DISCOVER DOMA
Identity Design, App, Wayfinding, Print
LOCATION: Muncie, IN
CLIENT: David Owsley Museum of Art
ROLE: Designer
OVERVIEW:
The David Owsley Museum of Art is seeking help to implement changes to the facility to make art more accessible to its visitors. Autism presents a unique set of challenges for those affected by it. Children with Autism have a need for modified learning environments. Most children rely on one style of learning, creating a need for programming to be adjusted to fit the need of each child (Morin, Amanda. “Learning Styles & Autism,” February 17, 2020). Other challenges occur when children must learn new concepts that they have no preexisting knowledge of.
SOLUTION:
The DISCOVER DOMA identity was created to present children with Autism with an associative learning opportunity, connecting what they already know about the animal kingdom to the cultures that the program artwork originates. The program is presented to children in a way that encourages curiosity and exploration. All design decisions were made with the standards created by The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
The program is intended for children (10 to 15) with Autism.
IDENTITY SYSTEM
The DISCOVER DOMA identity highlights the three exhibitions visited during the program: Asian, African, and Native American Art. The identity along with the program works to ease the obstacles faced by children with Autism visiting the museum. These obstacles include but are not limited to trouble concentrating, communicating with others, learning new concepts, and diverging from a preexisting routine.
This identity addresses these obstacles by breaking the program artwork into broad categories that relate to other concepts the children are likely to understand. It uses animals to relate to the program exhibits: red panda, elephant, and white-tailed deer respectively. The use of the implied puzzle shape makes it clear to the viewer that the program is for individuals with Autism, as the puzzle piece is representative of the complexity of the disability. The limited color palette was an accessibility decision, as many, complex colors can be overwhelming to children with Autism. The colors create a clear system for identifying which artwork is from what exhibition.
The identity can be divide to represent one of the program exhibits, allowing it to be applied to environmental wayfinding and other aspects of the program.
DISCOVER DOMA PROGRAM
The app design has two major functionalities: non-verbal communication with the guide and reviewing extra information about the artworks in the program. The communication function allows for children to respond to questions posed by the guide, make a general comment about how they feel, and request aid for a specific need. Each page of the app has a ‘help’ button that will immediately notify a guide to help the student. This is because groups of visiting school children can often be overwhelming to manage when limited on staff. The help button creates an opportunity for a visiting child with an immediate need to not be unintentionally neglected. The artwork catalog within the app features images of the objects, extra cultural context, and vocabulary assistance for difficult words in the text.
The app is intended to be used on tablets distributed by the DOMA staff. 11-inch Ipads were chosen for the large screen, allowing for ease of use.
ADVENTURE BOOK
The adventure book is intended to work as a tangible, interactive tool to aid in the children’s memory retention. The book’s interior pages are a space where children can record where they have been in the museum along with collecting images to tape inside with additional information. The book’s first spread makes the child mindful of where they will be going in the museum and in what order. All following spreads give the child a space to collect images relating to the artwork. Upon leaving the exhibit, each child receives a stamp in the book to confirm that they have completed the tour.
ENVIRONMENTAL WAYFINDING
The DISCOVER DOMA labels are created to be used in tandem with the preexisting ones. The DISCOVER DOMA program reduces information given about each artwork to its most basic visual elements. It is for this reason that the labels must be separate. Other attendees will want more complex information about each artwork. The labels are also placed in locations specifically to match the average height of a ten-year-old child, or about 4.5 feet (Waizmann, Hannah. “Growth, Range of Height and Weight.” Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, April 2019). Large standees were created to be placed at the entrance of the program’s exhibitions to provide an overview of the artwork.
The wayfinding element use DISCOVER DOMA’S secondary identity typeface, Roboto, chosen for its readability and appeal. It is a geometric typeface yet it still retains a friendly charm through its gentle, wide curves. The typeface is also used throughout the other decision points.
