Project 6 Mauk Design Andre Wong

Upon arriving at Mauk Design’s studio, you will see a giant lower case “a” in the window on the left side. On the right side, there is a clear spherical chair made for one hanging from a chain attached to the ceiling. My first thought to myself was, “Where do I get one of these chairs for MY room??” My first impression was that the place seemed small. After Mitchell’s presentation, I am amazed by the large scale exhibits produced by such a small firm. Three exhibits that stuck out for me were the marble tile exhibit, the Playstation exhibit, and the giant color swatches recreation displayed at the Adobe headquarters. I thought it was interesting how this exhibit spirals inward.


People continued to walk into the spiral knowing that it is a dead end. The marble displays were on both sides, designed for the people to go in looking at one side and then continue to look at the displays on the opposite side walking out. I thought this was a genius idea.


After looking at pics of the Playstation exhibit, it occurred to me where that awesome chair in the front came from. I am tempted to try and build one for myself. This exhibit looked ridiculously awesome, and I wish I was there. It is shocking to me that something like this was only up for 3 days before it was taken down.


This giant swatches pallete is really cool. It reminds me of a stained glass window. Another genius idea that makes you think to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I thought it was interesting also the amount of people that work at Adobe that have no idea what it is either.

Project 6 Mauk Design Jewel Boone

Since exhibit design is something that I have thought briefly about getting into before, but never seriously, being able to go to a design firm and see what they actually do was amazing. It definitely convinced me that I would like to work in exhibition design in the future (outside of class).I loved the field trip to Mauk Design! Although I was late because of a MUNI emergency, I really enjoyed what I did get to see. I believe that we can embrace the simplicity strategy for our exhibit and still make it something to remember.

Project 6 Mauk Design Maria Alvarez

           This was my first time visiting an actual design firm and was fascinated by the structure and the work environment at Mauk Designs. I found that Mitchell’s presentation was very informative and it gave me a strong idea of how to succeed in this kind of industry.

            I was amazed when he mentioned one of his works, which is a blown up display of the Photoshop swatch palette at Adobe. I thought it was a brilliant idea because it provided the company a visual identity. The building seemed kind of plain and the swatch palette simply added more character and color.

Mitchell pointed out a car model that one of his associates designed. He says that his associate is planning to build that car for Burning Man. I would love to see that car model come to life. From what I’ve heard and seen, there’s a lot of art at this event so I think people would enjoy seeing that car.

            Overall, I had a great time visiting Mauk Designs and hearing Mitchell’s presentation and seeing some of his work. I was definitely inspired.

Project 6 Mauk Design Victoria Gouzikovski

Above: Examples of simple, yet effective exhibits from Mauk Design
(taken from http://www.maukdesign.com )

The field trip to Mauk Design helped inspire and get me more excited about creating our own design. Understanding what an actual exhibit design firm goes through to put up a display is important at this stage because we are about to to do the same thing. I thought it was very interesting how all their exhibits looked so different, as if separate firms designed them; he mentioned that he once received a compliment about how you can tell that their exhibits are from Mauk Design not because they look he same, but because of the clarity of the message. I think exhibit design is a form of communication and having a very thoughtful and clear design is crucial to having get the message across.

When the tile exhibit was mentioned, I realized that I like the idea of directing the experience of the viewer. I know that it is not good to “force” an exhibit goer to do anything, but simply leading someone though is a good way to make sure that everyone gets the full experience. Even bubble diagrams are designed to look at the waking patterns in stores, museums, and exhibitions. I think that having a hierarchy of things that you want to exhibit, leading up to pieces that are meant to be seen last might be a interesting idea. In the tile exhibit, it was made sure that each visitor would notice every tile, at the very least. Another benefit of that exhibit is just that it looks so simple but so interesting. Using a simple but thoughtful system for our exhibit might be the way to go, too!

Mauk Design trip - Mary's Take

(this is an image I took outside of their studio)

Project 6: Field Trip to Mauk Design

DAI 524
Mary H.
February 24, 2010

I really enjoyed our trip to Mauk Design because I have always wanted to look at small studios. I have only seen Frog Design studios so that was my image of what a design studio is like. I knew that Mauk was a small studio but I didn’t realize how small they were—only three people. I liked seeing the presentation because Mr. Mauk has done so much work when it all came from a small studio. I thought this was really amazing that one man can do so much. I thought it was neat that he was studying to be a graphic designer but he ended up in this field. I liked hearing his employees talk because they looked like they just graduated from college and are basically in the same shoes as we are. I was surprised that they were currently doing about 8 projects at once, because they are such a tiny company. But Mr. Mauk looks like he really knew how to handle different projects and how to get everything done on time.

After hearing him talk I became more interested in learning more about exhibit design. I never thought much about displays whenever I go into an exhibition space or even a store. Now, I am more aware and I like to see what each space has done to display their products and services.

