Concerts have silences between songs. Book chapters have blank spaces at the end. In this email, there is an empty line after each idea. Respites don’t just appear because one bit is over. It’s deliberate. They establish rhythm and refocus us. …

The most basic form of exhibition planning and design is probably the simple act of framing something. And if you are framing something under glass, you will likely use a mat. Or matt. Or matte. Or mat board. Or matte board. Or mount (in the UK). …

Exhibition and experience projects usually follow what economists call a “smiling curve” of effort. That’s a curve shaped like a smile — basically a wide “u”. It maps effort over time: it starts high, smooths out, then gets high again at the end. …

Visitors don’t expect to find raw, unfinished building materials like chain link fencing, raw plywood, or unpainted concrete blocks in an exhibition. So when we use them raw to construct exhibitions, they can create memorable emotional impact. …

Ideally, the most important takeaway of any interactive should get communicated even if visitors haven’t interacted yet. Yes, that sounded crazy. But stay with me. Question: What is the one thing every interactive exhibition element must do? …

Here’s a question I like to ask occasionally, to see if this definition changes over time. Do all exhibitions “tell a story with things”? The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) thinks so. But what do you think? …

The five L.A.T.C.H. methods are Location, Alphabetical, Time, Categorical, and Hierarchical. Occasionally, I’m asked to admit that some approach is not already covered. The most common proposed addition is “storyline”. So … S.L.A.T.C.H.? …

“Experience design“ might be the most influential idea in our field at the moment — yet it also might be the most misunderstood. Some think “experience design” is merely a rebranding of our existing practice. But that’s not true. …

Today, let me tell you a story. 1983: Service Design. Let’s start here for now. G. Lynn Shostack, a bank marketing executive, coins the term “service design,” spawning a new field. Like product design, but for services. Smart, right? …

Welcome to “What Is Experience Design” Week, Episode 1. This week, we’ll look into this question over three episodes. We’ll find that the answer is … complicated. First, here’s what you said about it …

Awareness art (aka protest art) is art that exists primarily to draw attention to an issue. I’m a bit obsessed with it. Why? Many — no, all — exhibition projects have some form of awareness-building as the main point. So maybe we’re all awareness artists. …

When new subscribers join this list, I ask a single question in the email that confirms them: What is the one thing you most want to read about? And the answer that I get, more than any other, is “experience design.” So let’s get into it. But first …

Is a museum where experiences happen — or is the museum the experience? Bassam Komati (Partner, Viñoly Architects) discusses “Making the Medal of Honor Museum” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners). …

Keepers of important collections and facts want to show as many as possible to the public whenever they get the chance. Which means never repeating. But we could repeat a word, an idea, or a digital image as often as we like. So why would we? …

When we develop our projects, we sometimes leave “maintenance” to others. But if we don’t keep “maintenance” in mind, it will come back to haunt us. And there isn’t just one kind. In fact, there are at least five. …

Have you ever re-watched an old film you once loved for its special effects — only to find it didn't age well? The media and tech industries raise the bar on production values daily. Museums can’t keep up. How can we keep our media fresh longer? …

Priceless objects studied by scholars — Neanderthal skulls, Rosetta Stone, Taylor Swift’s engagement ring — often can’t travel. So sometimes we make scientific-grade facsimiles for borrowing. A copy done this way could cost thousands or more. …

Should our target exhibition audience be people that agree with our position? Or that don’t? The answer will seem counterintuitive. Exhibition audiences work the same way PR audiences work. First break your audience into five groups. …

Walt Disney had a novel vision for the very first theme park. He needed new experiences that would market themselves to visitors. Touring his future property, his beloved dog was a reluctant companion. And that dog gave Walt an idea. …

PHIL: You’re furrowing your brow. MONIQUE: I need a working title and a catchy organizing principle for this little civics exhibition I’m doing. PHIL: Try the Rule of Three. You might solve both. MONIQUE: Rule of what? [Sips matcha disinterestedly.] …