How do curators and designers work together on an exhibition?
The curator decides what the exhibition says, and the designer decides how visitors experience it. The work goes best when the designer joins early, both sides share the exhibition's central idea in plain terms, and decisions about space, text and objects are made together.
What the designer needs from the curator
The idea of the show in a sentence or two. The object list, with sizes and any handling or display requirements. A sense of the audience. And the practical limits: gallery, budget and schedule.
What the curator can expect from the designer
Clear options early, drawings that show how the space will feel, and a graphic approach that carries the curator's ideas without competing with the objects. A good designer asks questions about the work and the audience before proposing form.
Where the curator's voice leads
On Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer, we skipped the typical didactic interpretation and organized works through the artist's own words, so visitors could have a conversation with the work rather than be told what to believe. On Carla Fernández: Casa de Mode, we worked with the fashion designer and her husband, the artist and architect Pedro Reyes, on a retrospective she organized with curator Florence Müller. We created one graphic approach, with rigid typography and layout, while letting the materials of each gallery inform the final signage.
Our view
The best work comes from working closely with the people who know it best. We bring design expertise, curiosity and a willingness to listen, and help different perspectives find common ground.