The Design Of Educational Exhibits

This is the second and fully updated edition of an authoritative handbook aimed at all those involved in designing educational exhibitions. It lays out guidelines for exhibition design that, for a given cost, will tend to optimize the educational value of exhibitions to their target audience. It offers practical guidance on all aspects of the work, from the planning, administration and evaluation of a large programme of exhibition work down to the selection of media and the design and construction of the single exhibit. It discusses the things that should be thought about and the things that should be done in setting up educational exhibits, paying particular attention to the pitfalls that must be identified and avoided if the work is to be done well. The handbook is essential for all those who are concerned with mounting educational exhibitions, whether they be administrators, designers, educationalists, planners or in specific subject areas. It will be required reading for students following postgraduate courses in museology (museum studies) or similar courses at institutions throughout the world. No special background knowledge is assumed as the readership will be as varied as the skills required to put together and evaluate an exhibition.

Museum exhibitions are the future of education. A successful exhibit means a successful visitor experience. The best exhibits engage visitors, offer them free-choice learning, and impart useful information. The worst exhibits don't get used. This paper discusses the five criteria that make for a successful exhibit in a hands-on, informal learning environment, and the three core principals any designer can use to help their exhibit reach its maximum potential.

Although much has been written in recent years on what museum visitors actually experience, there is little research-backed guidance available for developing meaningful exhibits and programs for specific educational purposes. Deborah Perry looks at what we know about the experiences of people in museums and other informal learning settings, and then shares a set of tested principles and strategies—known as the Selinda Model—for the design of effective museum exhibits. Along the way, she showcases examples of both effective and ineffective exhibit designs drawn from two decades of work in the field.

“This is a must-read for the nervous novice as well as the world-weary veteran. The book guides you through every aspect of exhibit making, from concept to completion. The say the devil is in the details, but so is the divine. This carefully crafted tome helps you to avoid the pitfalls in the process, so you can have fun creating something inspirational. It perfectly supports the dictum—if you don’t have fun making an exhibit, the visitor won’t have fun using it.” —Jeff Hoke, Senior Exhibit Designer at Monterey Bay Aquarium and Author of The Museum of Lost Wonder Structured around the key phases of the exhibition design process, this guide offers complete coverage of the tools and processes required to develop successful exhibitions. Intended to appeal to the broad range of stakeholders in any exhibition design process, the book offers this critical information in the context of a collaborative process intended to drive innovation for exhibition design. It is indispensable reading for students and professionals in exhibit design, graphic design, environmental design, industrial design, interior design, and architecture.

This unrivalled handbook is a guide to the world of exhibition design, exploring what constitutes successful design and how it works. It clarifies the roles of the various design skills involved in exhibition design, as new technology and materials expand the possibilities for both form and function.