Exhibition and Experience Design

Exhibitions are intellectually, emotionally, and physically meaningful experiences driven by visitors. In FIT’s Exhibition and Experience Design Master of Arts degree program, students are explorers and inventors, employing a range of media to tell stories.

Drawing on myriad disciplines, you will explore theory, methods, techniques, and technologies needed to create experiences in any venue—from museums to branded environments to public spaces.

Announcement

Exhibition and Experience Design information sessions will take place on the following dates. Click on a date and time to register for the session.

The curriculum, a blend of field and studio work, focuses on designing narrative environments rooted in human psychology. Students explore every type of designed experience, including museums, pop-ups, and interactive digital spaces, and develop skills in concept development, environmental design, graphics, lighting, and model making. Working closely with industry partners, students embark on real-world projects and studio-based competitions with local and international firms, museums, and public facilities. The program culminates with a thesis project that draws on critical research. While the program can be taken on a part-time basis, the final semester must be full-time.

Degree Details

Design Resources

Take advantage of FIT’s emerging tech lab, PrintFX, and the Writing and Speaking Studio. Sharpen your skills and implement exhibition experiences and narratives with AR/VR, virtual walkthrough software, animation, and more—while designing projects and engaging in cutting-edge research with some of the world's leading exhibition and experience design professionals, institutions, firms and industry leaders in New York City and across the globe.

Through class presentations, lectures, studio projects, and off-site trips, you’ll gain access to experts in the field, and collaborate with leading industry organizations such as the Exhibition Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) and the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD). You’ll execute multiple full-scale projects, working with professionals in actual venues through The Design Partnership.

Our students have won national and international competitions sponsored by a variety of institutions and industry partners such as The Smithsonian Institution, SONY, New York Botanical Garden, Wildlife Conservation Society, American Museum of Natural History, EuroShop and more. More about our awards and news coverage.

Learn more about FIT’s Exhibition and Experience Design program

Inform, entertain, and inspire through designed experiences.

Experience and Exhibition Design Madison Square Park

Avery Zucker's thesis project looks at democratizing the contemporary art museum experience and focuses on identity politics through the lens of self portraiture in five contemporary artists..

Experience and Exhibition Design New York Aquarium

A colorful pop-up store by Naz Ertugrul promotes the clothing brand that is committed to training the next generation of environmental activists.

Experience and Exhibition Design Analise Mehmet

Perceiving authenticity by co-creation is a project by Changhyun Lee whose target audience are seniors in East Harlem. Chang was selected to present his thesis "Co-creating the Brand" at the 2021 SEGD Academic Summit. Communication + Place, the official research journal of the Experiential Graphic Design community, published his thesis.

Reclaiming narrative. Briyana Rainer's project is a neighbor-based platform for sharing perspectives centering on bias and conversation between us, the places we live, and the things we see.

By introducing a new wayfinding system that has roots touching on inclusivity, accessibility and identity, Dilworth Park in Philadelphia, as imagined by Naz Ertugrul, becomes a space not only for navigation but for conversation, inspiration, and co-creation with and for its visitors. That includes a word hunt to complete phrases of the SEGD manifesto, typography on grass and an interactive projection on Philadelphia’s City Hall, which overlooks Dilworth Park. Naz won first place in the design challenge organized in collaboration with Society for Experiential Design SEGD.

Jenny Hsin-Yi Chang redesigned the museum entry wayfinding system that will allow visitors easy navigation from the subway stop through the permanent exhibitions inside the museum.

Shraddha Bedmutha's "Mind|Body|Soul - Journey of Self Discovery" exhibition is based on the core idea of finding one’s true self, through mind, body and soul.

"Jambalaya" is an exhibit designed by Briyana Rainer that reflects on the mixing and mashing of cultures and versatility of the dish through a series of projections and audio. It allows engagement and participation by creating the space for the participant's contribution.

Lyka Williams created a branded temporary retail experience that not only fostered consumer engagement with the brand, but fully immersed customers in their sustainable movement.

"Greening Marble Hill" is a group project by Emily Schmidt, Eve Frudakis, and Naz Ertugrul. This group targeted problems, such as lack of greenery and food insecurity as the ongoing issues in the neighborhood.

Jaipreet Uppal designed a showroom using luxury brand's appliances and materials.

"Juvenile in Justice: At What Cost" is a project about incarcerated youth by Lyka Williams.

Kayla Van Name designed a project about oysters, her favorite food.

No two cowgirls are the same, yet together they form an iconic American identity. SELDOM IS HEARD: VOICES OF THE COWGIRL designed by Ciera Iveson reveals the mindset of the Cowgirl, and the forces women battled to blaze their own trail in the American West, and thus create new possibilities for women across the country. Ciera presented her thesis at the 2022 SEGD Academic Summit, and it was also published in Communication + Place, the official research journal of the Experiential Graphic Design community.

Claudia Tinta's vision of a pop-up store for a famous cosmetic brand.

Mochi as a part of "My Favorite Food" project by Zuzanna Zmijewska.

Hua Wen Kao EED '22, was selected as one of twenty winners of Prada's 'Action in the Year of the Tiger' global competition! Hua Wen's competition entry called "Restore Balance" is exhibited at Prada Rong Zhai in Shanghai. Read more about Hua Wen's entry.

Naz Ertugrul’s thesis exhibition "Flow" acts as a design stage which alters with each activity to convert the future of female motorsport racing and act as a medium for increased social connection with the individuals and within the setting. Naz was selected to present her thesis at the 2022 SEGD Academic Summit, and have it published in the Communication + Place, the official research journal of the Experiential Graphic Design community.

Make an experience that moves … Graduate with the confidence and skills to help shape the creative economy by creating unique and provoking exhibitions.

Through this program, I learned to focus on people: how to listen to them, understand them, empathize with them, and design for them. Now, I am confident — I can design an experience.

Chang LeeExhibition and Experience Design ’19

Our curricula, New York City location, and global network of advisors offer exceptional opportunities to forge strong bonds with leaders in the field. EED graduates can benefit from lifelong career services and advisement.

Beyond Graduation

Experience and Exhibition Design outside the classroom

Our faculty members include exhibition experience designers, content developers, graphic and lighting designers, and design historians—all with current industry expertise. Meet more Exhibition and Experience Design faculty.

Christina Lyons

Lyons is an associate professor and the chair of the Exhibition and Experience Design department. She evolves curriculum, supports students and faculty, and facilitates industry partnerships. She was previously the director of the graphic design department at Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership and a senior designer at Poulin + Morris. She has worked on numerous exhibition and experience design projects domestically and globally.

Brenda Cowan

Cowan is a professor of Exhibition and Experience Design, where she supports the ongoing evolution of the MA program’s core curriculum, direction of academic and design instruction, and facilitation of the program’s relationship with the profession.