As a part of our ongoing collaboration, which has been confirmed through several successful projects, we recently completed another temporary exhibition for our client, the Museum of World War II in Gdańsk. This exhibition focused on narrating the story of Guardhouse No. 5, an integral part of the defense system of the Polish Military Transit Depot. The history of this building primarily revolves around the fate of the soldiers on guard duty and their heroic defense efforts in September 1939.
Our responsibilities for the 'Sentry No. 5 at Westerplatte' exhibition encompassed the development of visual identification and the arrangement of display elements within the interiors of the World War II Museum in Gdansk. To convey the exhibition's narrative, we utilized the museum's exhibition system and display cases, showcasing artifacts obtained through archaeological research conducted at Westerplatte by the Archaeological Department of the World War II Museum in Gdansk.
We initiated our collaboration by presenting three proposals for the visual identity of the exhibition. Through a collaborative consultation process, we collectively selected the most appealing design, which we believed best met the expectations of museum visitors, including those who spoke foreign languages. We chose a simple typography style, allowing us to maintain harmony between texts and graphics, including English translations.
In crafting the visual identity for the exhibition, we incorporated graphic motifs sourced from iconographic materials provided by the Client: fragments of boulders from the guardhouse and the grid (enhanced with a brick-red effect), as well as black and white archival photographs featuring soldiers' faces. These elements were showcased against a simple white or black background, ensuring that the layout of the boards not only achieved graphical appeal but, more importantly, maintained legibility.
In crafting the graphic composition of the boards, our primary emphasis was on ensuring the legibility of messages and adopting a modern design approach. Every detail was meticulously attended to, consistently aligning with the graphic standard developed for this project. Consequently, viewers are not overwhelmed by blocks of text interspersed with illustrations; instead, they encounter simple visual messages that facilitate a pleasant engagement with the exhibition content.
We also handled the comprehensive graphic development of source materials, including photographs, maps, infographics, and technical drawings, providing substantive commentary on the presented content and objects. This involved updating the legends in the maps and enhancing the legibility of technical drawing descriptions. Throughout this process, we maintained consistency in the use of accepted text layouts.
To promote the exhibition, we prepared a set of graphic materials, both for print and electronic versions. These included an invitation to the exhibition opening, a poster and web banners. The package also included promotional graphics for social media.
A significant challenge arose during the arrangement of the exhibition within the space provided by the client—an open room intersected by communication routes. Thus, the primary objective was to ensure that all elements of the exhibition were accessible to every museum visitor while effectively guiding them through the narrative.
We took care of our client at all stages of exhibition preparation: from efficient pricing, through design work, consultation, production and installation support. We completed the project on schedule, in an atmosphere of open communication and mutual respect. We know our stuff!
