WHAT WE’VE CREATED - selected projects
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Passion & Perseverance
Based on a yearlong reporting project by Capital Public Radio, ”Passion and Perseverance: A Year at Encina” explores how a public school reflects California’s shifting demographics, education policies, and residential segregation. The exhibition design uses photographs, videos, Instagram posts, school artifacts, and participatory elements to challenge the narrative of low-income schools by highlighting the work of tireless teachers and staff who create a safe and supportive campus culture, and the stories of students who work against the odds to achieve their dreams. Project: Passion & Perseverance: A Year at Encina Client: California Museum Venue: California Museum, Sacramento Project scope: 600 sq. ft. content research and development, architectural planning, furniture, lighting, interpretive experiences, graphics (environmental and digital), wayfinding signage, media integration |
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Davis Pathfinder
Davis was the first city to receive the League of American Bicyclists first ever Platinum Level Bicycle Friendly Community award in 2005, the highest award possible. Within its eleven square miles, the city has over 100 miles of designated street bike lanes and bike/pedestrian paths compared with 200 miles of streets. The Davis Pathfinder wayfinding system improves the navigation and experience of the pathways and bikeways for residents and visitors by adding visible signs, clearly identifying preferred routes, mapping the city by color-coded districts, and adding distances and times to destinations. Solutions were developed after an intensive period of community engagement and feedback. Project: Davis Pathfinder Client: City of Davis Venue: 100 miles of bikeways and pathways Project scope: Community engagement, master design guidelines, mapping, signage and wayfinding system |
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Landscapes that tell human stories
This playful exhibition catalogue reveals Josef Koudelka’s landscape photographs, reflecting on the Czech-French photographer’s acute awareness of the precarious relationship mankind has with his natural environment. The exhibition was thoughtfully designed to feature large displays of his over 20 meters long concertina photo-books and dummies from his personal collection. Project: Josef Koudelka: The Making of Landscape Client: The WS Society Venue: Signet Library, Edinburgh, Scotland Project scope: exhibition catalogue, architectural planning, furniture, lighting, interpretive experiences, environmental graphics |
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Out of the Shadows
A new art museum requires a visual language that can evolve as it establishes itself. The emphasis on shade—so effectively modeled in the Manetti Shrem Museum’s Grand Canopy—steers us to the absence of light (the shadow), at the edge where light meets shadow we find color (the halation). A “gradient” emerges from the shadows edge, customized colors Thiebaud orange and Canopy violet at its center, bookended by Davis ocher and Nauman blue. This evolving “gradient” becomes the museums graphic identity, part of a bold new visual language, consisting of a vocabulary of unifying design principles guiding the representation of everything, from the furniture to graphic applications. Expressed through a cohesive palette of materials, shapes, colors, textures, typefaces and symbols, the branding system conveys distinction, reinforces recognition, and identifies the museum from other institutions. Project: Visual Language and Graphic Identity Client: Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, UC Davis Venue: Manetti Shrem Museum of Art Project scope: Content research, concept development, implementation of unifying design language, applied to: product, furniture, interpretive experiences, graphics (environmental, publication, and digital), and wayfinding signage |
Visual language for the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art
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On a Color's Edge
Acclaimed as a “building to boost your faith in the future of American architecture” (1), the new Manetti Shrem Museum of Art called for a signage system that complemented the architecture and communicated clearly to a broad range of visitors. The signs that make up the wayfinding system reference the signature museum architecture: the horizontality of the buildings Grand Canopy; the vertical columns and contours in the concrete façade; the circular and elliptical forms (sign corners). Bold colors derived from the museums graphic identity inhabit the edges and the backs of the sign elements—assuming the area occupied by shadow. In the same vein as the architecture, the signage elements possesses an ethos that is site-specific, drawing inspiration from the central valley vernacular of flat horizontal planes, light, color and pattern found in the surrounding quilted agrarian landscape.
