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Jac de Kok the photographs. So you have to Jac de Kok Speaks... from look carefully at the proportions, know
Graphic Design in Presentation Media
Jac de Kok has his own graphic design practice in Tilburg and also works as a graphic designer at the Faculty of Architecture of Eindhoven University of Technology. In this article he explains the role graphic design plays in presentations via various media. He addresses the aspects of the medium of exhibition and discusses the way information is best presented. Interview by Michael Maminski, Frank van Kessel, Murat Imamoglu The first step in organizing an exhibition is to look for exhibitors that fit in the predetermined frameworks of the programme. This process is followed by a discussion in which an inventory is made. What does this entail? The transport of the pieces, time and planning are important aspects, but the outline of the costs often plays the biggest role. The choices made in the design of an exhibition are of essential importance. Sometimes, for example, we are dealing with small objects like framed photographs – this has an impact on the way they are displayed. If something coarse is set up against them, it draws attention away
what you want to show and decide how dominant or discreet something should be. The design of an exhibition space therefore always begins with the design of a floor plan. In this you can define the proportions accurately. Sometimes the space in which the exhibition is held has its limitations, such as limited wall space, or a poor lighting situation. You have to take routing, the flow of people and regulations (emergency exits, fire safety and theft) into account in your design. Then you look at what kind of material is going to be exhibited. My vision of graphic design is that the material on display always takes precedence. The role and great challenge of the designer is to bring this to an attractive and well-organized unity, and constantly decide how you can achieve this. This is certainly difficult today, because you are overwhelmed by information in trendy solutions. In the medium of exhibition it is vital that you not use too much text. Keep your texts as short as possible. Sometimes information can even be left out if it is not essential, so that people can better concentrate on the things that should be seen. In an exhibition an introduction panel is often used, so that people know what it is about, like a prologue or an epilogue (foreword and afterword) in a book. These texts do attract attention and mark the beginning and end of the exhibition. Extra information can then be given in the form of brief descriptions accompanying the various subjects or in a catalogue.
Interest has to be elicited gradually. Just as in other media, what matters is the essence of information. Always try to inform people in a way that turns separate elements into a cohesive whole. Do not show things as if they were individual pieces that happen to be displayed side by side – strive for cohesion. In an exhibition I can well imagine that everyone has an individual presentation. But then you do have to arrange the space so that they are interrelated, in some way. So imposing a structure is definitely part of this craft. Just like architects, we compose too, and we also create functional spaces. Architects often outsource a presentation to a graphic designer, but these days architects are increasingly taking this task on themselves. So an architect has to start thinking very early on about what he is going to present and how. A crucial subject for the architect is the target audience. Be sure to take that into account. Focus on the user, the professional community or the financial backer, all with their specific questions, knowledge and interest. Ultimately the key is to take optimum advantage of the quality of the medium you are using. Choose the medium in advance and adapt your material to it. Or conversely, choose the quality of the material and then the medium that suits it.
About the author Jac de Kok (Tilburg, 1952) is a Dutch designer who works at the Eindhoven University of Technology. His style is influenced by the Swiss constructivist school.