A World in the Making at Vitra Design Museum explores the legacy of the Shakers, a religious group that originated in the 18th century whose design approach was rooted in community, labour and social equality. The exhibition and publication examine the Shakers from a contemporary perspective, placing them alongside new commissions by artists and designers.
Our design centres around a newly commissioned series of photographs, created in close collaboration with photographer Alex Lesage. Together, we developed a body of work shot at the Shaker Museum and at the Hancock and Mount Lebanon Shaker villages in Massachusetts and New York, offering a new lens on Shaker life.
Weil am Rhein, Germany, 2024–25
Exhibition, Publication, Campaign
‘The studio’s custom sans-serif typography – inspired by historic Shaker objects – and tactile signage unify the religious movement’s stripped-down design sensibility with contemporary clarity across the exhibition’s storytelling elements and book.’
Design Considered →
The letter E of the custom sans serif echoes the handle of a polishing broom from around 1850.
The book's cover pairs new photography of Shaker vernacular with custom sans-serif typography, featuring letterforms that echo the shapes of the beautiful objects created by the Shakers.
The layout grid follows Shaker principles of symmetry and subtlety, with text and imagery ‘hanging’ from a consistent peg rail, a recurring feature in their architecture. A warm white cover opens to vivid blue endpapers, in a nod to the white-painted exteriors and blue interiors of Shaker religious buildings. This is accentuated by a rounded spine, echoing the curvature of their tools and commercial goods.
The exhibition design, developed in collaboration with FormaFantasma, is rooted in Shaker ideology and materiality, using simple and restrained materials throughout. Delicate timber joinery and a colourful palette of fabrics cover the gallery walls and surfaces, with interpretation texts printed on warm textured paper and fixed with nails. Across the exhibition, imagery is printed directly to the coloured fabric surfaces.
Exhibition design: FormaFantasma
Campaign photography: Alex Lesage
Installation photography: Martin Schgaguler
Book photography: Ed Park
The exhibition is organised by the Vitra Design Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, and the Wüstenrot Foundation in collaboration with Shaker Museum.
