example David Dernie. This research could have been developed further through the research methods that we have used in Semester Two.

Primarily it would be useful to go to other exhibitions and see the techniques and ideas they have in place and watch how people interact with the space. As exhibitions often have both information and installations it would be interesting to see how much time people spend at both of these different aspects. When doing this project I went to a few different exhibitions and did find myself observing what the other people were doing as I usually have quite a natural instinct to watch what others are doing and how they are acting. Here I noticed that the older people tended to be reading the information while the younger visitors were more interested in the visuals. I think this is something that could be investigated and researched further and would also very much depend on the topic. With the Jute industry being a historical topic, it would have been interesting to visit other history based exhibits and see if this was true to all.

Along side the observation of people I feel that because this exhibition design was to be designed for the public, the public should have a say in what they would like to see in this exhibition, what interests them or what form they like to see in exhibitions. Is it information? Or images? Or an interactive design? I think interviewing people about this would prove very useful. As the exhibition was designed for a large age group of people it would be essential to make sure that all ages were interviewed providing a large bank of information. This would also help with the publicity of the event, making the public feel that they have been involved in the design may interest them in coming to view it more. If it has been designed with all age ranges in mind it will then suit all age groups to visit. I think this broader idea of thinking is highly important in any form of design work and is something that I have learned a lot this year throughout design studies.

As part of our exhibition that we designed there was a timeline and imagery throughout the journey though the exhibition. If this was being built in real life, I feel it would be very important to get a graphic designer alongside to ensure the images are powerful and create an impact showing the link between interior design and graphics. This would also have been something that would be taken into consideration when designing the flyers and advertising for the exhibition. One of the main aspects of having an exhibition is getting the public to come and visit and view it. The location is vital along with the publicity. Our design was to be designed for the centre space in the DCA, although part of the brief was for it to be a travelling exhibition and so publicity would be needed at all parts. Throughout this year I have learned a lot about publicity and the use of blogging, twitter and networking as a form of advertising and so feel these skills will prove very useful in the future for other projects and through to the working world.

Another aspect of the design brief was to make the exhibition design as sustainable as possible. This involved doing quite a lot of primary research into different forms of sustainable materials and looking into upcycling and recycling materials. Our most recent studio project has caused this research to develop even further in creating a sustainable redevelopment of a house. Looking into what other people have researched can be very interesting and also lead to your own research ideas therefore proving very useful. When given this brief I felt a little unsure as to how I, as one person can have any impact on sustainability or the impact of it in the design world. After visiting London I realised that this was very untrue and that we are the current up and coming designers who have an interest in making our designs sustainable and so feel that this is a route that can be taken in the future, both with research into the materials used and putting the different techniques and design ideas into practice with the projects we will be taking part in and designing.

Throughout this year I have found myself constantly looking at the world in a different way, from a designer point of view. Looking back on the lectures, my blog and the mind map of the years lecture points has caused me to realise how much I have learned about the designer world. I have always been interested in what other courses are doing and other designers other than interiors, but feel that this year has caused me to think about this in a much deeper way. It is something I feel that I will continue to do, possibly without realising, linking the different ideas and findings to my projects.

Dernie, D, 2006. Exhibition Design. London : Lawrence King