Science Museum

LOGO

The logo for the Science Museum is a good example of what a text-only logotype should be like; the type work is unique enough to stand alone without needing any additional imagery. I really enjoy the work done on rebranding the museum and the museum's logo. The logo, like the Science Museum, may seem to target children at first glance - and it probably would be appealing to kids, conjuring images of sci-fi adventures and new technology, representative of their generation - but there is also a sophistication to the mark that I think would make it appeal to adults inviting them to visit without fearing embarrassment for being in the Science Museum sans children. The simple act of condensing the mark by stacking the letters adds a very scientific feel to me, and makes me imagine it as a microchip, a double helix, or a microscope. This logo relates very well to the mission and content of the Science Museum, the tech-y and brainy looking letterforms reflect the varied scientific subject matter, and the style brings to mind nostalgia for the history of science as well as the promises of the future of science. In addition, both the logo and the museum's content reflect the mission to make something complex accessible to people of all ages and education levels.

NAVIGATION

I had some problems navigating the Science Museum, and I was alone, in a situation where visitors will often be dealing with small children clear directions are crucial. If the goal of the Science Museum is just to have people wander through the museum leisurely, then the current system is effective in it's minimalism. If, however, visitors should be able to easily find specific exhibits I think the signage was very lacking. I don't think I saw many if any signs listing directions to multiple exhibits, which would have been very helpful. It seemed to me there was just one path per floor and that was to go through each exhibit one after another. This is perhaps a structural problem since the museum is like a huge loft because of the long and narrow footprint. The map is adequate and is a helpful supplement, especially considering the lack of signage in the museum. The colors are a fun way to distinguish the floors, helping the overall legibility, but is still somewhat cost-effective (also using uncoated stock) and thankfully free. The small icons of attractions are an attempt to add more interest to the map, and are effective in more open spaces but they are also squeezed in other places adding some confusion. My biggest problem was getting to the Wellcome Wing, which is not accessible from the first or second floors, a fact that should have been made clearer in the museum and on the map. Overall although I was trying to follow the map during my visit I just felt like I was wandering while in the museum and never knew quite where things were, or what the main attractions were.

SHOP / CAFE

The shop and cafe, much like the first couple floors of the museum, were very representative of the new concept for the Science Museum, modern with tech-y flair. It is pretty continuous style-wise with the entry of the museum and other title walls; large format text in their unique font is a reoccurring theme in the museum especially combined with a smaller running band of text, all made of steel. The store was very large and had a wide range of products, the lights added a lot of excitement to the space. I found the products that specifically related to the museum to be most interesting, and even considered buying a Science Museum t-shirt. Otherwise the products in the store are largely directed at children, with brightly colored gadgets and gizmos. I think they could increase the number of products appealing to adults to reflect this portion of the visitors, like tote bags and umbrellas, even really modern jewelry? This could increase the cache of the store and museum. I enjoyed the look of the main cafe and especially the sign with the cafes name Revolution Cafe on it, the way the n in Revolution was also used as the c in cafe. I thought that small moment was representative of the new style of the museum as modern with simple and clever twists. The cafe space was more intriguing with the stretched lights wall covering, I also thought the communal tables fit perfectly with the mission and atmosphere of the museum as a shared resource and a place with no boundaries.

DISPLAY CASES


The Science Museum faces some dilemmas when it comes to display cases, they want to make any objects as accessible as possible but some things need to be protected from visitors and perhaps climate controlled. I saw this problem dealt with especially well in the Measuring Time exhibit. In this exhibit the objects, ranging in size from small to large were all together in one large case, eight feet tall from the floor; then there was a monitor nearby with images of all the objects that you could click on to see close-ups and also to get more information. These large displays contrasted well with other displays in the museum, they are perhaps more casual and inviting to look at than the cases with things lined up perfectly straight one after another. Since the former displays might be hard to decipher the computer interaction helped clarify them, while the latter cases had either individual explanation plates or the objects were numbered and there was a grouped explanation panel. 

Occasionally objects went unprotected, but this was mostly for non one of a kind things - like the wall of samples in the Challenge of Materials exhibit - and other things done specially for museum interaction. Then there were the very large objects that would be difficult to enclose like cars and tractors. These things, newer than say the birthing chairs from hundreds of years ago, do not need extensive protection so the difficulty of enclosure is moot.  

EXHIBITS

I enjoyed several parts of the Science Museum, but my favorite exhibit was Measuring Time. This was a rather small exhibit and not very flashy. The space was long and narrow; as it was on the first floor, the exhibit was bordered on one side by an atrium opening to the ground floor, and on the other by a row of windows high up on the wall. These aspects gave the space a very light, airy, and open quality as opposed to other rooms in the museum that I found very stuffy even if they had high ceilings. The mood I get from a space has a great impact on my reaction and this space just felt comfortable and inviting to me, causing me to linger instead of rush through. The display accompaniments I mentioned above - touch screens depicting the display cases- were intriguing to me, as werr the objects. Old sundials and hourglasses are very beautiful and I find the concept of time measurement interesting. The interactive features I encountered were fun but maybe too juvenile sometimes so I sort of welcomed more traditional, well-done, exhibits like this one. This exhibit also has the most accurate clock in Britain(?), so I set my watch. I also liked the Veterinary History exhibit, this one purely because of content. This floor was clearly an example of the money running out, but there was some interesting content, I think old science that seems absurd today can be fascinating. 

FACTS

One of my best learning experiences in the Science Museum was actually one of these juvenile activities I mentioned above. In the Energy exhibit there was a Price Is Right style wheel that had pictures instead of monetary values, and you would use the pictures to answer questions about energy efficiency. I learned that using the microwave uses less energy than the oven, that England could begin to be underwater by 2030, and that dying fabric dark colors requires more dye than light colors and so more water is tainted in the process.