DJB Design / Exhibition Design

P O R T F O L I O

editorial

exhibition design

editorial exhibition design

Influences + Architecture: How to read a New Orleans building Ask: Design two rooms for a new exhibit, “Influences & Architecture,” that helps visitors better understand the forms and styles of a New Orleans building.

Tools: Adobe Creative Suite, vinyl lettering, vinyl wallpaper Deliverables: Large-format graphics for floor to ceiling display.

Timeline: 4 months.

The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans has been a great client over

the years. I’ve done some systems consultation and designed collateral for some of their large events. So when they told me they wanted to re-imagine some

of their lobby space into a new exhibit, I was delighted. I’d designed a couple

exhibitions for The Historic New Orleans Collection and it has quickly become

a new medium I really enjoy. This new exhibit, “Influences & Architecture,” would teach visitors how to “read” a New Orleans building. In this city that’s more

than 300 years old, there was plenty of material to work with. I designed two separate areas, architectural forms and architectural styles. The exhibition

features illustrations, sketches of typical blueprints, and 3D-printed models with detachable roofs. Photos of buildings from around the city help frame the forms and styles. The exhibition was installed using cut vinyl and vinyl wallpaper.

PORT FOL I O

2

editorial exhibition design

PORT FOL I O

3

editorial exhibition design

New Orleans Medley: Sounds of the City Ask: Design the title design, typography, and wall graphics for the exhibit “New Orleans Medley: Sounds of the City” at The Historic New Orleans Collection.

Tools: Adobe Creative Suite, vinyl lettering, vinyl wallpaper Deliverables: Exhibition logo, oversized quote graphics, text panels and labels.

Timeline: 2 months.

This particular exhibit coincided with New Orleans’s

tricentennial in 2018 (though the celebrations continued in

the years after). The assignment was clear: create a title logo that speaks to 300 years of music in New Orleans. Marketing materials for the exhibit stated “New Orleans music is not a

genre but a story of diverse styles, influences, and musicians coexisting across history.” I thought that really summed up New Orleans music. One icon couldn’t wrap up 300 years.

I outlined the capital M in Grafolita Script and filled it with all sorts of musical elements and instruments. A major

challenge to the overall project is the wall color of the gallery space. The dark red wall is standard in the halls of Williams Research Center and would not be painted, so designing

anything for this space had to be legible on that color. After we had the title graphic nailed down, there were four wall

quotes and some text panels to design. I peppered Grafolita into those quotes and panels to keep it cohesive.

PORT FOL I O

4

editorial exhibition design

PORT FOL I O

5