I was commissioned by one of my favorite museums in New York to develop an overall format for their annual report publication. I designed a template that works with the Museum of Arts and Design’s brand guidelines and is flexible for printing or viewing onscreen. The interesting challenge of the brief was to figure out a way to present the artwork at each of the exhibitions held during the year, while giving the viewers context through the curators’ thoughtful insights.
Inspired by the action phrases of MAD’s eclectic mission statement, the annual report presents the artwork in a dynamic, layered, ever-changing space—a simulation of the museum experience on paper.
In place of a mission statement, MAD uses a list of actions to communicate their core values and aims. I chose to boldly feature their action verbs with a full-page opening spread. Right away, viewers know that MAD is no outdated, dusty museum, but a living, participatory space for the community and beyond.
The design of the annual report directly relates to the mission of the museum, captured by the energy of the exhibition pages. The grid often breaks its boundaries boundaries, the imagery drifts over the margin, and the ornamentation changes size, position, and color as one flips through the pages of the publication.
The curator’s notes live not within the body copy, but alongside the artwork in their own frames. The quotes embody the museum’s mantra of Question Everything; they frame the work without being dogmatic, deserving prime layout space on the spreads.
Inspired by the MAD logo lettering and the MAD brand guide, I designed a display character set with the some of the mission phrases in mind—Dissolve Boundaries, Invite Inquiry, and Chart New Territory—to use for the chapter opener spreads.
