St Christopher’s Oral Histories branding and exhibition design
The Challenge
St Christopher's Hospice approached Creative Switch to create an exhibition celebrating their Oral History Project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund – a collection of stories from patients, staff, and volunteers that captured the story of modern hospice care. With a vast archive of recordings and six months to launch, they needed help shaping their material into a compelling narrative, branding and exhibition design that would resonate with a diverse community across physical and digital spaces.
The solution
It was crucial that we did justice to the legacy of the organisation that pioneered the modern global hospice movement, so we worked closely with the client to make sure we understood the brief inside and out.
We took our cues from St Christopher’s innovative spirit and evolutionary nature to create a thoroughly modern exhibition that busted taboos around death and drew in audiences from far and wide.
We created an exhibition design that worked within St Christopher's CARE brand identity while reflecting the modular architecture of the centre itself. This approach turned the building's design into part of the storytelling experience.
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Naming
Concepts
Design system
Digital screens
Audiograms
Exhibition design
Exhibition materials
Launch design
Brochure and printed marketing materials
To prevent the rich oral history material from overwhelming visitors, we developed content that structured information into bite-sized quotes, medium-length narratives, audio, interactive design and longer story sections. This varied pacing allowed visitors to engage at different levels while maintaining emotional impact and helping the team make difficult editing decisions.
A key design element was using colour as both wayfinding and narrative device. Three distinct palettes – Early Years, The Work, and Reflection – each shared a navy base and red accent (for calls to action and provocations), but featured unique secondary colours that helped visitors intuitively understand where they were in the story. This system worked whether people followed a linear path or not and continued online.
Working closely with Exhibit Printing, we designed the physical structure and installation approach to ensure the design translated effectively into the multifunctional space. This collaboration ensured both the visitor experience and the practical build were carefully considered from the outset.
The flexible design system ensured the stories remained central across all applications – from large-format exhibition boards to digital platforms and printed marketing – with the modular approach adapting seamlessly between physical and online environments.
“Kath worked as our branding and exhibition designer, providing creative direction and design for the creation of our physical and online exhibition: The Voices that Shaped Us: Modern Hospice in the Making.
Kath was excellent to work with, becoming a valued member of the project team. She created an impactful and accessible exhibition design for a multifunctional space as well as for online; acted as a critical friend, commenting on our initial ideas and brought her professional expertise to all areas of the design and build process. The final exhibition was a complete success and an important milestone in the first year of the new Centre for Awareness & Response to End of Life (CARE) at St Christopher’s.
I would have no hesitancy in recommending Kath for the quality of her design work and her positive and professional approach.”
Behind the scenes video installing the Exhibition with Exhibit Print.
Concept sketches of the exhibition and way-finding colour scheme