Project: Wayfinding and Signage System Client: Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, UC Davis Venue: Museum Plaza, Lobby, Educational Spaces and Galleries Project scope: 60,000 sq. ft. Content research, concept development, design and implementation for comprehensive sign system including: wayfinding light pole and celebratory banners; building and entrance identification; directional; donor and annual giving; base building code; gallery object and interpretive sign system |
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Please Sit and Imagine
Imagine you are Henry and Arabella Huntington sitting in your sumptuous Beaux-Arts style mansion surrounded by one of the best decorative arts collections of the Gilded Age. Improved storytelling, integrated design solutions using an architecturally sympathetic and accessible barrier and interpretive signage system, better circulation, touch-screen media, and a place to sit and interact with the furniture. Together these enhance the understanding of the Huntington family, increase engagement with the house and collection, and improve the overall visitor experience. Project: Art Gallery Interpretation Client: Huntington Library, Gardens and Art Collections, San Marino Venue: Huntington Historic House, first floor Project scope: 12,000 sq. ft. content research and writing, development, architectural planning, furniture, lighting, interpretive experiences, graphics (environmental and digital), wayfinding signage, media integration |
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The 1st Social Network
The Quest for the Railroad across America was made engaging for all ages in this highly participatory environment. A wall of 300 stereograph photographs formed a dramatic backdrop for a riveting story told through fun facts, interactive touch tablets and historical objects, including a smart phone from 1860! Project: Visions of Empire: The Quest for a Railroad Across America, 1840–1880 Client: Huntington Library, Gardens and Art Collections, San Marino Venue: Boone Gallery Learning Space Project scope: 1000 sq. ft. content research and writing, concept development, architectural planning, furniture, lighting, interpretive experiences, graphics (environmental, publication, and digital), wayfinding signage, media integration |
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Oxygen for Octogenarians
What does one hundred years of love and care look like? For the Jewish Home it was connecting with spritely residents and delving into their rich history and personal stories. Still and moving digital photographs illustrate the homes past, present and future. The whole installation is shaped into a six-pointed Star of David, representing a constellation of Jewish history and values. Project: Celebrating 100 Years Client: Jewish Homes, Los Angeles Venue: Entrance Lobby Project scope: 500 sq. ft. content research and writing, concept development, architectural planning, furniture, lighting, interpretive experiences, graphics (environmental, publication, and digital), wayfinding signage, media integration |
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Material Culture
Women's, Western, and environmental history unite in this exhibition to upend and challenge the traditional “history” exhibition format. Compelling object experiences, surprising material choices, and a consistently high level of design detailing wrap an engaging narrative around an eclectic group of artifacts. “Blown away... I haven't read that many labels or engaged in that much of an exhibit in years…" - Museum critic and author Stephanie Weaver Project: Home Lands: How Women Made the West Client: Autry National Center, Los Angeles Venue: Temporary Exhibition Space Project scope: 5,000 sq. ft. concept development, architectural planning, furniture, lighting, interpretive experiences, graphics (environmental, publication, and digital), wayfinding signage, media integration |
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The Three Perfections
How Chinese painting, calligraphy, and poetry survived 900 Years, 6 Generations, and 1 Family is amazing enough. Painted scrolls are fugitive in light, delicate and challenging to exhibit. Substantial thought went into all aspects of this exhibition, but consistent with our goals two areas stand out: (1) the art object comes first, (2) the inclusion of a range of environmentally sustainable features that do not compromise the exhibition design aesthetic. “A gorgeous new exhibition…” - Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight Project: Through Six Generations: The Weng Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Client: Huntington Library, Gardens and Art Collections, San Marino Venue: Boone Gallery Exhibition Space Project scope: 3,500 sq. ft. concept development, architectural planning, furniture, lighting, interpretive experiences, graphics (environmental, publication, and digital), wayfinding signage, media integration |
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Hello, my name is "Museum"
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art redefines who they are, improving their public persona with a cohesive brand for their welcome brochures, store signage and product. These materials feature their diverse art collection in a playful, yet elegant fashion. Project: Museum Merchandise, Wayfinding and Branding Client: Santa Barbara Museum of Art Venue: Museum and Shop Project scope: content research and writing, concept development, graphics (environmental and publication), wayfinding signage, merchandise |
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Por Homme, Made in China
Silk robes and shaved foreheads, men's fashion of the Qing Dynasty exhibited up front and personal for viewers to truly appreciate these stunning silk garments. Low angled barriers removed the need for protective glass vitrines, magnifying glasses in front of selected objects, and image details on the descriptive labels conveyed clearly the intricate stitching techniques. Project: Everyday Luxury: Chinese Silks of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) Client: Santa Barbara Museum of Art Venue: Temporary Exhibition Space Project scope: 3,000 sq. ft. concept development, architectural planning, furniture, lighting, interpretive experiences, graphics (environmental, publication, and digital), wayfinding signage, media integration |
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Greenwashed
Anything but, in 2003 the NRDC's Environmental Action Center held the distinction as the first “green” interpretive center in the nations “greenest” LEED platinum certified building. Exhibits ranging from global warming to green building were designed and built to be zero waste and toxin free. The Center was one of the first to tell the green building story using real time metering and building performance data. Project: Robert Redford Building Environmental Action Center Client: Natural Resources Defense Council, Santa Monica Venue: Main Office Building Project scope: 1,200 sq. ft. content research and writing, concept development, architectural planning, furniture, lighting, interpretive experiences, graphics (environmental and digital), wayfinding signage, media integration |