A useful exhibition design brief explains what the project needs to achieve, who it is for and what information is available. It gives the team a shared starting point before developing the layout, exhibits or visual style.
You do not need every answer before the first conversation. Separate confirmed information from assumptions and open questions. This helps everyone understand what can be developed now and what still needs investigation.
1. Define the purpose
Describe why the exhibition should exist. Is it introducing a scientific subject, helping visitors explore an idea or renewing an existing gallery? Write a short statement of what people should understand, feel or remember after their visit.
For example, “help visitors compare different ways of generating electricity” gives a clearer direction than “create a high-tech energy gallery.” This is an illustrative brief, not a description of a completed GOMI project.
2. Describe the audience
Identify the people you expect to visit: families, school groups, independent adults or a mixture. Record what they may already know, how they are likely to visit and what support they may need.
Age, language, group size and access requirements can influence interpretation and participation. Where information is missing, state the question rather than assigning an unsupported visitor profile.
3. Organise the content
List the main subjects, available source material and the person responsible for approving factual content. Separate essential ideas from supporting detail. Identify any objects, stories or materials that must be included.
Content priorities help the team build a coherent narrative. A clear brief also records unresolved rights or factual questions, so a reference image or draft text is not mistaken for approved material.
4. Share the site information
Provide available plans, photographs and information about the space. Record the project location, existing conditions, access constraints and known technical interfaces. Identify the date and status of each drawing.
If dimensions or conditions have not been checked, label them as provisional. Drawings and photographs support early discussion; the team should agree what further site information is needed before implementation decisions are made.
5. Explain the intended visitor experience
Describe what visitors should do. They might observe a process, compare outcomes, test an idea or discuss a question together. Connect each proposed interaction to the understanding it should support.
Consider the sequence of discovery, participation and pause. Technology is one possible means of delivering the experience. It should be considered alongside physical interaction, graphics, objects and spatial relationships.
6. Make the project scope clear
State the current project stage and the work you are seeking. Concept and preliminary design, detailed design and integrated delivery involve different decisions and responsibilities. Identify existing approvals and information that the next stage needs to resolve.
Record the available budget framework and target programme, including what is confirmed and what remains indicative. Agree who supplies content, coordinates interfaces and approves each stage. Clear responsibilities make later discussions more specific.
7. Plan for daily operation
Include the needs of the people who will operate the exhibition. Consider staff access, maintenance, replacement parts, content updates and changes in visitor flow. Identify who will review these requirements during design.
Opening day is one point in the exhibition’s life. Bringing operational questions into the brief helps the team discuss how the experience can remain useful as content and daily needs change.
A practical starting checklist
- Project purpose and desired visitor outcomes.
- Audience information and access requirements.
- Content priorities, sources and approval responsibilities.
- Site plans, photographs and the status of available information.
- Proposed visitor activities and their purpose.
- Current stage, requested scope, budget framework and target programme.
- Daily operation, maintenance and content-change requirements.
Keep the brief focused. A short document with clear decisions and open questions can be more useful than a large collection of unlabelled references.
Start with the information you have
GOMI’s exhibition design approach begins with purpose and carries it through narrative, experience, engineering and long-term use. You can also explore strategy and planning to understand that early stage.
To begin a discussion, share the project purpose, audience, location and current stage through the project inquiry form. If you have plans or references, mention them in your message so a suitable way to share files can be arranged.