Women in Paleontology — Environmental Graphics
Museum of The Earth
January 2021 – April 2021
Exhibit Developer: Helaina J. Blume
Graphic Designer: Abbie Gepner

Visitors at the exhibit on view. Photo Credit: Jon Reis

Women in Paleontology was an exhibit developed to highlight the contributions of female paleontologists. A graphic identity was developed to help emphasize the significance of these overlooked achievements throughout history, showcase ongoing work being done by women paleontologists, and inspire a more gender-diverse future generation to enter the field.

Exhibit section on illustrators.Photo Credit: Jon Reis

Specimens with labels in glass case.Photo Credit: Jon Reis

Main room of exhibit. Photo Credit: Jon Reis

For this project, a graphic identity needed to be created that was consistent with the message of hilighting the contributions of women throughout history while appealing to future paleontologists as well as their parents. The layouts for the panels and signage designed also needed to consider the presentation of the material across audiences.

An extended color palette based was developed using tints and shades of the primary exhibit colors to differentiate the panel categories and section content. 

This map demonstrates the intended spatial arrangement of the the colors on panels and other environmental graphics in relation to the wall colors.

The graphic design process began with a pre-determined logo, a suggested color palette, and a chosen header font. To build on this foundation, and differentiate content across topics and time, an expanded color palette was created. Typographic research resulted in a font pairing based on a font family developed by a team that included a female designer. Archival photos required augementation as well as retouching for use in the context of panels. An illustrator created supplemental imagery to help the panels appeal to a wider age demographic.

Final typographic and color palette for the exhibit’s different section.

The final result was a visual idenitity that helped to reinforce the historic nature of the exhibit within the context of a science museum, retaining visual appeal to a variety of audiences.