Yoke Exhibition Research Book

yoke:dialogue exhibition research book

the dialogue visual guide

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yoke:dialogue exhibition research book

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the dialogue visual guide yoke

branding

Yoke is a duo based in

general branding

curate an exhibition

laser & diecut

Leeds with an aim to space in Leeds that

spurs dialogue between creatives.

invitation shapes

formats

The objective is to

printing

to a print exhibition

experimentation

encourage contributions that will be held

in early 2014. Each

creative will submit

a design that will be

curating

in which Yoke will

organisation

together in order to

floor space

used in a blind collab pair two submissions create a series of

screen printed artwork that will be displayed within the exhibition.

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hanging artwork wall space organised

statements wayfinding

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investigating into a w branding and promo allowing us to curate campaign.

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wide range of otional materials, e a dynamic

general branding

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The Swap Show is an exhibition exchange between design studios and creative agencies from cities around the world designed to showcase and celebrate creative work internationally. Stretching beyond material exchanges, The Swap Show provides an experience and raises design awareness across the board. It calls for good design, perspectives and people to congregate.

Because sharing is good.

general branding

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During a two-month long workshop, the designers explored what would happen when skilled people got together to push the boundaries of communicating even further.

Together with Grafill, the Norwegian organization of graphic designers and illustrators, they contacted some of the best they could find, and made them put aside 48 hours each, to an exciting experiment in the name of communication. Then, they gave the very first participant a written brief, and passed the result on to the next in line – who would guess the original brief, and solve it. Again, the result was given to the following participant. When the last participant had finished his interpretation, they put it all together as an exhibiton at Grafill R21, celebrating an orgy of cooperative expression, experienced reproduction, and happy accidents.

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yoke:dialogue exhibition research book

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general branding

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yoke:dialogue exhibition research book

Here is three seperate pieces of branding that we collected in order for us to inform our own practice during our research process. The examples on this page show a good range of products with strong elements of consistant branding through the use of logo designs, layout and colour.

The branding at the bottom of the page that display brightly coloured stock show great experimentation through the use of charactors. The theme of our exhibition is ‘dialogue’ and it would be interesting to use a similar idea in our branding and promotional materials.

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yoke:dialogue exhibition research book

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general branding

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curating a campaign of formats to engag intrigue.

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n through a range ge interaction and

invitation

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It is important to make people aware

A piece of strong graphic design like

of our exhibition so it is important

the left example would engage greatly

to spend a decent amount of time

if it was delievered in an envelope

researching and gathering up creative

like the example above. Our

and engaging methods of making

exhibition is about creating dialogue

invitations.

so we like the idea of using envelopes with a twist. For example the one

To the left shows a striking

above is sewn around the edges so you

graphical example of great use of grid

have to make the concious effort to

and layout with an overlay use of a

tear it open. The attention to detail

logo. It is very text heavy but the use

is great and it really engages a

of colour and grid really helps break

memoriable mail shot.

up the information.

invitation

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We would also like to investigate a playful element to our invitations and the examples on this page display two perfect examples of innovative outcomes.

The one on the left shows an invite to an exhibition that is perferated allowing people to rip sections up. These sections make smaller versions of the original invitation so it makes some sort of chain mail for people to invite others. Again this relates back to our exhibition because it can create dialogue amoungst people via inviting one another to an event.

The example above is also very playful, the information can only be displayed through scratching off the wax to reveal the hidden message. This would be a great way of interacting with the viewer.

invitation

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Here are some examples of a variation of envelopes that have been given a touch of personality through the use of printing textures on the flap, stickers that wrap around both sides and typographical messages on the front. They are all different but they all effectively work in the same way.

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invitation

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Here is a range of perferated examples along with a publication that encourages you to rip open the packaging.

The perferated examples act as great invitations because they enable interaction and intrigue for the user to discover the hidden message. The examples to the left show great attention to detail as they encase a hidden colour along with the message.

