Dinosaur Armor
Helping the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Reopen After Pandemic Lockdown
Deliverables: Visual Identity, Exhibit Graphics, Wayfinding Signage
Dinosaur Armor was a temporary exhibit featured at the renown Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA, running from June 2020 to July 2021. With public spaces, including museums, closed indefinitely in the spring of 2020, the exhibit’s scheduled opening coincided with the reopening of the Museum itself. Dinosaur Armor suddenly became the new main attraction that would draw visitors back through the doors.
I collaborated 100% virtually with the Museum’s exhibits team and subject matter experts to create the full exhibit branding, display labels, wall graphics, and wayfinding signage.
Exhibit Branding
The Museum acquired this once traveling exhibit with the goal of renovating and rebranding it. It came with several steel display cases with a wonderfully weathered and riveted appearance.
Leaning into this industrial aesthetic was the obvious choice, and the art direction for the exhibit’s branding was quickly determined in my first discussions with the exhibit team. Inspiration for the logo itself came from the designs of America’s industrial age: vintage railroad graphics, extinct steel company logos, and the everyday artwork associated with mid-century heavy industry.
Section Dividers
The exhibit was divided into four separate sections, each signified by freestanding section divider signage based on the exhibit’s shield logo. I leveraged the color palette and applied a separate color to each section, then color coded the subsequent display signage within each section.
Wall Graphics & Object Labels
Clear display signage and impactful wall graphics directly contributed to a positive exhibit experience. The graphics here were designed to inform visitors without distracting from the specimens themselves, while remaining consistent with the overarching brand of the exhibit.
Wayfinding Signage
With an institution as large as the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, directing visitors to the exhibit with clearly marked wayfinding signage is key to the exhibit’s success. I created over a dozen pieces of directional signage that range from discreet door signs to enormous exhibit hall banners.
Photography by Nick Conti. Additional photos provided by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.