Dear Chris,

I worked for four years as an in-house graphic designer for a large
historical society. Our institution had three graphic designers on staff; one
worked with the exhibitions department on exhibits-related publications, one
was a book designer and I worked in the Public Information department doing
everything from annual reports to brochures to newsletters. I think they now
use more freelance design than they did then. Though I left that position
four years ago to pursue a Museum Studies degree, I suggest you can improve
your chances of working in or with a museum-

1. Make sure your portfolio includes samples in one and two color work.
Museum publication budgets are often modest and flashy four-color samples are
nice, but outside the price range for many institutions. Even large museums
with decent publication budgets use a lot of one and two color work.

2. Demonstrate an ability to design interesting newsletters.

3. Learn as much as you can about production management. I spent about three
times as much time managing printing and pre-press as I did designing. A good
production manager can  find cost-efficient solutions to printing problems
and keep projects on schedule.

4. Learn to listen to your clients. Most people don't realize how much
research (in the form of interviewing the client but also in understanding
the subject material) is involved in strong design. If you understand the
underlying concepts of the material communicated, your design will be much
more effective. Sounds self evident, but...

5. Be aware of both the museum's present and their desired image. You
absolutely must be sure that the design reflects the image the museum wants
to communicate to the public. When I used to look at student portfolios, they
sometimes were filled with work that didn't project the image my institution
was interested in communicating. The visuals were often very good, but they
hadn't done any research to find out what we wanted our audience to think or
feel about us. So they'd present things that had an inappropriate look. Be
sure that you demonstrate a range of styles in your book, and make the styles
match the subject matter and client.

6. Don't get upset if the client doesn't understand graphic design or what
goes into it. Part of the designer's job is educating the client, and it's
often very difficult and frustrating. Patience.

Feel free to contact me off list if you have questions. Best wishes-

Andrea Mugnier
Former Graphic Designer, Minnesota Historical Society/Present Graduate
Student, John F. Kennedy University
A [log in to unmask]