Are we a good fit?

Chris is a consummate professional. I know I can rely on his steady hand and creative mind to inspire not only the team but the client as well. I always look forward to working with him and tapping into his many talents.

—Mia Schillace-Nelson, Creative Director, Outhouse Exhibit Services

Here’s what we value.

Project teams work best when members bring their own strengths to the table.
When each person helps fill in the gaps to address overall strengths and weaknesses.
But it also means finding team members who align philosophically. What makes
you tick? What types of projects make your heart sing? Core values are key to getting your project off to the right start.

  • Iteration & collaboration—The best exhibit teams are able to bounce ideas off each other. Teams that truly collaborate and iterate make each other’s work better. The process of making is where the real thinking happens. We constantly test our assumptions and tweak the visitor experience.
  • Innate learners—The best projects involve learning something new. It could be about content, audience, techniques, or all-of-the-above. At Drumminhands Design, we are perpetual learners. And passion is infectious, especially from clients who care deeply about their story, place, and visitors.
  • Visitor experience beats ego—Don’t let an ego get in the way of the people who matter most: your visitors. When we have a better understanding of visitor needs and motivations, we can design more successful experiences.
  • Message before media—If we choose the widget first, we end up with an expensive doorstop in the corner of an exhibit space. It’s much better to get a good foundation on the story and audience, then choose the right media to tell this particular story. And sometimes that right media does not involve technology.
  • Sustainable exhibits—An exhibit is like a garden. It can last a lifetime, but it needs regular weeding. From maintenance to choosing the right hardware and software, let’s identify the right approach for your project together. And if you want more peace of mind with an annual maintenance package, we can do that too.
  • Underserved stories—Often the most engaging projects feature stories that need to be told in a new way or from new perspectives.

Chris is open to iterative thinking in a way that I haven’t seen in others. They put up walls, but Chris doesn’t get defensive right away.

—Ned Hurley, Media Developer, Minnesota Historical Society