Reclaiming Agency
Scope
Exhibition Design, Typography, Brand Identity
Overview
Reclaiming Agency is an exhibition design project developed in collaboration with a design team to establish the visual identity for a gallery exhibition at the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA). The exhibition features the work of female Ukrainian photographers exploring themes of identity and autonomy. Our team pitched two distinct creative directions to the SUMA curatorial staff. Following a collaborative review and refinement process, we developed the final cohesive brand system showcased here, which encompasses promotional advertising, merchandise, and critical museum assets, including exhibition wall text and an exhibition catalogue.
Goal
In developing the identity for Reclaiming Agency, our team sought to create an open, bright, and contemporary visual system that simultaneously paid homage to the heritage of the featured Ukrainian artists. Driven by this direction, we curated a palette of bold, feminine leaning pinks and oranges, complemented by blue and cream tones pulled from the photographs themselves. We anchored the brand with a bold, minimalist type based logo and introduced intricate pattern work inspired by Ukrainian folk art, bridging traditional cultural identity with a modern exhibition design.
Text Panels
The exhibition text panels were a crucial asset to the success of our exhibitions design, serving as the primary vehicle for communicating both the show’s narrative and the personal insights of the artists. My specific focus was the typography and layout of the body copy text. I wanted to ensure the text panels were highly legible and universally accessible for all gallery attendees, while simultaneously integrating the vibrant visual elements of the overall exhibition identity.
Catalogue
The exhibition catalogue was another critical component of our deliverables, requiring a careful balance between functional editorial design and cohesive branding. My role focused on the layout and typographic system of the body copy, ensuring legibility while weaving in the exhibition's visual identity in a non-distracting way. To bridge the print format with the physical gallery space, I scaled up the typography used in the main logotype and drop caps of the text panels for the folio numbers. Additionally, I subtly integrated the custom floral motifs along the inner margins of the layout, creating a consistent visual thread on every page that enhances the design without overpowering the content.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this exhibition design project was an great collaborative experience that resulted in a highly unique and cohesive final outcome. Synthesizing the diverse insights of my team members with the professional feedback from SUMA’s curatorial team provided excellent perspective, prompting introspection and encouraging me to think more critically about both my design process and final execution. Ultimately, the project was a major success, particularly in its typographic treatment, its clear communication of the exhibition's purpose, and the creation of a powerful visual language for the gallery space.
