History Installation

Category: Environmental Design, Exhibit Design, History, Education

Bringing the history of Seattle Central Creative Academy to life through interactive and engaging environmental design.

  • SCCA is celebrating its 75th anniversary with an Alumni Poster Show. How can we add additional context to the show and increase visitor engagement?

  • Seattle Central Creative Academy is home to a highly-regarded Graphic Design program with at least 75 years of history. In honor of the anniversary year, faculty and alumni planned a poster show bringing together 75+ alumni works. We set out to create environmental solutions that would highlight the program’s history and impact through engaging displays.

  • Collaborator: Liz Clagett

    Roles: Archival research, floor plans/elevations, timeline design, fabrication, installation

    Timeframe: 12 weeks

    Tools: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Epson large-format printer

Bringing History to Life

This environmental design installation celebrates the history of Seattle Central Creative Academy’s design program with a 22’ long hanging timeline display. Supporting floor graphics, interactive areas, and alumni quotes added layers of depth and engagement for a memorable visitor experience.

Suspended from the ceiling, the panel installation displays a timeline of the program’s roots on one side and a collage of additional archival materials on the reverse. High-touch interactive areas included a modified candy machine that dispenses design fortunes, a sticky note wall, and a guestbook.

Process

Uncovering the history of the graphic design program at Seattle Central required archival research, both online and in-person. I visited the MOHAI Resource Center to view the archival photographs and documents preserved there.

Uncovering the history of the graphic design program at Seattle Central required archival research, both online and in-person. I visited the MOHAI Resource Center to view the archival photographs and documents preserved there.

Another key research source was the Broadway High School Archive, maintained by Seattle Central College. Broadway High School was Seattle's first dedicated high school. The archival collection includes issues of the school paper, yearbooks, photograp

Another key research source was the Broadway High School Archive, maintained by Seattle Central College. Broadway High School was Seattle's first dedicated high school. The archival collection includes issues of the school paper, yearbooks, photographs, clothing, and other ephemera.

My concerns that we may not have enough historical material to work with proved unfounded; in the end, narrowing down the content was a challenge. I created a story matrix to track key stories, dates, and themes to aide in this process.

My concerns that we may not have enough historical material to work with proved unfounded; in the end, narrowing down the content was a challenge. I created a story matrix to track key stories, dates, and themes to aide in this process.

Measuring the space in preparation for floor layouts and elevations.

Measuring the space in preparation for floor layouts and elevations.

We created a complete scale floor layout and elevations for the entire poster show and history installation. Here we have hung test posters and are checking sightlines and legibility at installation height. I am standing on a box to simulate a 6-foot

We created a complete scale floor layout and elevations for the entire poster show and history installation. Here we have hung test posters and are checking sightlines and legibility at installation height. I am standing on a box to simulate a 6-foot human for scale.

After practicing our spray mounting technique, we performed a test installation of one panel.

After practicing our spray mounting technique, we performed a test installation of one panel.

Our first mounted and trimmed panel is completed.

Our first mounted and trimmed panel is completed.

Using the large mat cutter to trim the bleed from a finished panel.

Using the large mat cutter to trim the bleed from a finished panel.

Troubleshooting early issues with the fortune vending machine. After extensive online research I created an additional component that made the machine work much more smoothly.

Troubleshooting early issues with the fortune vending machine. After extensive online research I created an additional component that made the machine work much more smoothly.