Museum Gallery Guides
Created in close collaboration with museum educators, each of these printed pieces help give students of all ages a way in to connect with art and enjoy their experience at the museum.
Family Guide & Activity Booklet
This fold-out guide for family audiences is a favorite project of mine over the years. Working with the museum educators, I shaped this project from conception to having them in-hand and available at the museum for years to come.
All projects at a university art museum are budget-constrained. This one was in particular—the design and specs were largely shaped by the need to produce this affordably. Originally conceived of as a saddle-stitched, zine-like booklet, the foldout format on a standard size sheet allowed us to produce them sustainably and give the piece a chance to get into more hands.
The design was tailored to a family audience, and fully relies on brand elements (colors, type, and a few simple icons) to let the piece be a flexible tool no matter what galleries you make it to while feeling distinctly “Blanton.”
I love working with museum educators because they are super creative, excited to collaborate, and know their audience well. The challenge is taking what they envision—typically, a long document with lots of images and text based on how they lead folks in the galleries (which allows for a lot of nuance that a paper guide doesn’t have)—and imbue it with the right amount of info that it can guide the users intuitively without overwhelming or boring, and be brand-aligned and in budget.
A series of rack cards developed for individuals, families, and students. They provide an overview of key art principles, offer prompts and reflection questions, and encourage close looking. I worked with the museum educators to shape the copy and then handled all design and production from start to finish. The front side of each rack card mirrors our maps, exhibition collateral, and other material they live beside at the museum check-in and info desks. They are designed to be super easy to use, speak to visitors of all ages, and are offered in English and Spanish.