About the Exhibition
Chronicling Resistance is an archival and exhibition project, fellowship program, and collaboration among the Fellows, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL). Creative Repute was hired to develop the exhibition branding, design marketing materials, and assist with the layout design and installation of the exhibit.
Chronicling Resistance aims to do four things:
1) Increase public recognition and understanding of the history of marginalized groups and people in Philadelphia.
2) Deepen the relationship between traditional archives and activists who might use the information held there.
3) Produce models for how public libraries can empower activists and traditionally marginalized communities in preserving their own history and partner in their social change work.
4) Produce models for how public libraries can think more broadly about how they present archival materials.
Chronicling Resistance began at PACSCL in 2018 with two goals: 1) amplify stories of resistance in Philadelphia’s historical archival collections and 2) preserve records of today’s acts of resistance. With generous funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional funding from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, it expanded in 2020 into an archives and exhibitions project that will take its audience through the beginning of 2023.
About the Deliverables: Exhibition Design
Creative Repute was hired to develop the exhibition’s branding, design marketing materials, assist with the layout design and installation of the exhibit, and design and develop a website that summarizes and introduces the archival research work done by the eight fellows.
Creative Repute’s strategists and designers developed a style guide supporting the showcase of resistance acts that the Fellows curated for the exhibition. The marketing materials were designed for online and printed items, including social media posts and reels, banners, postcards, bus tails, and more. The style guide was also translated into exhibition design materials, including title cards, space pad stickers and directional signage, floor plans, exhibition mock-ups, and more to help both plan the physical exhibit and install the exhibition items. We also created a cohesive online presence for Chronicling Resistance using the brand guideline. We highlighted select exhibition items from each fellow on their page using the archival photographs and description of each exhibition item.
A 3rd party consultant created a 3D walkthrough of the entire exhibition that we integrated into the website. The 3D walkthrough allows the visitors to take a virtual tour of the exhibition from the comfort of their homes.
Our Approach
Creative Repute started the process with a kick-off meeting with the library staff, Fellows, curator, director, and key stakeholders to prompt shared values and themes that could translate into the overall exhibition design. Creative Repute ensured we understood the Chronicling Resistance exhibition mission, goals for the branding, and visual preferences.
The Creative Repute team met internally to refine the best options to present to the Chronicling Resistance team. Several logo options were created in different styles. These ranged from ideas incorporating natural elements, such as a tree, to more simplistic lettering options. Creative Repute also played with texture options on the preliminary logos.
The Chronicling Resistance team wanted something that had natural elements but was not rough around the edges. The texture needed to be evident in all settings but not overpower the overall exhibit design.
The last step in the logo design process was to find a way to tie the logotype and the root symbol together seamlessly. The solution was to emphasize the texture on the logomark and to add a different, more subtle texture to the outline of the wordmark to create uniformity between the two entities.
In addition to the main logo mark, we also created an abbreviated version of the logo for online use as a profile picture and favicon. The texture from the roots logo was used on the “C” and the “R,” as those letters would be mainly displayed in the abbreviated version and could still remain clear.
On the branding side, we landed on colors reminiscent of materials used in archival projects, such as the clamshell boxes and manilla folders. The colors also reference popular mid-century design, with a vibrant color mixed with earth tones and neutrals.
The typeface options went down a similar path, as they were meant to mimic the style of lettering on signage and placards from past protests, specifically the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The color options and combinations were tested using Adobe’s Color Contrast Analyzer to ensure accessibility for everyone.
The resulting style guide was a comprehensive 17 pages of color palettes, logo options, typography, and visual hierarchy to make sure the design files and the exhibition items are all created clearly and cohesively that reflects the intended messaging and ensures brand consistency with everything from design to writing and from digital to print.
The exhibition layout was also thoughtfully planned and designed from scratch. Creating a 2D floor plan and an elevation plan, the Creative Repute team identified the location of every exhibition item on the walls and the floor. When designing the layout, we kept the viewer’s journey in mind. We provided rest areas and designated spaces for the viewers to take a moment to sit down and reflect on the exhibition items.
We also tried to engage the viewer by inviting them to interact with certain exhibition items and to participate by writing down their comments on provided cards throughout the exhibition. Using audio-visual elements throughout the exhibition and ADA-compliant pathways ensured we remained accessible to folks with a wide range of abilities.
The Creative Repute team also managed and coordinated the printing of more than 550 exhibition items and marketing materials with five different print shops, each with different printing needs such as sizes, printing specs, and file formats.
The website is beautifully designed and is search engine optimized to reach a broader group of audience, far beyond the local Philly visitors. With access to exhibition highlights from each fellow, videos introducing the fellows and their objectives, and the 3D virtual tour of all floors of the exhibition, we could facilitate access to the body of archival material unearthed by the fellows.
The Result of this Exhibition Design Project:
With so many moving parts on this project, Creative Repute is most proud of completing the project on budget and schedule. Many meaningful relationships were formed during the life of this project. Our limits and capacities were put to the test, and we were able to rise above the challenges to bring this 4-year vision to life.
The Free Library of Philadelphia hosted the Chronicling Resistance exhibition through an extended close date of January 31st, 2023. It was designed by Creative Repute, LLC. Yolanda Wisher serves as Consulting Curator. Mariam Williams was the Project Director. The Fellows were Germaine Ingram, Nia Minard, Wit Lopez, Katherine Antarikso, Charlyn Griffith-Oro, Malkia Okech, Khaliah D. Pitts, and Lan Dinh.
