More and more designers are working in-house for companies but have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in-house at a museum? AIGA New York put together a lecture series that explores the changing role of designers as they move to in-house production and most recently they hosted a presentation specific to the culture of designing in-house for a museum. Last week, Mike Abbink from the Museum of Modern Art, Hilary Greenbaum of the Whitney Museum of American Art, Peter Kaplan of the Museum of Arts and Design, Emile Molin from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Lorraine Wild from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art came together to share their perspectives on the challenges, politics, culture, and concept of design in the museum.
In-house work at museums is relatively new; the Whitney’s design department is only six years old and the MAD’s just celebrated one year. In fact, all the designers gathered for the talk were hired within the past three years. So, we have to ask, what is design’s role in the museum?
The role of design in the museum is constantly being re-imagined - it goes far beyond making cards, pamphlets and marketing materials - design in the museum is an object in itself. Once you walk in the door design envelopes every facet of the museum. It involves configuring the museums identity, exhibition graphics and signage, lighting design, production design, marketing communications, and website design. Ultimately, all of these different branches of design must work cohesively to build connections through a unified story and enhance the art on display. According to Mike Abbink, “Once you ask yourself, how you create impact, you realize - design is everything!”
Working in-house at a museum carries it’s own set of unique challenges when compared to an independent design studio. Museums, like most cultural institutions, are under-resourced and struggle with funding, as opposed to private agencies that are able to ask clients for a larger return on their work. As a result, designers need to be nimble to thrive in the fast passed work environment of a museum, where time ranks higher as a commodity than design process.
“Once you ask yourself, how you create impact, you realize - design is everything!”
Design thinking is changing. Although, they are new to working with designers, museums as institutions value design, and so offer a lot of support to their design team across departments. Working in-house, you have to remember, is a long-term relationship, negotiations will crop up and diplomacy is a must. But you and your work become part of the grand narrative of the museum.
If you visited a museum recently - how did you end up there? Was it an element of design (a banner on the street or an ad online) that drew you in? The museum’s story begins with you!