NorthernLight, the experience company, is a truly multi-disciplinary design agency. We specialize in exhibitions, brand-experiences, smart interiors and digital-experiences.
NorthernLight
During the past 2 decennia, NorthernLight has accomplished more than 70 projects around the world. Inspiring people is what we do. We create unique environments for active exploration, fun and enjoyment. The experiences we make cut across boundaries between art and culture, history and science. We like to think of experiences as exciting challenging and ‘mentally refreshing’ perceptions. We are content-driven. We think experiences must be designed with attention to detail and reflect a love for the visitor.
Clients
NorthernLight conceives, designs and produces experiences for a wide variety of clients. Clients include museums and heritage projects, children’s museums, science centers, expos, as well as corporations and governments.
We can provide turn-key results, specializing in taking a project from first concept to production and installation
Experience
Action and interaction are central to our approach. Turning a visit into an active and entertaining experience. We use a wide variety of techniques to accomplish this like displays and info-graphics, hands on exhibits, multimedia and audio visuals and interactive spaces.
Seven Commandments
An experience is about:
Story telling
Stories form the soul/spirit upon which every exhibition is based. When we develop an exhibition, we start by listening, by digging in, by trying to find one or more fascinating stories. When the right/truest stories are found, the biggest hurdle in the creation of an exhibition is taken. Developing the exhibition scenography is a question of finding ways to bring the stories to the visitors; in word, sound, vision, material, space and colour.
And we don’t forget that all good stories leave something to be imagined.
Real stuff; authenticity
Real stuff; authenticity
People want real material. They need to be physically close to original, historical objects. That is why digital media and commercial visitor attractions are no competition for exhibitions. We constantly keep in mind that one of the main ‘unique selling points’ of an exhibition is – and always will be – authenticity. Real stuff!
Action
“Tell me and I will forget
show me and I may remember
involve me and I will understand.” (Old Chinese saying)
When visitors are involved and invited to act, they will absorb information 80 % better and have a much deeper understanding of the subject matter. Action refers to everything we do to physically and mentally involve our visitors, creating hands-on and minds-on/ interactive experiences. Active exhibitions are all about inspiring curiosity and supporting lifelong learning, no matter at what age group they are aimed.
Focus
Museums today need to find ways to encourage visitors to look with a fresh, curious and questioning attitude. One way museums can do this is by bringing what they have to show and tell sharply into focus; to find the essence, to tell the story in a meaningful way. The same is true for designing an exhibition. It is easy to tell all, to have many graphic panels with many words, to have display cases full of artifacts, to have long audiovisual presentations. It is difficult to dare to focus on one aspect of the story, to possibly put just one artifact in the spotlight, to make a mosquito into an elephant!
Not me, but we
Museums are social spaces where contact between people and social togetherness are just as important as the primary functions of guarding cultural heritage and transferring information. Exhibition design can and should encourage social interaction. Exhibitions should encourage visitors to interact, to play together, to discuss, to do role play and discover personal strengths, to find the time and space to reflect on what they have just seen or done, in a group. Museums can even stimulate social interaction between visitors who maybe have never met before.
Sparking inspiration
A large part of the pleasure of designing exhibitions comes from the fact that there is an enormous diversity in subject matter. Every subject has its original angle, its hook. Sparking inspiration begins when that angle is developed into a vivid visitor experience.
One should never let the technological possibilities guide the way in the exhibition concept development. We keep an open mind to developments in other creative fields such as movies, theatre and music inorder to find the best media, the best technologies and the best display methods for the particular topic at hand; the best way to spark inspiration.
Love and passion
Our hope is that the love and passion we put into our exhibition design is fully received by visitors. That is where our responsibility lies. We research and watch visitors carefully. When necessary we change an exhibit. The opening of a new exhibition is not the end; it is the beginning.
