Studio MB

Studio MB

Design Services

Multi-award winning exhibition and interpretive design agency

About us

Founded in Edinburgh in 2004, we design and deliver immersive visitor experiences and stand out exhibitions for museums, heritage attractions and leading global brands the length of the UK, as well as internationally in the Middle East and India.

Industry
Design Services
Company size
11-50 employees
Headquarters
Edinburgh
Type
Privately Held
Founded
2004
Specialties
interpretive design, graphic design, immersive experiences, branding, heritage, museum exhibitions, content management, masterplanning, storyboarding, research, project management, and design and build

Locations

Employees at Studio MB

Updates

  • View organization page for Studio MB, graphic

    2,019 followers

    10 DAYS TO GO   October is flying by and another #CountdownToIMCC milestone is here. With the environment as a key focus of this year’s conference, Design Director Mhairi Naismith has shared some insights on how Studio MB is working to strengthen our commitment to sustainable exhibition design.   Careful consideration is being given to our current project at the Horniman Museum in South London, where we utilised a high percentage of recycled content that can be reused or further recycled after the exhibition’s lifespan. For areas that will require more frequent updates, enlisting materials and finishes that can be easily altered by the in-house team serves to reduce waste. We are carefully designing existing timber display cases to be reusable, reducing the embodied carbon emitted from transport and the production of new glass and steel cases. We worked alongside @Glasshaus https://lnkd.in/e_5y4DKd) to demonstrate that these refurbished cases achieved an Air Exchange rate of 0.13%, and so will be able to provide a safe and stable display of collections for years to come.   Click the link below to read her full thoughts.  

    View profile for Mhairi Naismith, graphic

    Design Director at Studio MB

    We recently celebrated our 20th Birthday at Studio MB, and what a journey it has been – there is a lot that we look back on with pride. But we’ve been doing some soul searching of late, reflecting on where we are going and how can we become better than we are now. For me, sustainability is the key to this. What I mean here is holistic sustainability: economic, social and environmental. This is broad by definition, and touches every aspect of ‘what we do’. It is not a fourth pillar to the trinity of Cost, Time and Quality – it is the network that connects and bolsters them all if it is put in place with thought, care and expertise. Through this lens, we can look at ‘what we do’ at Studio MB in three areas: 1.          The designs we produce - I like the question 'is that necessary'? - How transformative it can be. It forces us to keep only the parts of the design that are important. By doing less, we can save energy, carbon, time, money, and leave less to be dealt with after the lifetime of the exhibition. Before I talk myself out of a job here, the word ‘necessary’ is critical- this can be defined for a given project by the aims, the audience, and the lifespan of the project, and becomes an invaluable yardstick for design decisions. 2.          The way we function– we’re on a learning curve with this and are working towards ISO 14001 certification. Whilst we are not perfect, there is a sincere appetite in our team to improve things from the inside out and we are thrilled to have taken this (somewhat overdue) step, among others, to do better. 3.          How we can be agents of change- for our own sanity and consciences as designers, we need to drive changes in how our industry produces Exhibitions. We want to talk about this more and amplify these conversations to further extend the reach of these benefits.  We have had the privilege of working with the Horniman Museum and Gardens on their ambitious Nature and Love project, which exemplifies the approach to sustainability that we are working to embed. We've learned a lot from the process, client team, and our excellent collaborators on this project - we can’t wait for the world to see it 💫

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • View organization page for Studio MB, graphic

    2,019 followers

    20 DAYS TO GO    The #CountdownToIMCC continues with just three weeks to go. Our Director Jim Broughton has been reflecting on one of the themes of the conference – designing for the future – and looking at how Studio MB has sought to address this challenge over our 20 years in the business.     #studiomb #MB20 #IMCC2024 #IMCCEdinburgh

    View profile for Jim Broughton, graphic

    Director at Studio MB

    Growing old gracefully Reflecting on our 20 years in business at StudioMB.co.uk, we’ve been asking ourselves what we’ve learned during this time – and as we look back through our portfolio we’ve been analysing what makes up those projects that have held up particularly well. I’ve spent as much of my career working in museums as working for them, and am ever conscious that – for reasons of funding and practicality – projects commissioned for a ten-year life span can often end up staying for 20 years or more. So knowing that, what can we do about it? For me, it comes down to recognising that visitor experiences age in three ways: 1. Intellectually – The content and ideas they present become out of date.  Whether it be numbers, dates and facts, or context, attitudes and representation, the noughties can sometimes feel like another country! 2. Experientially – The aesthetics, technologies and modes of delivery seem old. Fashions move fast, never more so than in the worlds of design and entertainment. Social media and smartphones simply didn’t exist 20 years ago. 3. Physically – They fall to pieces. Exhibitions can lead hard lives – attendance (in the UK at least) has almost doubled in the past two decades, while maintenance budgets are lower than they’ve ever been. At Studio MB, we try to ‘bake in’ as much resilience to these indices of ageing as we can. This means specifying graphics to be easily replaceable, designing showcases for object rotations, and on-site content management systems for AV and multimedia. It means not being seduced by the latest gizmo, and hiding the technology so that the content comes to the fore. And it means designing for repairability, modularity and easy reconfiguration. So often in design it’s tempting to think of opening day as ‘the end’ and to move swiftly on to the next project. For our museum clients and their audiences though, it’s just the beginning of a relationship that will grow and change over years. Coming across our old work and seeing its updates, adaptations and well-healed battle scars is our proof of a job well done!

