SEGD Interview: Making the Museum
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 for a great interview — and for permission to reprint it here. Check out the original article for images.
(This is longer than the usual one-minute read.)
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Making the Museum - Podcast & Newsletter,
A Project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture
5 April 2023
https://segd.org/making-museum-podcast-newsletter-project-cg-partners-design-culture
SEGD: Tell us about “Making the Museum”.
Jonathan Alger: It’s a one-minute daily newsletter on weekdays, and a podcast under the same name. I write it and host it. Both are about strategy and planning insights for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. It's my side project, alongside being Managing Partner of C&G Partners most of the day. I've been doing it for a while now.
SEGD: What inspired you to start this side project?
Jonathan: It was one of those cliché situations, really. I was looking for inspiration and tips for people like me, who aren’t beginners, but who still need new insights to keep their saws sharp. I didn’t find any. And like these stories always end, I realized I had to do it myself. So I’m making what I’ve learned over time public, in the form of short truisms and rules of thumb that anyone can apply right away.
SEGD: Is this for professional development?
Jonathan: Yep, that’s it in a nutshell. For readers and for myself, actually. There are a few textbooks and school programs for people starting out in this field, but after that, you’re sort of on your own. Other fields have far more professional development content, critical content, tactical ideas, and the like for people who are established but want to grow. Take medicine for example, or architecture: both have an enormous volume of ongoing educational content that working professionals can tap. My newsletter and podcast aren’t the equal of that, but it’s a start.
SEGD: Well, you’ve got a lot of experience in the field, so it sounds like more than just a start. But what does it cost, and how can our SEGD members get hooked up?
Jonathan: It’s all free. Just check out www.makingthemuseum.com. There is a big fat subscribe button for the daily, and links to the podcast. You can also just get the podcast wherever you get your podcasts. It’s everywhere.
SEGD: What have been some of the ideas people have resonated with the most?
Jonathan: A recent one-minute read that got a lot of replies was titled “Sprints Become Marathons”. It was about the fact that in this field, projects almost always start at one speed, but change to a different speed partway through, yet we’re all in denial about it. That hit a chord with a lot of people. But my own favorite was one of the earliest ones, a rule of mine I put out there called, “Never Put the Mona Lisa in the Lobby.” At their best, the titles alone are all you need.
SEGD: We’ve been reading the dailies, but now we’re going to check out the podcast too!
Jonathan: Let me know what you think, it’s a work in progress that will get better with reader and listener feedback.
SEGD: On behalf of all those readers and listeners, thank you!
Jonathan: No, thank you!
SEGD: Jonathan Alger is the Managing Partner and a co-founder of C&G Partners. He is a practicing design team leader with over 25 years of experience in exhibitions, interactive public environments, and digital. Some past projects led by Jonathan:
"Native New York" at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, an SEGD Global Design Awards winner.
"Against the Odds" at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, named by SEGD as "one of the most influential exhibitions of the 21st century thus far".
"Star Spangled Banner", the centerpiece of the National Museum of American History, visited by over 50,000,000 people since opening.
Griffith Observatory, the most popular observatory in the world.
"Revealed: The Hunt for Bin Laden" at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum.
