HomePart 4 of Inclusive Exhibition Design Toolkit
Object display
Play Well, Thomas S.G. Farnetti. Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Principles of object display
We aim to create beautiful designs that balance the needs of our visitors, the conservation and interpretative needs of the object, and the curator’s or artist’s intent.
When deciding the method of display for an object, it is the collective responsibility of the project team to consider the following:
- What is the size of the object? Does it have detail that requires close viewing?
- If the object were encountered in everyday life, how would it be approached or seen?
- Does it need a 360-degree viewpoint?
- Is it clustered with other objects? Is there appropriate space between objects in a shared case or cluster?
- Is it easy to associate an object with its label?
- Is there a consistent relationship between objects and their labels?
- Are 3D design, 2D design and lighting design working together? Can we avoid heavy shadows on objects?
- Are there installation or conservation requirements to be taken into account as part of the display? Does it need to be displayed flat? Does it need to be displayed on a book cradle? Does it require low lighting? Are there ways of mitigating the impact of these requirements?
Objects in cases
Diagrammatic illustration of a display case for objects.
Diagrammatic illustration of a display case for objects, showing recessed and tabletop display types and options for label positions, annotated with preferred measurements.
Guidelines and measurements for displaying objects in cases
Consultation with a wide range of people has allowed us to develop a standard set of measurements and design details for display cases.
We prefer to use detailed and to-scale case layout drawings to plot the positions of objects in cases and their interpretation.
- A display case height of 800 mm from the floor is comfortable for many visitors
- Case top hoods are usually preferable to recessed cases. If recessed cases are used, they should be shallow (up to 100 mm deep)
- Unless it is not possible for conservation reasons, mounts and cradles should be used to raise and angle objects towards the visitor
- Objects should not be displayed in front of images or patterns. The background should ideally be in high visual contrast with the object
Objects on walls
Diagrammatic illustration showing preferred eyeline heights for objects displayed on walls.
Diagrammatic illustration showing preferred eyeline heights for objects displayed on walls.
Guidelines and measurements for displaying objects on walls
Consultation with a wide range of people has allowed us to develop a standard set of measurements for hanging works on walls.
We prefer to use detailed and to-scale elevation drawings to plot the positions of wall-mounted objects and their interpretation.
- Wall-mounted work should be centred at a height of 1200–1500 mm above the floor
- Decisions about centre lines should take into account the size of the object, its level of detail and the artist’s intention for viewing (a poster is designed to be viewed from a distance and can usually be hung higher than a work with small text or fine detail)
- Wherever possible, maintain a single eyeline and avoid hanging work in multiple lines
Installations and objects on open display
Diagrammatic illustration of a large sculptural object on open display on a plinth.
Diagrammatic illustration of a large sculptural object on open display on a plinth. There is a distance of 1000 mm between the viewer and the object all the way around. Labels are shown on the plinth surface.
Any artist’s installation should meet the same criteria for access and inclusion as exhibition design.
Artists making new works or installing existing works at this scale should read these guidelines and work with the project curator and project manager closely to ensure that their intent is realised in a way that is accessible and inclusive.
Works should have clear circulation, be free of trip hazards, and follow guidelines for eyelines and interpretation.
Guidelines and measurements for objects on open display
Freestanding work on open display should be displayed in a way that allows an unconstrained view but creates an appropriate boundary around the work. Artists and lenders may specify a particular type of barrier.
Our preference is as follows:
- Use a plinth or create a barrier of sufficient footprint to provide minimum 1 metre arm’s reach all around the object
- For work that is displayed on the floor, use a low-level plinth (up to 150 mm high) or floor markings that are in good visual contrast with the floor
- For work that is suspended from the ceiling, at a level from the floor that can’t be detected by the sweep of a cane (above 300 mm), consider how to mark out the floor beneath the object, or connect the structure down to floor level
- ‘Do not touch’ or ‘Please touch’ signage should be clearly visible on the plinth top
- An object label should be co-located with the work, either on a plinth top or, if the plinth top is low, on a stem raising the label to viewing height (800 mm)