We should apply this playful way of thinking when it comes to our mail shots because we want a whole range of different people to be interested in our exhibition.

invitation

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through experimenta and cutting processe dimensions of the br

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ation of materials es we can push the rand identity.

laser & diecut

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Here is an example of a branding project that used laser and die cutting processes.

I think it is important to experiment with materials and cutting processes because it enables you to push the dimensions of the brand identity further.

In our case the Yoke symbol is based on three seperate shapes in which we could push to be cut out or even engraved into various materials.

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laser & diecut

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Here are some more examples of diecuts that caught my eye. The one example that caught my eye was the dye cut envelope on the right, it looks great when you lay another coloured piece of paper in the envelope because it creates a really interesting layered effect.

It also intrigues the viewer because you can see a snippet of what in enclosed inside.

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laser & diecut

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Finally in this section of research is this poster campaign created from photographs documenting colourful layered diecut plastic sheets.

We want to push our branding so that we can creating a strong and engaging campaign that doesn’t just rely on print processes.

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yoke:dialogue exhibition research book

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laser & diecut

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create a verstile cam through the use of sh the logo structure.

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mpaign hapes within

shapes

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Within the branding of our exhibition we want to use the use of shapes within the logo. We feel that this relates to the idea of a exhibition and is something different to look at.

In using a logo created from shapes, this can develop to breakind down the logo and using the shapes throughout the promotional material. These examples show different ways in which we could achieve this.

shapes

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Another idea was to use shapes within the design of the promotional material and to lay it out to relate to an exhibition space itself.

Shapes can be constructed together to illustate the idea of artwork on a wall, or imply that the promotional material is promoting a exhibition without any of the details.

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shapes

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This last page again illustrates the use of shapes within the promotion of an exhibition. They can be used to create a pattern or also used to bring colour to the promotional material.

shapes

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push print formats b the use of well crafte and materials.

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by practicing ed processes

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Formats come into play when looking at the promotional material for the exhibition.

This could be a way in which we can relate the theme and the idea of the exhibition through the style and format of the promotional material.

Using formats which are away from the standard formats can create a more interesting and exciting way of promoting the exhibition.

Format

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introduce a mindset t creativity and harves possibilities.

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that drives sts countless

Printing Techniques

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Different printing techniques can be used within the project to create a better visual result.

Here we have looked at the use of colour and gradients, which aesthetically look great and give a high quality look to the exhibition promotion.

Printing Techniques

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Again looking at different ways of printing the promotional material and the artwork for the exhibition can create a more interesting result.

By using layers within the artwork this can build up the artwork and create a dialogue within it itself.

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Printing Techniques

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Overprinting is another technique in which we are interested in using. This can be used in various ways and various depths of use, each creates a completely different visual within the artwork.

The images on the left use a printed image as the basis and then overprint the arrows on top, this creates a interesting final piece.

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curate and exhibit a v aims to generate dial

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visual space that logue.

Curating an exhibition

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Have a strong thesis When I describe curating to people who are unfamiliar with the profession, I tell them that an exhibition is like an essay on a wall: you must have a strong thesis, and the art work in the exhibition is the support and substance of that thesis. You also want your idea to be straightforward: if you can't put it into a “topic sentence” of sorts, then go back to the drawing board.

Select your work carefully like an essay, you wouldn't want to pick poor examples that don't buttress your thesis; there must be a clear relationship between your curatorial idea and the art work that the public sees. Sometimes the thesis will develop from the art work you select--as the objects accumulate, you may start to see certain similarities and trends in the art; this could be the case, for instance, if you're curating at an independent art space and must use their register of artists, or must do a collection exhibition at a museum. Other times you will start with the thesis and then select the art work that fits the mold. If you need help finding artists and art works that fit your thesis, try MutualArt.com--they have a useful search engine to research art, artists and art articles. You can search by venue too, so you can find the perfect space that might want to exhibit your macaroni art show.

