We’re all involved in exhibitions all the time. But sometimes we’re so focused, we don’t always think about why all our visitors really visit. Imagine how better informed our work would be — if we did. Let’s dig into it. For Part 1, let’s get all the reasons out there:

Visiting an exhibition is like visiting a city. Both need a mix of two things: Matching systems - elements that are always the same. And unique one-offs - elements that are never the same. Street signs, stoplights and bus stops need to match. And if they don’t …

There is a song we sometimes sing in our exhibition and experience projects: We’re poor. Our budgets don’t have the money those “other” industries have. We’re the ones who have to do a lot with a little. But is it true? …

Sitting at a corner table are MONIQUE, exhibition developer wise beyond her years, and PHIL, anxious independent museum consultant. PHIL: This coffee is terrible. No wonder it was so cheap and fast. MONIQUE: Iron Triangle, baby. [Sips matcha] …

In a classic MtM podcast on “How to Build a Museum,” architect David Greenbaum called out “esprit de corps” as a must-have for every museum project team. It is the unity, loyalty, and camaraderie among team members. …

Is there a better way to collaborate? Emily Saich and Joey Noelle Scott from the Monterey Bay Aquarium discuss their new book “A Collaborative Approach to Exhibition Making” with host Jonathan Alger from C&G Partners. …

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? …