Te Manawa -
Brian Elliott Exhibition branding

Growing up in the Manawatu, I hadn’t heard the name Brian Elliott. But from attending Bluelight Discos in the Rainbow Stadium, enjoying shows at the iconic Globe Theatre, and family shopping trips to the oh-so modern Link Arcade – his daring and playful architecture was all around me.

We were approached by Te Manawa Te Papaioea exhibition designer Andy Irving to create an architecturally inspired brand for the “Brian Elliott, 55 Years of Architecture” exhibition. This included designing the show title treatment, section panels, quote panels, labels, and the opening event invitation.

The concept: as is the nature of architecture, no one angle will give you the whole picture. In order to truly appreciate a structure you must travel around the space, viewing from different angles and perspectives, experiencing the spaces, and the changing forms. This idea formed the basis for the approach we took.

To achieve the concept we created a typographic lockup arranged to mimic a building footprint. We then rotated and repeated them (partially obscured) behind the colour coded section panels as a direct reference to moving around a structure. By reflecting Brian’s innovative approach to his practice, these design elements created an experience that is dynamic, playful, and thought provoking.

The exhibition ran from 15 September to 26 November 2023 at the Te Manawa Art Gallery in Palmerston North.