Lauren Gisel

This Trappist monastery in Conyers, Georgia wanted to expand their reach (and income) by creating an attraction in a new visitor center focused on the history of monastic life and the founding and daily life of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. The complex also included a new gift shop bonsai garden and greenhouse. I was responsible for the design of both the exhibits and the graphic design on this project, which was spread across two buildings, including a renovated barn structure. Also, since it was local, I was in constant contact and worked very closely with the monks to hone in on their unique story and translate it into a dynamic, but reverent space for education and contemplation. (Designs and graphics by me, final renderings by Jim Arp.)

Concept of the Day in the Life of a Monk area in the historic barn. Design and view by me, final rendering by Jim Arp.

A selection of my environmental graphic layout proofs (with elevations) from The Monastic Heritage Center. Click to view PDF.
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The entrance gallery of the museum’s Blakemore Planetarium was redesigned to greet the visitor with a dynamic and exciting introduction to space science and history. Large backlit graphics and bright interactive columns let visitors explore the properties and states of matter and our solar system. Surrounding an artifact star projector are two curved, sliding touch screen interactive timelines allow visitors to explore and learn more about the history of space observation and exploration. On this project, I was lead designer for casework, art director for AV interactives, content developer and writer, scientific illustrator and primary graphic designer. Project Manager: Michael Lewis. Interactive Programers: Jason Butcher and Luiz Commasetto.

Concept sketch - The brightly colored columns against the black field of the room was meant to mimic the lines of a spectrograph. Each column had a highlight element such as a plasma ball or touch screen interactive game about the solar system.

Foreground: Surrounding the centerpiece of the original planetarium projector, an interactive touchscreen glides over a timeline of space exploration. Visitors can use the touchcsreen interface to learn more about important events and people.

Since this atrium space is naturally dark, backlit graphics were key to making this space 'pop'

Screenshot from 'Tour of the Solar System' interactive. Art direction, content and image assets designed by me. Programming by Luiz Commasetto.

Close-up of touchscreen interface.

CLICK 'VIEW FULL SIZE' ICON TO SEE MULTI-PAGE DOCUMENT. A selection of my environmental graphic layout proofs (with elevations) from The Blakemore Planetarium. I also did most of the copy writing for this project.
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The Reflections of Culture gallery is about who we are and how we express our culture through food, the arts, architecture, and especially clothing and jewelry. The exhibit strives to compare and contrast familiar western cultural references for wealth, status, religion, and group memberships with how other cultures from around the world express these themes through their own personal adornment. I was lead designer on the project, including concept and design of the casework and AV interactive art direction. I also coordinated closely with the curators at the museum to select objects and create case layouts, and worked with content developer to shape the story around the beautifully diverse McClatchey Collection. Project manager: Michael Lewis. Graphic designer: Stephanie Polson.

Mirrored sections of the entry/exit piece allow visitors to see and contrast their own personal adornments to those of people in other cultures - hopefully seeing themselves differently as they walk out than when they entered. Photo by the AJC.

This physical foamcore and paper model of 'Belief Systems' section of the gallery helped the client understand the shape, color and layered qualities of the design concept and case layouts.

An overall view of the gallery shows the jewel-toned hues of the casework and juxtaposition of the rectilinear arches and the curves of the interactive columns in the center.