Queer California: Untold Stories

Queer California:
Untold Stories

at Oakland Museum of California

ROLE: lead graphic designer

SCOPE: branding, timeline 2D+3D design, product consultation, hierarchy / label system, typesetting, consultant

 

Queer California explored those stories and art of people in California who have not conformed to the normative expectations of heterosexuality and gender. It included a nearly 100-foot timeline and integrated artifacts that enthralled visitors.

It was important that the choices made for typography and presentation accurately reflected not only the tone of the exhibition, but also literally reflected the subjects. Gilbert, the chosen titling font, was designed by a diverse team including NYC Pride to honor the creator of the six-color Rainbow Flag, Gilbert Baker. The body text is set in Quosm, with a delicious swoopy Q reserved for the acronym LGBTQ+.

The colors throughout the exhibition and marketing were inspired by several artworks. Very deliberately, clashing and dissonant colors created a riot that reinforced and celebrated the complicated subject matter, even as they evoked the familiar themes of Pride.

Queer California design details of the "In the Body" section. Colorful typography sits on top of a pillar of text on a cyan blue wall, flanked by photos and a small typographic print. Photo © OMCA.
Queer California timeline (detail). Overlaid squares of facts run along wooden strips, interspersed by important moments in red slashes. Artifacts like the AIDS memorial quilt, ACT-Up posters, and a collection of stickers illustrate the times. Phot
Queer California timeline elevations, partial. A digital drawing of the timeline wall lays out pieces in light blue, white, red, and multiple colors, showing interactions and spacing.
Queer California timeline layouts (detail). A close-up of the digital version of the timeline shows pieces in color, with typography, interactions, and spacing clarified.

Emotions surfaced

 

People were given space and time to feel, learn, remember, and react to Queer California and it resonated deeply with visitors. Pain, anger, rejection, and optimism echoed across the walls and even out to the ticketing counter. Places like the timeline, a difficult design problem, became a moment to summarize content: to reflect and explore the good and the bad in bite-sized chunks.

This exhibition was curated by Christina Linden for the Oakland Museum of California, with experience developer Lisa Silberstein. Exhibition space design by Craig Hansen, with Amanda Boesen as lead graphic designer and select 3D design — notably, the timeline.

Queer California logotype

 

The in-gallery video by Palmer Morse focused on Native American voices. Video assets took advantage of the animated typography possibilities of Gilbert, using the branding colors and combinations.