See the artwork in person Whether it's in a museum collection, private collection or artist's studio, if you have the chance to see the art object in person, do it (and take your camera). There are a few very important reasons for this: you can look for any blemishes that may not have shown up in reproductions (I know from first-hand experience, it is embarrassing to have a painting in your show that has clear signs of water damage...); you can avoid general surprises (Oh, I didn't realize it wouldn't fit through the door of my gallery!); you are creating a personal relationship with

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the collector/artist/curator that will be helpful down the road when those inevitable hiccups happen; and if you are publishing a catalog, you'll know firsthand what the reproduction should look like (this is where the camera is handy!).

Keep a detailed checklist The checklist is the keystone to a well-organized exhibition. I usually use an excel document, and keep tabs of the following: • title • dimensions • m edia and collection of the art object, with a thumbnail of the art work for a visual • w hen the loan forms were sent to the lender • w hen you received the signed loan forms • w hen you countersigned and returned a copy of the loan form to the lender Timescale • Y ou may need to book a venue and fundraise as early as a year in advance.

• D esigning the display, proofreading it and printing it will take 2 to 8 weeks of discontinuous work, depending on how many posters you are producing.

• E xpect 1-4 weeks’ worth of admin if in charge of organising the display transport, liaising with artists or other contributors and gathering rare display material such as show cases.

• I t took me 5 hours to set up the exhibition and the same again to dismantle it. Remember to bear that in mind when deciding on your venue’s opening times.

Designing your display • D efine your audience: academic? non-academic? familiar with the discipline and its language?

• G ather your material and select relevant images, data, graphs, documents etc.

Your display must be consistent What is the leading thread? What will garantee the visual coherence of the whole?

Your display must also be varied • I had alternating poster-boards and tables/show cases, plus five music stands arranged into a semi-circle.

• M y display was chiefly in black and white, but it had a coloured border (colour copies of the book covers) and all titles were in blue (an important colour in the writings of that poet).

Get the scale right Larger pictures and large-type text in open areas, smaller print in more self-contained areas and at eye level.

Get the balance right between word and image My material was bilingual, so it was difficult to avoid an effect of text crowdedness! The same applies to individual posters.

A visible ordering • D raw an up-to-date inventory and sit down with pen and paper to draw your exhibition plan, thinking in terms of your venue’s size and layout.

• S tart with something general: your exhibition poster, a short text explaining why the topic is significant and interesting, a notice with any events related to the exhibition (book sale, reading, wine reception…)…

• M y vertical displays (on boards) were ordered by place, in order to enhance the poet’s trajectory. My horizontal displays (on tables) contained artists’ productions and more eclectic material, as well as all the material laid out for people to handle: I had some cheap books on a place where the poet had

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lived, some film artist’s montage to be assembled, generally played

scripts and an on little cards taken apart and with.

• T hink of spare room for any visitors’ book, book display, a wine reception, a few chairs…

Something different I liaised with two artists who had worked on poems by Heather Dohollau and asked them to send their work. I had six original inks, two artists’ books, one digital montage on cards and eight scanned or printed drawings that had served as frontispieces – all of which rare or unique pieces.

To make the most of them I thought of unusual display ideas, such as using music stands (borrowed from the University Music Centre). This may sound odd, but it illustrated a short text by an artist who is the poet’s son. He writes that his mother always had an artwork reproduction on a stand, so that art had as much reality and presence in the house as had tables or chairs. I also had quite a few manuscripts, and made enlarged copies of some of them.

I didn’t have enough secure, lockable space to display all the books by the poet I work on, so I made several colour prints of all front covers and used them as a border that ran underneath the main, black-and-white display.

Costs The venue: I could use one venue for free as part of the support given to my project by the StAnza festival. The other was a very elegant pair of rooms at the heart of Old Aberdeen (the Linklater Rooms). I benefited from an internal half-price discount as I was organising the event on behalf of a University Centre, but it still cost £150 per day.

