Address
Form of workCINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER
Assistant Exhibit Designer
FLSA: Salary/Exempt
Yearly: $39,000
Full-time
Position Overview
Following the restoration of our historic rail station home, Cincinnati Museum Center is reimagining its permanent exhibits for history, natural history, and children’s museums. Additionally, we host world-class traveling exhibitions as well as internally develop temporary exhibitions to champion our vast collections. In support of these efforts, we are looking for an assistant exhibit designer to join our team. The person we hire will contribute to our collaborative development process, could think and work in 2D and 3D, and will take the lead in exhibition graphics design and production.
Responsibilities
The assistant exhibit designer will take part in all aspects of the project development process, including conceptualization, prototyping, and testing, developing design layouts and production packages, and managing relationships to realize production and installation. They will work collaboratively with content experts, educators, other designers, and production staff to create work tailored to each exhibit that upholds the design standards of the department and is resilient to significant guest engagement. The assistant exhibit designer will take the lead for graphic design, production, and installation, delivering projects on time and within budget.
Design and Concepting– 50%
- Works with exhibition development teams to plan each exhibition’s theme and approach, giving special attention to the requirements of displayed objects and visitor comfort, safety, and accessibility.
- Creates concept drawings, elevations, renderings, construction drawings, and models that clearly visualize projects for use in development, production, fundraising, donor cultivation, media relations, and planning.
- Identifies and recommends diverse storytelling design opportunities within exhibits, particularly components that address needs for diverse learning and accessibility.
- Follows institutional design standards and national regulations related to exhibition design and display.
- Maintains awareness of and recommends emerging technologies and industry trends to share with creative teams.
Graphics and Exhibits Production – 50%
- Designs graphics for internal, external and traveling exhibits.
- Develops graphic standards and hierarchies per project style and content.
- Checks and approves sizing, copy layout and colors for graphic production.
- Manages relationships with printers. Seeks quotes for jobs, sets realistic timelines in conjunction with printers, pre-flights files for production and oversees production and installation of graphics.
- Researches and recommends materials for graphics production. Has knowledge of durability, design qualities, and other special effects that will realize design intent.
Qualifications
- BFA or BA in Arts, Graphic Design or Environmental Design, with two years of experience; parallel career experience considered.
- Excellent listening skills. Gathers, processes, and summarizes information to clearly communicate exhibit themes through design.
- Strong and diverse knowledge of design vocabulary in the development of drawings, floor plans, elevations, perspectives, prototypes, construction drawings, and graphic layouts.
- Communicates successfully using hand drafting and construction of digital visualizations.
- Facility with the Adobe Creative Suite required.
- Experience with 3D modeling software (such as SketchUp and Vectorworks) preferred.
- The ideal candidate has passion for and interest in museums and their offerings as informal learning environments.
Working Conditions
Position is 40 hours/week, salary, with benefits. The work environment is primarily office conditions, with some attendance at meetings inside and outside of Union Terminal. The assistant exhibit designer will spend extended periods seated in front of a computer. Must be able to lift 35 pounds.
To Apply
Please provide a cover letter, resume and digital portfolio with representative examples of your design work to HR@cincymuseum.org.
