Position Summary
The Exhibition Designer is responsible for conceptualizing, designing, and implementing exhibitions and displays for the museum galleries. This position bridges the disciplines of exhibition and graphic design, ensuring a harmonious blend of visual storytelling with a sound understanding of spatial design and visitor engagement. This role requires a versatile designer capable of switching between disciplines with ease, translating the Curatorial vision into compelling built expressions and immersive experiences.
The Exhibition Designer will work closely with MoPOP Curators, Exhibition Design, Collections, Video, and Exhibits teams to understand an exhibition’s theme, content, and objectives in order to develop a cohesive concept and design narrative for all aspects of the exhibit including spatial planning, displays, casework, special builds, lighting, graphics, and interactive features.
Essential Job Duties (other duties as assigned)
Exhibition Design + Development:
- Work closely with the Senior Manager, Exhibition Design and MoPOP Curators to lead the conceptual development of exhibitions through research, sketches, proof of concept sample art, and computer renderings.
- Identify and develop an exhibition’s visual and spatial design strategy through color, form, hierarchy, typography, special builds/displays, imagery, lighting, and materiality with the goal of educating and entertaining a multigenerational and global audience.
- Support Junior Designer with the process of exhibition branding and graphic design.
- Create and apply graphic systems to new and permanent exhibits alongside Junior Designer.
- Calculate traffic flow and gallery capacity for every exhibition design. Communicate these details to the Curatorial and Exhibits teams.
- Responsible for driving the approval process for exhibition design elements based on concept sketches, 3D renderings, and/or models. Coordinate and communicate all dimensions of built elements through elevations and layouts, so technical drawings can be produced by the Exhibitions team, ensuring successful execution of project goals.
- Work with Collections team to ensure that all exhibition furniture meets the size and preventive conservation needs of objects/artifacts. Coordinate all materials with Exhibits Manager to ensure best material practices and stable artifact housing.
- Work closely with Curator, Junior Designer, Video, and Interactive teams to define the scope for unique interactive displays and experiences, including User Interface (UI) and graphic assets.
Project Oversight + Implementation:
- Asset management: organize and keep current files for all drawings, documents, and communications regarding exhibit design and graphics development. Adhere to clean and clear communication of exhibition graphics in project templates and style guides, noting sizes, materials, color specifications, quantity, and production methods.
- Evaluate and manage project timelines and budgets, while escalating and solving issues as they arise.
- Prepare bid documents for graphic vendors outlining the exhibition design features in detail.
- Lead the production, fabrication, and installation of the exhibition design with MoPOP’s graphic vendors. Manage and coordinate mockups by hired graphics vendors; be the main point of contact for design fabrication and quality control.
- Create final elevations, alongside Junior Designer, based on VIF dimensions provided by Exhibits Team for use in exhibition installations. Provide final locations, mounting heights, and specifications of art, graphics, and artifacts for us in gallery installation.
- Help to curate and organize the material resource library, with focus on sustainable and ethical products and methods.
- Ensure the integrity of the MoPOP brand on all internally and externally produced design projects, consult with Marketing as needed.
MoPOP Community:
- Support our internal culture which inspires and empowers our staff to live our mission to its highest standards.
- Contribute to a consistent customer service standard across all departments.
- Work to ensure customer service is ingrained at the core of the team and is reflected outward to our guests and other staff.
- Commitment to participating in anti-racism work, learning about the ways institutional racism impacts the workplace, and supporting teammates in operationalizing DEIA strategies in the department.
Preferred/Desired Qualifications
- At least six (6) years of demonstrated success in museum exhibition design, experiential graphic design, or related fields. Prior experience with curated museum exhibitions and/or immersive, interactive experiences is desired.
- Ability to understand as-built spaces and integrate physical realities including wall positioning, life safety devices, and ingress/egress into design work.
- Impeccable design skills with a strong understanding of color, typography, and layout with a deep passion for aesthetics.
- Proficiency in creating 3D renderings to scale for exhibit layouts and shop drawings with programs such as SketchUp, Fusion 360, AutoCAD, VRAY, or similar 3D programs.
- Knowledge of museum-approved construction materials and techniques, as well as print production processes.
- Experience working within and centering ADA guidelines and accessibility frameworks.
- Comprehensive knowledge of various production and printing processes such as flatbed printing, vinyl, CNC, and knowledge of various materials and substrate uses.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel), and Figma. Experience with Hot Door CAD tools for Illustrator.
- Well-informed problem-solving skills with the ability to tackle complex design problems with vision and ease.
- Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills to manage multiple projects and deadlines, and able to work under pressure.
- Excellent communication skills – verbal, written, and sketch.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment with a dynamic range of people while taking responsibility for driving projects from start to finish.
Benefits
This regular full-time position includes Medical/Vision insurance, Dental insurance, Life/AD&D/LTD insurance, 3.08 hours of accrued Vacation per bi-weekly pay period, Seattle Sick/Safe, 7 Floating Holidays dependent on hire date (prorated first year dependent on hire date), 8 Company Holidays paid throughout the year, EAP, 401k plan with vested match schedule once eligible, and subsidized transportation benefits for Orca Pass or parking.
Why MoPOP?
We’re really glad you’re thinking about joining the team at MoPOP! We believe pop culture is a universal language capable of building connections across a range of people, no matter our differences in race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, education, socio-economic status, ethnicity, country of origin, or any other characteristic that makes us who we are. For more than twenty years, we have been showcasing how music, film, fashion, video games, sports, and more spark those connections and create a lasting cultural impact.
MoPOP provides both a physical space and an emotional and intellectual opportunity for people from any background to explore, find and build community, and recognize their own creative potential. This applies not only to our guests, but also to our staff — be it in designing an educational program to engage the next generation of creators, trying to reach a new audience with a marketing initiative, preserving an artifact in our collection, or providing excellent customer service to a visitor. If this sounds like something you’d be into, we’d love to hear from you!
MoPOP’s Mission and Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
Our mission is to activate the world-shaping power of pop culture through participative experiences, discovery, and play. We believe pop culture connects us, and that it is powerful, complex, alive and who we are. MoPOP is actively committed to ongoing learning in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). In partnership with our community, we hope to also develop safe spaces for their application. This includes taking steps to continue increasing our awareness of institutional “-isms,” as well as uncovering and undoing the ways they show up in museum culture. We recognize this is a process that requires intentionality, energy, and resources, and we are developing a DEIA framework that can cultivate a work environment and museum experience that is truly welcoming for all.
We are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We believe that having staff, interns, and volunteers with diverse backgrounds enables us to better meet our mission and encourage BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ individuals to apply. We acknowledge that our work to build safe spaces and better systems for traditionally marginalized groups is ongoing and will require constant vigilance and expect all MoPOP employees to be part of our DEIA journey.
Please email jobs@mopop.org if you need reasonable accommodations during the application or hiring process.