The display: • C olour printing on unusually large paper is very costly (can be as much as several hundred pounds).

Don’t try and stick a large poster

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onto a board yourself if you want a professional-looking result: it will bulge and look messy. Most companies do it themselves (often by laser-printing straight onto a board they provide in standardised sized and at standardised prices).

• A ny reproduced pictures will entail copyright costs and an extra admin job.

• I n my case, the costs were chiefly postage from and to France (Fedex and Parcelforce are reliable and professional curators use them) and gifts to thank the contributing artists.

The display material Poster-boards It may be that the venue rental includes the possibility to book free-standing poster-boards for free.

But then again you may need to hire them at extra cost. It’s unlikely that you will be allowed to use any wall/panelling surfaces. Ask about this from the outset to make sure.

Show case My show case came from a jeweller’s in Aberdeen, Jamieson & Carry, who were happy to lend it to me for a few days, even though the case had been in the family for generations. I had tried all the galleries, museums and libraries in town first, but they were unable to help. In St Andrews, however, the people in Special Collections at the University lent me two vintage counter-top oak cabinets.

Accessories You’ll need some free-standing document holders to protect your labels on any horizontal surfaces.

You may also want some leaflet dispensers. This hardware websitehas very cheap items for that whole range of products, and may even give you ideas.

Curating an exhibition

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The exhibition space itself is something that we want to focus on within the curating of the exhibition. We are interested in different ways of displaying the artwork and creating more of an experience and involment within the exhibition when visitors are there.

This shows how the space can be used and that the artowrk doesnt have to hung on the walls.

Curating an exhibition

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Again looking at different ways in which the artwork can be displayed within the exhibition space. By hanging things from the ceilings this brings the exhibition into a three dimension. Also the way in which you use the space around the exhibition can be exciting, not just using the flat walls around the edge of the space.

Curating an exhibition

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Here we are looking at different ways to display the artwork. Using the space of the exhibition in different and exciting ways, will make the exhibition more appealing to the audience.

Curating an exhibition

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There’s the use of vertical and horizonital hanging of the artwork within the exhibition.

Here you can see that horizontal displays have been used. The use of tables and other interesting equipment can be placed within the exhibition space to introduce new surfaces and ways of displaying the work.

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In contrast this is the use of vertical hanging, but also using the floor space of the exhibition too. This is very interesting and a way to extend the exhibition.

Curating an exhibition

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Again this is different ways to use the exhibition space and how different elements of the exhibition artwork can both be artwork but be wayfinding at the same time.

The use of different platforms and equipment to hang and display the work on is evident in the bottom picture.

Curating an exhibition

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These examples show the use of hanging the artwork on the walls in a vertical fashion. Alon with this you can see that this is a much more organised and structure display of the artwork within the exhibition.

With different formats of the artwork this creates a interesting aesthetic to the exhibition.

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Curating an exhibition

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In contrast these examples show a more chaotic exhibition display, with no sort of structure within the display itself.

These also use the idea of laying the artwork up, which creates a very interesting display.

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The way the exhibition display is put together and the choice of the artwork to display can create a different feel within the exhibition.

These examples have a more in your face and bold statement towards the audience.

The use of colour, format and the actual artwork itself all contribute to this bold statement which is created.

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Curating an exhibition

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The wayfinding of the exhibition is also important to us. Depending on the size of the exhibition space, this will determine how much wayfinding we need to create or even if it is necessary for the exhibition.

These examples show some different ways in which the wayfinding can be created, they are much more interesting than a standard sign on the wall. Linking the wayfinding into the idea and style of the exhibition will create the best result.

Wayfinding

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Finally we have some more ideas of how the wayfinding can be created.

These examples look at the scale of the wayfinding system and show that it doesnt have to be on a small scale, the wayfinding could be part of the exhibition and act as artwork as well as the wayfinding. This shows that the limits are endless with the wayfinding and it shouldn’t be restricted.

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Wayfinding

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