Firstsite Typography
Galleries have been greatly missed over the past few months and especially by all of us here at Creative Coop, so when this project to help Firstsite design some of their exhibition typography could finally resume after the closures of Covid we were delighted to finish our designs and see Firstsite reopen!
We were asked to design the exhibition typography for a series of opening exhibitions, one of those being “Tell me the story of all these things” which is a fantastic exhibition curated by Colchester members featuring works from world-renowned artists such as Tracy Emin and Sarah Lucas. The exhibition “examines the role of emotion and soft power in our society and how this can be used positively to connect and empower us”.
The gallery curators explain “the exhibition itself takes on an open and engaging atmosphere, encouraging visitors to take part in an ongoing critical dialogue, and inviting them to explore their own emotional responses.”
This is where the design of the typography comes into play, there is more than just seeing art when you go into a gallery, from the moment you enter the building you have become part of the experience. The exhibition “Tell me the story of all these things” gives a narrative as the exhibition space flows from one room to another, starting with a large curved wall which the exhibition title sits upon and clearly states where the narrative begins. From there you are taken on a journey through the exhibition space, from piece to piece, with a quote attached to the art’s context along with a simple crisp line that guides the visitor through.
Although this was a very visual project it also involved a large amount of technical thought due to the exhibition space and placement of art, it was important that the typography was well balanced and didn’t overpower or interact too closely with the artwork.
This also involved a great deal of art direction for when the vinyl was printed and ready to be applied to the walls in place, it was important to keep the visitor in mind and imagine how they would explore the space and how the typography would be seen and read.
We are very pleased with how the typography has turned out and are proud to have helped create such an interesting and inventive space. You can check out this exhibition as well as some of the others we have helped with from 10am every day, completely free!
Visit the Firstsite website to check out whats on!
Tell me the story of all these things:
Friday 24 July – Sunday 11 October 2020 | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Colchester and Ipswich Art Societies: Borders
Friday 24 July – Sunday 11 October 2020 | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Phyllida Barlow
Friday 24 July – Sunday 27 September 2020 | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sonia Coode-Adams: Lockdown Garden
Friday 24 July – Sunday 27 September 2020 | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
