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In the past, you may have set your exhibit title in a nice font, printed the vinyl for the wall, and didn't worry about being consistent in any further programming or promotional materials. Taking a few extra steps and thinking about your title as a logo will give your efforts more power for their punch and help your audience remember and engage with your exhibit.
Example of an Exhibit Logo
Designing your exhibit logo can be a fairly straightforward process. Above is an example of a title wall with the main elements that should be included in an exhibit's logo.
Title – the big idea of the exhibition. This should always be the first thing a viewer will take away from seeing the design.
Subtitle – the idea of “title: subtitle” can be a useful tool in naming an exhibition and is very popular with curators. It can make your word count high, but is an important part of your title design.
Imagery – while not necessary for every title design, small graphic elements beyond words can be useful in giving visual cues to what the show is about or who it is for.
For this exhibition logo I focused on connection; connecting people and connecting dots to discover new ideas. I studied at diagrams of plant cells and atoms to visualize connection in nature and those common in science teaching which is the basis for the exhibit. The repeating “o” in the title was a useful tool to illustrate connection and a visual element that could be easily versatile for other elements.
Museum’s Branding – often, your exhibition title is going to be presented next to your Museum’s brand and funding or sponsor information.
It could be a main sponsor that should always appear next to the title, or a line of names of your title wall. However much or little of this sponsor information is included, it should still visually fit with the other design elements.
As you can see, most of these elements are determined by your existing museum's brand and curatorial department. Strategically placing these elements together to create a consistent mark or logo for your exhibit will elevate your marketing materials by establishing consistency and intentionality.
Have you already created a logo for your exhibit? Keep reading to see how to know if it's working.