The exhibit design process can be divided into five distinct phases.
See a detailed example of the five steps of exhibit design below.
Note: Displays in the Nicholson Library do NOT have to look exactly like the example.
The concept development phase is where the student will create a concept map of the project, including the display topic, thesis, main ideas, and significant items to display.
EXAMPLE of Step 1:
Title - The Literary Legacy of John Steinbeck
Topic - An exploration of John Steinbeck's significant works
Thesis - John Steinback is one of the greatest American writers in history because he raised awareness of the struggles of the common person.
Main Ideas - Steinbeck and his portrayal of working people during the Great Depression, Steinbeck and his understanding of life
Significant items to display - Library holdings of Steinbeck's works, including short summary of each story and its main themes.
The schematic design phase is where students will begin thinking about the visual presentation of their display. To complete the schematic design phase students should draw a rough outline of how they want the display to look.
NOTE: We welcome creative designs for the displays. The display does NOT have to look like the example.
EXAMPLE of Step 2:
Display Location: Outside 24-Hour Lab
Necessary Resources -
In the design development phase, students will draft text and obtain permission to use photos. To complete the design development phase students should write out a list of materials in their display with captions. They also should write all the text necessary for the display. The design development phase is the most in-depth phase.
EXAMPLE of Step 3
Library Materials and Descriptions
Travels with Charley: in search of America - In the 1960s, Steinbeck traveled the country in a custom-built camper he named Rosinante (after Don Quixote's horse) to discover what America was really like after he made a living writing about America. He brought his trusty companion, Charley, his French poodle, to 34 different states. Through his journey, Steinbeck laments the homogenization of local and regional culture. His disturbing memoir opens the reader's eyes to the struggles of the everyday American and the established systemic infrastructure perpetrating it. (E169.S85 1963)
The Grapes of Wrath - Often regarded as the of the best American novels of the 20th century, the story focuses on the Joads, a poor family of tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, agricultural industry changes, and bank foreclosures forcing tenant farmers out of work. The story highlights man's inhumanity to man through the corruption of power. To reconcile with the situation, the Joad's bond strengthens showing the reader the saving grace of family and fellowship. (PS3537.T3234 G8 1975)
The Pearl - Based on an old Mexican folktale, this is the story of the great pearl, how it was found, and how it was lost again. The story follows a pearl diver, Kino, his purpose, his greed, his connection to family, and his defiance of societal norms. The pearl portrays two contrasting forces that shape human life, Fate and Agency. (PS3537.T3234 P42 1963)
To a God Unknown - This book was Steinbeck's third novel, which explores the relationship of humans to land. The novel tries to explain the way faith forms and spreads, and what happens when new belief systems clash with more established ones through realism and fable. Following Joseph Wayne, a Vermonter who left for California with the blessing of his father, the story is about Wayne's relationship with a giant oak tree that he believes is imbued with his father's spirit (PS3537.T3234 T6 1955).
EXAMPLE of Step 3: Continued
Born at the turn of the 20th century, Steinbeck grew up in an age of social turmoil. Jim Crow was apparent in the South; women were fighting for the right to vote. Although he was removed from the social turmoil in California, it left a lasting impact on him. By age 14 he determined he wanted to be a writer. In 1919, to pursue his dream as a writer he enrolled at Stanford University; he only took courses that interested him and would attend Stanford off and on for six years, never graduating. In 1929, Steinbeck published his first novel, Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, with Occasional Reference to History. Although his first novel was a modest success, it did not deter him and he continued to write. He broke into the writing scene with his publication Tortilla Flat, the story of tough Mexicans living and working in Monterey. He followed the same format for the following books, working-class Americans and their struggle to get out of the Cycle of Poverty. He wrote about the corrupted power of the elite, how capitalistic endeavors hurt the working class, the connection to land, and the benefit of family and fellowship. His books connected with the struggles of the everyday person making him a wealthy man, something he loathed for most of his life. Most of his books were short-form novels, known as novellas, but he did venture into long-form writing for perhaps his most famous book, The Grapes of Wrath. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck wrote about the plight of Oklahoma tenant farmers seeking a better life in California after the Dustbowl. The Grapes of Wrath won him the Pulitzer Prize. Steinbeck died of a heart attack in December 1968. In his career, he published 24 books. Through those books, Steinbeck showed a powerful empathy for society's unfortunates and misfits. He was an unlikely source of social activism. Many of his books are still assigned in high school and college courses today, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest American writers.
Harmon, Melissa Burdick. John Steinbeck: Unlikely Voice of American Struggle. Biography vol 6 no 2, (2022): p. 78-84
EXAMPLE of Step 3: Continued
Tortilla Flat. - New York: Covici-Friede, 1935
Of Mice and Men - New York: Covici-Friede, 1937
The Long Valley - New York: Viking, 1938
The Grapes of Wrath - New York: Viking, 1939
The Forgotten Village - New York: Viking, 1941
The Moon is Down - New York: Viking, 1942
Cannery Row - New York: Viking, 1945
The Pearl - New York: Viking, 1947
East of Eden - New York: Viking, 1952
Travels with Charley: In Search of America - New York: Viking, 1969
EXAMPLE of Step 3: Continued
The Nature of Dreams
The Nature of Loneliness
Powerlessness and Economic Injustices
The Uncertainty of the Future
The final design phase is where the students will combine their drafted text and display objects/images to create the final desired look of their display.
For help creating a poster visit Poster Presentation Page on the Nicholson Library's Website.
EXAMPLE of Step 4
