Studio Alto worked with curators at the Old Treasury Building to design the permanent exhibition of rare and interesting original documents, maps and photographs from Victoria’s state archives.

The design brief specified that the six exhibition spaces must have an identifiable, consistent and cohesive visual identity, with each space maintaining a unique presence. Additionally, the design must have broad appeal, be complimentary to the building, and be engaging, informative, legible and elegant.

To bring the eclectic mix of archives together, our design solution drew on two elements common to the items exhibited – text and image and the way it has been recorded over time from the written word, to offset lithographic print to digital media. The concept execution visualises this idea through hand rendered or engraved line, the printed dot and the digital pixel, creating subtle graphic elements utilised across the exhibits.