Historical Timeline Exhibit Designer / Graphic Designer

Historical Timeline Exhibit Designer / Graphic Designer

Project: Design of a Professional Historical Timeline Display Location: Pittsburgh, PA / Remote Project Type: Freelance

About the Project

STORExpress is developing a series of professional historical displays for several of its storage facilities throughout the Pittsburgh region. Each display will tell the story of the building and surrounding property, from its earliest history through its industrial use and eventual redevelopment by STORExpress.

We are looking for a graphic designer, exhibit designer, museum designer, or similar creative professional who can transform our completed historical research, photographs, maps, documents, and written captions into a polished, visually engaging physical exhibit.

This is not simply a digital timeline or infographic. The finished product should look and feel like a small, professional museum or historical exhibit.

What We Need

The designer will help develop the visual design and layout for a large-format historical timeline display. The display may include:

A chronological timeline of the property’s history

Historical photographs and documents

Maps and architectural/property images

Historical newspaper clippings and advertisements

Short historical narratives and captions

Important dates and events

Artifacts and artifact display areas

STORExpress redevelopment history

Visual connections between different periods of the property's history

Supporting graphics, decorative elements, and typography

The final display will be printed on physical panels and installed inside a STORExpress facility. One of our current displays is approximately 15 feet wide by 7 feet tall, so experience designing for large physical spaces is highly desirable.

What We Already Have

We have already completed much of the historical research. We will provide:

Historical information and written content

Photographs

Maps

Documents and archival material

Dates and timeline information

Historical captions

Research sources/citations

Direction on the historical story we want the display to tell

Examples and inspiration for the overall look

You will not be expected to conduct the historical research from scratch. Your primary responsibility is to turn our existing research and materials into a cohesive, professional exhibit design.

The Look We Are Going For

We want the finished product to feel closer to a museum exhibit or historical center than a corporate infographic.

We are looking for a design that is:

Professional

Clean and sophisticated

Historically appropriate

Visually interesting

Easy to read from a distance

Engaging for visitors of different ages

Capable of incorporating a large amount of historical information without feeling cluttered

Designed specifically for a physical wall/display rather than simply a screen

We particularly like displays that use a strong visual timeline, large historical photographs, archival materials, maps, layered information, and carefully designed typography.

Scope of Work

The initial project will involve designing one complete prototype display based on our existing research.

The selected designer would be expected to:

Review our historical research and existing draft.

Develop an overall visual concept and layout.

Create the timeline structure and hierarchy.

Incorporate our photographs, documents, maps, and written content.

Design areas for physical artifacts where appropriate.

Produce a professional, print-ready design.

Make revisions based on our feedback.

Provide final files suitable for professional large-format printing.

If the initial prototype is successful, there is potential for additional displays for other STORExpress locations. We currently anticipate approximately 16 locations eventually requiring historical displays.

Ideal Candidate

We would especially like to hear from people with experience in:

Museum exhibit design

Historical exhibit design

Environmental graphic design

Large-format graphic design

Exhibition design

Architectural graphics

Brand/environmental design

Historical society or cultural institution projects

Information design

Large-scale print production

A strong graphic designer without museum experience may also be a good fit if they can demonstrate excellent large-format design and visual storytelling.

What to Include in Your Response

Please send:

A short description of your experience

Your portfolio or examples of relevant work

Any examples of museum, historical, exhibition, or large-format projects

Your estimated price for designing one display

Your estimated timeline

Whether you can provide print-ready files

Any relevant experience working with large physical installations

Please do not send only examples of logos, social media graphics, or standard digital marketing materials. We are primarily interested in seeing examples of large-format, exhibit, environmental, editorial, or information-based design.

Important

We are looking for someone who can take a large amount of historical information and make it visually compelling without losing the story.

The goal is for visitors to stop, look at the display, and understand that the building they’re in has a real history.

This is a long-term project with the possibility of additional work if the first display is successful.