Designing visitor experience through creative engagement : a case study at New Media Gallery

Summary: This research study explores the role of visual identity with narrative methodology and visitor engagement in the exhibition design process. Literature suggests that the visitor experience in art exhibitions are still relatively passive; their interactions are limited to catalogs and wall texts, which offer few opportunities for personal input. Furthermore, art is especially difficult for visitors to interpret and engage in. This study is an attempt to address this gap by using experiential visual identity system in museum exhibitions and by introducing embodied physical cues as a way to engage visitors with art. The primary purpose behind this research is to identify issues involved in the relationship between exhibitions and audiences. The study suggests narrative methodology as a critical component in the exhibition-making process and how it helps visual identity facilitate an exhibition by evoking visitor participation. Two case studies worked at New Media Gallery grounds its findings by using narrative methodology with visual identity. The main goal of this study is to develop interactive exhibition graphics as a means to embody the thematics and mood of an exhibition as a way to engage an audience offering them a more holistic experience.