What Barry has stated is true in some cases.  On the other hand, if you
utilize a design/fabrication firm and you give them a budget, if it is a
reputable firm they will give you the most fabrication for your money.
A fabrication firm has more insights in the cost of fabrication than
some design only firms do.  Therefore, this fabrication firm can suggest
cost effective design approaches given this insight.  Additionally, a
museum should not accept a design they don't like.  You can't assume the
desing/fab. company is just trying to feed their fabrication dept., the
museum must accept the designs in the first place.  Also, the fabricator
will have been involved throughout the whole process and they know what
the client wants.  Once its handed down the chain the original intent of
the design may become distorted.  Given the high importance of
reputation and word of mouth in this industry, a design/fabrication firm
would only hurt their long term bottom line if they were just trying to
feed the fabrication dept. with their designs.

If you utilize a design/fabrication firm you also save money, because
there is less of a need to design construction details (normally done
for bid purposes, etc.).  This saves quite a bit of design time.  You
also do not have to go through the bid process which takes time and
money.

This is a tough decision.  I think you need to consider what your
exhibit content is going to be.  It might be better to use a
design/fabrication firm if the exhibits are extremely unique.  They
would then have more insight in the use of unique materials, etc.
However, there are many, many great design only firms that also
understand the fabrication process and materials.  These designers also
work very closely with the fabricators and you end up with a great
product.

Good luck!

Betty Brennan
Taylor Studios, Inc.
http://www.taylorstudios.com

Barry Dressel wrote:
>
> Yes, there ae some good firms, generally, but everyone has some
> disappointments with those, too. My question: why do you want to use a
> full-service firm in the first place?  It's the most expensive way to do it,
> and you have relatively less control. They have to feed the overhead of
> their fabrication arm in their pricing, and as the retired founder of one
> said to me (when doing exhibit work for me as a lark) "there is always the
> tendency to design to keep the boys in the shop busy...'cause the work they
> thrive on is big budget, big margin stuff."  Get a seasoned museum designer
> with references who has done precisely the sort of exhibition work you're
> looking for. Ask them to use local fabricators when possible and
> appropriate, and save money.