What’s it really cost to build a museum? How can we find out if a project is feasible — before we even start? What are the most common ways museum projects get in financial trouble? Kris Collins joins Jonathan to discuss “A Museum is a Business”.

People who plan and design experiences know the jargon. People who don’t, don’t. And they have no interest in learning. Why should they? Do you recall the name of your prescription — or do you just want a painkiller when something hurts?

What is the Paradox of Exhibitions? Exhibitions display collection items that we otherwise preserve. Unless they are digital items, they have physical form. We take them out of their root cellars and pantries. We bring them into the light. We destroy them a little.

Sexy browsing is when an interactive experience is the equivalent of a book, diagram or filing cabinet, but done with appealing technology. You navigate educational image, text or video information. And your reward is more information. It’s good. But it’s not the only option.

An exhibition of rare books and manuscripts is a flock of beige butterflies. The books are antique paper, wings spread and perched in rows. But what is the most common color of fabric background we put these gentle beings upon?

How do you keep a huge project on track? What’s a contingency — and why is it the secret to success? Project manager Beth Van Why (Becker & Frondorf) joins host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) to reveal the Secrets of Complex Cultural Project Management.

What’s awe? A blockbuster movie might be “awesome”. And we might be “in awe” of someone’s “awe-inspiring” talents. But what is it? An emotion. Awe is a hybrid of fear, veneration and wonder. And you see it a lot — in exhibitions. 

Because exhibitions are a curious mix of message and space, they sometimes generate curious ideas. One of the most curious: verbal clichés as design inspiration. Sure, there are “two sides to every story”. But maybe don’t build a big panel with stories on two sides?

When is the earliest time you should estimate costs for your exhibition or experience project? A. As soon as you have approved technical drawings. B. As soon as you have a concept design package. C. When you barely know what you’re doing.

In art, the Latin term horror vacui (fear of empty space) refers to the urge to fill a visual composition, leaving no areas empty. Exhibition planners often grapple with horror vacui. In modern art exhibitions, less so, but with most other types, it’s common. But beware!

How can we plan better projects using the “attract, reveal, reward” system? What’s a “wunderkammer”? Professor, designer, and museum director Tim McNeil (UC Davis) joins host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) to give us a sneak peek of his upcoming book.

SVEN: You guys coming to my session, “Objects Speak for Themselves”? PHIL: Yep! MONIQUE: [Gestures with coffee] Yep! PHIL: [Mutters] So untrue. MONIQUE: No, I’m really going. PHIL: I mean his title. It should be “Objects Can’t Speak for Themselves.”

When a stakeholder suggests expensive additions midway through a project, make it gently clear — on the spot — if you think it might be over budget. Don’t refuse. Just be clear. (This is a black belt cost control tip.)

When the design for your whatsis — museum, experience, wall, interactive software — is cluttered, you have two options. Last time we covered Option 1: Reduce. The second option is not for the faint of heart. But it’s my favorite.

Ever been in a situation where the design for your museum, exhibition, experience, wall — let’s say whatsis — is cluttered? It’s unclear and overstuffed. Exhibitions are particularly clutter-prone. What to do? You have two options.

What’s the best way to organize the content in our experiences? What if you learned there were five ways to do it — and only five? Host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) does a solo podcast on “L.A.T.C.H.”, the framework proposed by TED founder Richard Saul Wurman.

PHIL: I have to cut part of my project. MONIQUE: [Looks for barista] Why? PHIL: Out of time. MONIQUE: Why? PHIL: We didn’t have costs until now. MONIQUE: Why? PHIL: [Furrows brow] We didn’t get them estimated yet. MONIQUE: Why? PHIL: [Annoyed] We could only do it at the end! And why do you keep saying why?

(Time — the “T” in L.A.T.C.H. — is one of the five fundamental organizing principles of exhibitions. See them all here.) Chronology is a common exhibition structure. But there are more twists on it than you think. Here are five:

SEGD, the Society of Experiential Graphic Design, was kind enough to interview me about Making the Museum in their weekly newsletter and blog just now. A big thank you to SEGD — and for permission to reprint it here. (This will be longer than the usual one-minute read.)

Quick, what’s your new exhibition based on?
A. Thing-based
B. Idea-based
C. Wait, is this a trick question?