Post image for Design Sightings In Portugal: 3) Art At The Berardo

Friday
Apr 17 , 2009

Design Sightings In Portugal: 3) Art At The Berardo

Next up is some cool signage at the Museu Colecção Berardo’s in Lisbon’s Belém area.

As with the Cervejaria this is an example of injecting wit and character into something that usually only gets an afterthought.

What’s better. This (from the Oceanarium, also in Lisbon)?

Portugal 874

Or this:

Portugal 775
Portugal 782

It’s clear which one is more likely to engage the audience.

And what about these reinterpretations of the humble toilet wo/man?

Portugal 778

Portugal 780

Portugal 777

Even the floor numbering gets in on the act, showing you the number and the contents of the floor in a single chunk of typography.

Portugal 785

Portugal 787

As Jonathan Miller says, art is about “making the negligible considerable”, which this goes some way to doing. A great set of designs and particularly appropriate for a gallery of modern art, although it would be wonderful if utilitarian details were always this stimulating.

  • http://shakeoutblog.com/2009/04/19/design-sightings-in-portugal-4-non-awesome-hospital-signage/ Design sightings in Portugal: 4) Non-awesome hospital signage « Shakeout’s Blog

    [...] Yesterday I showed some awesome signage from Lisbon’s Museu Colecção Berardo’s which was engaging, witty and fit perfectly with the character of a modern art museum. [...]

  • http://raphdamico.com/2009/04/19/design-sightings-in-portugal-4-non-awesome-hospital-signage/ Design sightings in Portugal: 4) Non-awesome hospital signage « raphdamico.com

    [...] last two posts (about the Cervejaria Trindade and Museu Colecção Berardo) were about how the most utilitarian objects need not pass unnoticed. They can be made to have a [...]

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