FRD UK

FRD UK is a multi-disciplinary company specialising in design and creative direction for the museum, heritage and cultural tourism industries.

We have extensive experience covering the complete exhibition development process, from master planning and content strategy to exhibition design, development and implementation, and have delivered successful projects throughout Europe, Australia and around the world, from major museums and visitor centres through to temporary installations and travelling exhibitions.

Our work focuses on creating complete visitor experiences, integrating thoughtful communication and engaging story telling with innovative technologies and visually effective, user-friendly design. FRD UK underpins its work with extensive knowledge of the architectural, logistical and operational requirements for completing successful and sustainable projects.

The team at FRD UK comprises highly qualified and experienced creative and production professionals including staff trained in architecture, interior and graphic designers, writers, curators, and researchers, multimedia producers and interactive and experiential designers.

FRD UK have delivered a wide range of project types, from major museum work to heritage building and site interpretation. Thematic content we have delivered has covered expansive territory – from transport history and environmental science, to complex narratives of the social and natural world. At FRD UK, stories drive our design methodology. Consciously pairing personal stories with the right narrative devices and technologies ensure an experience has longevity and the most effective possible impact.

Human stories lie at the heart of the most powerful and memorable visitor experiences. We believe stories can change perspectives, facilitate new awareness, and deepen people’s understanding of their own lives.  Visitors make personal and emotive connections with stories in unexpected and unplanned ways – when this happens the visitor experience is a deeply fulfilling one.

We reference exhibition design through the lens of visitors’ desires: for engagement, entertainment, meaning and reflection. Spatial visitor management as well as clear thematic delineation is essential to a coherent visitor experience. Clear navigation is balanced with surprise elements that delight and inform. The provision of displays for those with special physical and intellectual needs is an important part of design planning.

FRD UK recognises the shifting methods of interpretation in museums, and that new digital technologies have impacted the ways in which museums encourage discovery and engage broad audiences. We consult with experts at the cutting edge of their fields, which means we can continually explore new methods and technologies to enhance, evolve, and expand visitor experiences. Our innovative approach to storytelling embraces the entire experience space – emotional, physical and digital – as an expanded canvas to connect content and audience in inventive ways.

We also believe the most effective way to tell a story can only be determined via a thorough analysis of content, a process that is guided by the desired outcomes of the visitor experience. Testing and monitoring real-time interaction within a complex exhibition is an essential part of the development process.

Getting it right means we can reward audience engagement with powerful pathways through content and the world of ideas.