Project 6 Mauk Design: Kimi Yamamoto

Listening to Mitchell Mauk talk about all of the intricacies of what goes into exhibit design was not only interesting and informative, but inspiring as well. Something I really took to heart was that understanding the benefits of minimalism as a concept is quite important; I refer to minimalism in respect to using what resources are available and making the most of them, such as the exhibit they did for Italian marble. Hearing what he had to say about meeting his clients’ needs made me realize how much creative freedom we have in the class as designers to make the DAI exhibit, taking into consideration that our main clients are ourselves and others in our department.

Project Six Mauk Design Matthew Kuukka

Mauk was a really cool design firm, it is amazing how small they are and how much work that they do. They do some amazing work that is not just limited to exhibition design showing how diverse they are and capable of almost any type of design work. It was also cool to get some insider knowledge about what things were made from and how simple some of the most amazing looking things were. That the main thing I took away was that things should be kept simple and try to use existing things as much as possible.

Project 6 Mauk Austin Mitchell

Project 6
DAI524
Austin Mitchell

Simplicity- One of the most important things Mitchell Mauk discussed was the concept of simplicity in exhibit design. He said that it is important to think about what the minimum amount of materials would be to get the job done. Although a few of his exhibits were more complex architecturally, this is not always nessecary, as seen in the example above. You also must think about what it is that your are trying to communicate about a product or company and focus on communicating that clearly to the viewer.

Diversity- Although it seems to be his primary concentration, Mitchell Mauk does not limit himself to only exhibit design. He was also working on airport signs, a Burning Man car, and wine bottles for his friends' winery. I think it is important for designers to be able to design in a wide variety of categories.

Project 6 Mauk Design Amanda Danihels

I really enjoyed visiting Mauk Design this last Thursday. I think their overall approach to exhibit design is extremely innovative and aesthetically pleasing in terms of the design. Their office provides a look inside their world and the daily work that goes into designing and developing an exhibit. All of their work was really creative and impressive. The use of materials, light, and space really inspired me for our own exhibit design. After getting the opportunity to look at the beginning stages of their designs to the final output, I felt overwhelmed with ideas for our own exhibit. One of the main constraints that we face in developing our design is accessibility to materials and budget constraints. However, it is still possible to mimic some of their applied design ideas. I really liked the use of lighting in their designs and how a simple light could be reflected and give a whole different and powering effect. I also thought it was really awesome that he used fabric for the Exhibit showcasing Italian Marble which is one of the images I have enclosed. Another idea I liked and am hoping we can apply to our exhibit is having something hanging from the ceiling and perhaps playing off of the lighting to create a much larger effect in a simpler way. Overall, great field trip and an amazing company.

P6 Mauk | Julie Silverman

I think it's very evident that he started out as a graphic designer, particularly in his philosophy (online and from the visit) of being all about the message/story of the exhibit. We can talk about materials and lighting until our faces turn blue, but if there's no cohesive idea/content, then there really is nothing. This is crucial for us, particularly with so many people involved. The theme and ideas and various attached concepts must be articulated very clearly, and we must periodically put all our work up to evaluation on whether it meets those goals. Simply doing stuff for the "cool" factor rather than designing to a message is a great way to have a disjointed mess of an exhibit.

Project 6 Mauk Design - Tiffanie Yip

The Mauk Design field trip was a good experience for me because I was actually inside a design studio. I like how the studio was set up with the windows on top because it was really bright with sunlight shining in. It was cool seeing the sketches of the McDonalds exhibits and the final picture of that huge hamburger. I was amazed when I heard that it only took two people to work on the McDonalds exhibit. I thought it was really interesting learning about who designed the logo for the Pluto’s Restaurant and also Charles Swab’s wine labels. When he told us how he designed the Pluto’s logo, I was really impressed it was done by the line tool. I also liked the many different win labels that were displayed on the bottle in different colors and fonts. I had a good time at the Mauk Design.

Project 6 - Mauk Feild Trip /// Sean Fridman

I enjoyed our trip to Mauk design. Seeing an actual exhibit design firm and talking to an actual exhibit designer, perhaps not surprisingly, gave me a greater understanding of exhibit design. One thing I came away with from the trip was an improved understanding of budget. Learning that Mauk can use $50,000 in a space considerably smaller than ours made clear to me the necessity of utilizing clever thriftiness in creating Stream. Also, it sort of levelled my imagination closer to reality in regards to a truer appreciation of our budget and what can and cannot be done therein.

It was interesting to see the abundance of sketch models lying around the Mauk office. This helped me understand the importance of concrete visualization. No matter how sound a concept is in your head, you can’t know exactly how it stands up to the complications of reality without seeing it in reality.

Additionally, I like Mauk’s focus on motion. Designers are often focused on XYZ and forget that there are other, highly effective dimensions that they can incorporate into their designs. I think the use of motion is a great idea for Stream.

Having said that, I would also like to assert that Mitchell Mauk is a funny guy. He’s all designy looking and funny and whatnot. Cool guy.

