February 3rd, 2022

As a class, we have officially begun the design process for Merrimack’s 75th Anniversary Exhibition. We have created our branding boards, and have had thorough conversations regarding the exhibition, and the other details that come along with planning and curating a public exhibition.

The next step, that we completed today, was a collaborative mapping exercise that helped us brainstorm possible ideas for the name, tagline, and pitch of the exhibition.

In order to begin the process of designing and picturing banners, posters, ephemera, etc. one must have an inkling of knowledge of what the exhibition will be titled. As seen in the pictures above, our class brought our individual ideas onto a large canvas, where we split up and ran through possible combinations with our classmates. Obtaining other points of view and opinions was beneficial as it allowed for other designers to think outside the box, and visualize how the words look on paper, but also how they sound off the tongue.

Additionally, as a group, we singled our singular titles and lines as well as combinations that both work, and don’t work. We eliminated some while keeping others for consideration.

By completing this exercise, the class and Professor Wynn were able to gather unique ideas from different individuals, as well as understand what elements fail to fit the criteria. This process created movement and collaboration on a project that we had been previously discussing. Most importantly, this exercise gave us a great understanding and confidence of where we are heading next.