Musée Roybet Fould
2023
How do you tell two stories about a sculptor when the space is limited?
Visual identity, communication materials and signage for Sculpter avec l’œil, sculpter avec la main, an exhibition on the 19th-century sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux at the Musée Roybet Fould in Courbevoie, which opened on 8 February 2023.
Problem area
A large collection in two small rooms
The Musée Roybet Fould asked me to design its next focus exhibition: the identity, communication materials and signage. Restoring the museum’s Carpeaux sculptures had brought to light a large set of preparatory works, and the exhibition used them to take visitors into the sculptor’s studio, through the materials and techniques behind each piece. There was a lot to show and a lot to explain: many works, and long texts from the curator. All of it had to fit into the museum’s two small rooms, 31.4 m² in total, so the graphic design had to find a place for every piece of information.
One designer, three partners
As the only designer, I kept texts, layouts and production in step, from the first plans to the installation.
Design decision 01
One identity, two themes
The identity rests on two elements: a photograph of one of Carpeaux’s best-known works, and a mark for the exhibition’s two themes. The same two elements run through every format, from the A0 poster to the social media banners.
Design decision 02
Signage built into the two rooms
The identity extends to the signage, built into the scenography of the museum’s two rooms. The signage follows the curator’s texts: works are grouped under headings, and each group gets a chapter title. Titles are in DIN Condensed and texts in Nomada Serif Light, as on the printed pieces.
Design decision 03
A focus layer for more detail
To make room for the rest of the information, I added focus panels beside the works: grey panels that isolate a detail of a work. Because the walls were covered in wallpaper, they hang as kakemonos or come in A1 to A3 formats. Labels give the historical detail for each work.
Retrospective
An exhibition extended by seven weeks
The exhibition drew more visitors than the museum’s previous one and stayed open seven weeks longer than planned.
