Empresses motion graphics
Empresses of China's Forbidden City is an exhibition developed by the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA; Smithsonian's Freer|Sackler, Washington, D.C.; and the Palace Museum, Beijing. Empresses opens at the Peabody Essex Museum, and travels to the Smithsonian's Freer|Sackler in early 2019. We developed the exhibition's introduction to the empresses, which gives an overview of each empress, and a second motion graphic featuring one of the most powerful empresses during the Qing dynasty.
For this exhibition we
Created two unique motion graphic
Created the layout, hierarchy, and organizational structure
Created custom assets for each motion graphic
Adjusted provided assets that met the curatorial guidelines
Animated all moving elements
Worked closely with the Peabody Essex Museum to organize the video content for the best visitor experience
hierarchy and timing
The empresses are the focal point of this exhibition, and it was important to make sure they were of these motion graphics as well. We prioritized showing their faces, front and center, to provide an intimate experience with each empress. These portraits are accompanied by strategically timed text telling their stories, an animated family tree explaining their complex lineage, and a timeline highlighting world events to give a better understanding of when these empresses reigned.
Designing for motion
All of the assets need to be broken up into separate layers allowing them to be animated and populate on screen as needed.
Exhibition Introduction MOtion Graphic