CITY OF ESPOO
The history of Espoo Manor brought to life with exhibition and visual identity design
In the fall of 2023, Espoo City Museum opened an exhibition called The Manor on the King’s Road, which presents the long and complex history of Espoo Manor as a local employer and a national political stage. The goal was to make the summery atmosphere and fascinating stories of Espoo Manor accessible to everyone in a museum environment, so that people could enjoy them all year round. We worked closely together with the museum team in the exhibition and its visual identity design. In the process, we used pre-study and service design methods and involved the museum staff.
Approach
The exhibition and visual identity design began with a workshop with the aim to determine the visual appearance and atmosphere of the exhibition as well as the narrative methods, key target groups, and the desired customer experience. The museum’s preliminary script and digital pre-study were background materials for the workshop. Once the key points were defined, we developed the ideas further and towards written and visual forms to support planning and decision-making. After this, refined the content and audio-visual implementations in the exhibition script.
After conceptualization, the plans were concretized in the exhibition design phase, where plans for spaces, furniture, colors and materials were developed. In addition, we created a plan to support the work of the lighting designer. We were also involved in graphic design and its implementation. For the exhibition, we designed a graphic style, a stone wall pattern, various animations, and character silhouettes. Our partner in the process OiOi was responsible for the digital pre-study and the design of the large digital content and soundscape, while Heli Nikunen was responsible for the lighting design.
“Thank you for the collaboration. The exhibition looks great, and we have received plenty of nice feedback giving kudos to the overall atmosphere and the beautiful color palette. Many of the visitors have been surprised by the building inside the exhibition since it reshapes the whole experience of the existing space.”
– Minna Vento, intendant
Result
The exhibition successfully achieved its goal to bring the summery Espoo Manor and its various stories to life in an atmospheric museum environment through the use of colors, materials, narration, soundscape, and lighting. Visitors enter the exhibition through a peaceful and verdant experience tunnel, which leads to a large exhibition space featuring the simplified Espoo Manor in the center and its beautiful summer garden in the background.
Showcases placed on top of bricks around the manor visually highlight the active working life and one of the main livelihoods in Espoo Manor. The exhibition alternates between the atmospheres of outdoor and indoor spaces and uses various shades of color chosen from the old ceiling fresco of the Espoo mansion. In addition to soundscapes, the exhibition also features various videos of the manor’s people in their daily chores, as well as animations to bring the exhibition to life.
The exhibition has received excellent feedback from both visitors and staff. The atmosphere and the color palette have been particularly appreciated. Many have also been pleasantly surprised by the new and creative use of the space.
