In 2023, Wessex Museums received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support a new project, “Un/common People: folk culture in Wessex”, culminating in a new touring exhibition across the region.
The primary aims of the exhibition are twofold. On the one hand, it seeks to reconnect local people with the rich mix of traditions specific to the region.
On the other hand, there is a modern-day twist: an invitation to the same people to express their own creativity by participating in community-created ‘new folk’ pieces to feature in the exhibition.
To bring this all into being, Wessex Museums went out to tender to find suppliers, including a graphic designer to create a visual identity, exhibition graphics and marketing assets, to promote the project across the region.
The solution
The visual solution was designed to be vibrant, fluid and expressive, conveying the vitality of a deep-rooted local folk culture, which today is still very much alive and kicking.
A wordmark was created to announce the exhibition and secondary marks to reflect the themes of ‘People’, ‘Making’ and ‘Place’.
Given how the folk scene is shaped by certain times of the year, a colour palette was devised to suggest seasonality: some colours soft and dark, others bright and vivid. Vibrancy, surprise and inclusivity remained watchwords throughout the process.
A lead ‘patchwork’ image, designed to promote the exhibition, was inspired by a quilt cherished by four generations of women from one Wiltshire family. It emerged as an elegant way of stitching together different themes and objects into a single entity.
The outcome
Last November the exhibition opened at Museum & Art Swindon, to critical acclaim and is already being enjoyed by a significant volume of visitors. It has also received positive coverage from BBC Wiltshire.
On a recent follow-up visit, one of the museum staff told us how some visitors have been inspired by the exhibition to take up some form of arts and crafts.
“It’s not commercial. It’s not high culture, it’s grassroots level for ourselves”, she went on to explain.
The exhibition and its supporting crew are now set to continue their tour across the other parts of the ‘Wessex’ region.
NB: This aspect of the story is still unfolding, given how recently the project was completed.
“Wessex Museums felt fortunate to bring The Cutting Edge on board with our touring exhibition, Un/Common People, at a critical point in our creative direction. Paul quickly grasped our brief and its challenges and produced several options for us in record time, any of which we would’ve been happy to use. On top of this, Paul was super responsive, patient and good humoured in delivering multiple assets to our tight deadline. We are all delighted with the outcome.”
Claire Brown, Marketing & Digital Lead, Wessex Museums
ClientWessex MuseumsServicesExhibition branding, interpretation and publicity
