Dressed to Deliver
Exhibition design and build for a new exhibition at the Postal Museum, London, exploring the role and evolution of postal uniforms from the 1780s until the present day. Aimed at families and inter-generational audiences, the exhibition provides a high level of engagement through participation with an emphasis on informal learning. The exhibition is themed across four zones and, together with the exhibition and graphic design and illustration, we were responsible for the branding package and marketing creative for the promotion of the exhibition.
Client
The Postal Museum, London
Services
Interpretation Planning
Exhibition Design
Graphic Design
Interactive Design
Illustration
Design of Print
Marketing Creative
Design and Build
Project Management
Approach
Dressed to Deliver is told through four themes, each of which is differentiated through lighting, colour, pattern and texture to lead visitors through the gallery. An introductory area juxtaposes the earliest mail coach guard costume from the 18th century with 21st century uniform, highlighting the contrast between ‘then and now’. We developed a hierarchy of content for each section, with introductory panels featuring life-size postal workers. We positioned content at children’s eye-level to ensure accessibility for younger audiences. Taking a playful approach to the exhibition we created a lively and fun environment – we designed patterns and illustrations, inspired by fabrics and stitching used in postal uniforms through the years, and combined these with a bright colour palette.
“Like the best exhibitions, this one takes something familiar, the postie’s uniform, and shows it in a new light that we might never think about. You’ll certainly not look at the postie in quite the same way again when you see one out and about delivering the mail.”
ianVisits
Hands-on learning
Responding to different learning styles, we took a layered approach to the interpretation, combining objects, large-scale imagery, interactives and digital material. A three-dimensional timeline with integrated cased costume also incorporates dressing up and selfie opportunities. Hands-on creative stations invite visitors to make their own postal badge to take home or to design the ‘uniform of the future’ to share with others. Tactile opportunities enable visitors to investigate how materials have evolved over the centuries and case studies explore how uniforms have changed to meet workers’ needs.
Sustainable solutions
Environmental sustainability was important to us and we re-purposed existing exhibition structures and walling. We reclad units to give a fresh look and introduced recyclable tensioned fabric graphics. New wall-mounted cases to display uniforms were designed with removeable back panels so they can be reused in the future.
“A fun, interactive, and inclusive learning experience as well as more in-depth exploration for adults about the fascinating history of postal uniforms.”
Corinne Galloway, Senior Curator, The Postal Museum