Project 6: Field trip to Mauk Design

During a recent field trip to the Mauk Design, an exhibit design mainly for trade shows, we were able to have an inside look. We were able to study exhibit designs, the process and ideas were they are derived from. During the trip we saw small paper dioramas of present and past exhibits. Along the walls we were able to view printed pictures of past exhibits like the McDonalds and the employee rewards and success exhibits. Also we saw a small preview of an upcoming airport terminal; the host also showed several ideas that worked and did not worked.

project 6

PROJECT 6: Mauk Field Trip

DAI 524

Jesselyn Hernandez

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Mauk Design field trip was an informative experience that allowed us to understand the concept of preparing for various exhibits. Some main points that Mitchell Mauk focused were on time management, materials, and concept. 

Mitchell explains that every assignment takes a lot of time planning and prototyping. For instance, Mauk Design had a visual communication project for a modern fresh recently completed airport. Within this project some requirements were vital factors toward functionality. Overall this project took them a lot of re-assembling and re-structuring, as well as a whole year of stress and tension.

At the end of the day you were able to get a general idea of the development, procedures, and course of action that one would have to take to design an exhibit. 

Project 6, Mauk Design

     Last visit at Mauk Design was quit an experience. The small office with big projects got my attention. The owner, Mitchell Mauk, gave good presentation about some of his past and ongoing projects in exhibition, graphics, products and even logo design. he told us about his opinion that a good designer has to be able to design anything, and that's what I believe too.

     In my opinion, Mauk design is the place that brilliant ideas meet the most effective solutions and bring the big projects to the end. Since my emphasis is exhibition designing, this visit was really inspiring for me. Everything from sketch models to pictures and models of finished projects were exciting. The project that got my attention was the MacDonald's innovation exhibit in its worldwide convention. The dazzling idea of using inexpensive and simple materials to make that huge and beautiful exhibition, was admiring. It also taught me that with smart use of materials and budget, you could come up with the finest design that can compete with the best of its own kind. 

Project 6 Elsa Huerta Mauk Design

I was actually surprised to see that even the little things we do such as sketch models actually get used on a regular basis at design firms. The scale to what effect things like a simple clear piece of plastic with a print on it can make was impressive.


It was also very reassuring to know that there are a multitude of cheap materials that we can use and stretch in order to make our exhibit impressive without having to fill every corner of the room. The scale to what effect things like a simple clear piece of plastic with a print on it can make was surprising.


I also really enjoyed being able to look through the drawers of materials and find things that could influence similar materials to the materials that we chose to use for our exhibit.

Project 6: Paul Carlson -- Mauk Design

The class trip to Mauk Design was enlightening and informative. As Mitchell Mauk mentioned, all exhibits should tell a story; we need to figure out what the story of Stream is, and how best to package/convey that. Another thing he mentioned that I thought worth taking note of was the fact that the only truly green/sustainable exhibit design is one that uses less, not more; also, if it can be re-used, so much the better. This is something I believe strongly in, in making (at least some components of) Stream re-usable. I also particularly appreciated his suggestion for making exhibits dynamic by incorporating movement, whether actual (as in the case of the Reynolds Composites bicycle wheel display) or illusionary (as in the case of projectors mated with Gobos).

project 6 Leo Zhao

“Good designers are able to design anything”

When I first went inside the Mauk design, I was impressed by the number of awards this design firm had won. It was really a good experience to hear Mitchell’s presentation about his works and his design philosophy. The most memorable line he said was that “Good designers are able to design anything.” Design is about problem solving. Each time a client brings a project to them, they consider it as a new problem needs to be solved. For us, our biggest problem is how to use the weird space in Jack Adams hall. I really like his idea about create some kind of motion and don't use all the space in an exhibition. Stream has its own motion and I think if we can cooperate this kind of streaming motion into our design, it will lead to a great flow.

Project 6, Mauk Design

Visiting Mauk design opened my eyes about the shear scale of being able to design a full exhibit at industry standard. The examples showed to us were extremely worth considering all the different aspects of exhibition design. 

One thing which surprised me was the size of the design team at Mauk. Considering the size of projects and the size of the clientèle their team is extremely small, So with the amount of man power and “cheap” labour as Mitchell put it we should be able produce a show to be proud of. The work shown to us highlighted the need for sketch models and strong graphics. It was interesting that he said that he used to do the graphics for some companies then designed the exhibit. This process is very much like how we are doing this exhibit. Starting from scratch and coming up with the whole concept. 

I was impressed with the amount of reference material they had, with regards to both magazine articles and material samples. Mauk seemed to be subscribing to all the major design magazines both here in America and also in Europe.

Project 6/Mauk Design/Steve Belale

Last week's visit to the Mauk Design Studio was an enlightening experience. The therapeutic rainy weather outside added to the good vibe. It was inspirational and also great to see how a once graphic designer blossomed his career into an award winning, world renowned exhibit designer. The conference room was littered with dozens of awards, too many for a table to hold. Some were just being used as paper weights on the center table. Ridiculous. Also the magnitude of his projects were equally intense.

Design is about solving problems, whether graphic, product or exhibit. This is what we most focus on, solving the problem of putting together the annual DAI show with a limited amount of resources. I really liked his thrifty exhibits that used mylar with lights and also the walls made out of textile materials with holes cut in them to allow viewing through the other side. Also the spiral exhibit of the tiles was inspiring as well as the one for the airlines with hundreds of photos hung from the ceiling.