    Home - Studio MB

    Home - Studio MB

    studiomb.co.uk

  • Studio MB reposted this

    View profile for Craig Mann, graphic

    Founding Director at Studio MB & MB360

    Hello IMCC Edinburgh 2024 Studio MB are delighted to be the Gold Sponsor for the International Museum Construction Congress 2024 (IMCC) which is being hosted in our home city of Edinburgh from 3-5 November. For three days, 250 delegates that represent the museum industry from around the world, will be heartily welcomed to the capital of Scotland. We’re looking forward to your arrival. Here’s to the best location in the world. . . . #visitorexperience #brandexperience #designagency #scottishdesign #visitscotland #experiencedesign #exhibitiondesign #immersivedesign #designjobs #museumdesign #visitorattractiondesign #studiomb #edinburghnews #imcc

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Studio MB reposted this

    View profile for Craig Mann, graphic

    Founding Director at Studio MB & MB360

    Iceland update. Studio MB Design Director, David Harrison and Project Manager, Carl Davies, are just back from Reykjavik, where the Exhibition Fit-Out of our latest new visitor experience has started at the Árni Magnússon Institute. Embracing the optional Icelandic ‘fish oil’ shots and the ever present and ongoing volcanic activity, these trips are incredible opportunities to experience the unique phenomenon that is Iceland. We love it there. . . . #visitorexperience #brandexperience #designagency #scottishdesign #visitscotland #experiencedesign #exhibitiondesign #immersivedesign #designjobs #museumdesign #visitorattractiondesign #studiomb#iceland #arnimagnussoninstitute

    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
      +3
  • Studio MB reposted this

    View profile for Craig Mann, graphic

    Founding Director at Studio MB & MB360

    Dublin is Go! As part of our recent appointment to the National Museum of Ireland, Studio MB Design Director, Mhairi Naismith and exhibition designer, Rachael Mackay, are just back from Dublin where we are developing a major new exhibition of manuscripts and artefacts from the collections of NMI and the Stiftsbibliothek St Gallen, Switzerland. This major new temporary exhibition will open mid-2025 and will include as a centrepiece a major loan of early medieval insular manuscripts from Stiftsbibliothek St Gallen in Switzerland. These manuscripts have never before been exhibited together with treasures of early medieval Irish metalwork and stone, and the exhibition will therefore create a unique new focus on this area of history. The exhibition will focus on stories of early Irish peregrini travelling to Europe and the associated material culture, displaying new acquisitions to the collection as well as well known treasures. Studio MB invite you to join us on this fascinating journey. . . . . #visitorexperience #brandexperience #designagency #scottishdesign #visitscotland #experiencedesign #exhibitiondesign #immersivedesign #designjobs #museumdesign #visitorattractiondesign #studiomb #irishculture #dublin #visitireland

    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Studio MB reposted this

    View organization page for Experience UK, graphic

    4,573 followers

    🚀 Celebrating 20 years of innovation! Studio MB is entering a new era of experience design with ambitious plans and an expanded team, including Jim Broughton, James Alexander who take up director roles, and four first-class honours graduates to their design team. Stay tuned as they expand their presence with a new London studio and sponsor the International Museum Constructors Congress this November in Edinburgh! 🌍 https://lnkd.in/eufqtZPG #ExperienceDesign #CulturalInnovation #StudioMB #MuseumExhibitions #AttractionsIndustry

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • View organization page for Studio MB, graphic

    2,019 followers

    WE ARE HIRING – SENIOR EXHIBITION DESIGNER Award-winning visitor destination designers Studio MB are looking for an ambitious Senior Exhibition Designer with vivid imagination and creative flair – a designer who wants to create inspiring, involving and informing environments for galleries and exhibitions within museums, brand homes, science centres and heritage attractions. The role will be based in our studio, and we are seeking an applicant with at least 5 years’ experience working in exhibition design or a related field (e.g., architecture, interior design, or interior architecture). From tender submission to on-site completion, we want you to be fully engaged in each stage of the design and delivery process - taking ownership of your ideas and looking after them all the way through from concept creation to project conclusion. Studio MB is located in Edinburgh. Due to the collaborative nature of our work, your presence working full-time in the studio is essential. ** To download a full job description, please go to: https://lnkd.in/eKkjkRE8 ** Deadline: Friday 6th September 2024, by 5pm. Do you like the sound of working at Studio MB, but don’t quite fit this job description? If this sounds like you, please send over your CV, Portfolio and a cover letter telling us a little more about you and your level of experience. Whilst we are currently seeking to fill this specific Senior Exhibition Designer role in our team, we are always on the lookout for talented people with a proactive attitude, of all levels of experience. #wearehiring #seniorexhibitiondesigner #edinburghjobs #job #jobalert #joinourteam #design #exhibitiondesign

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • View organization page for Studio MB, graphic

    2,019 followers

    AD GEFRIN WINS AWARD AT SDA2024 The Studio MB team are proud to have been awarded the Silver Award for Experiential Design at the Scottish Design Awards for creating Northumbria’s newest visitor experience, Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum & Whisky Distillery. Our client provided us with an extraordinary opportunity to not only bring the rich history of Northumbrian kings and the Anglo-Saxon to life, but also to tell the story of Northumbria’s first whisky in 200 years. We worked closely with the Ad Gefrin team to create a museum & visitor experience that is informative & educational using a variety of display & immersive techniques, from graphics, custom display cases to AV, sounds & scents. (You can read more about the museum, distillery, restaurant & retail elements in previous posts). Our lead contact at Ad Gefrin, Dr Chris Ferguson, Director of Brand and Experience said - “Working with Studio MB to create Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum and Whisky Distillery was an absolute joy from beginning to end.We are delighted that Studio MB scooped a silver award at the 2024 Scottish Design Awards for their brilliant work. As always innovative designers they worked closely with our team to realise a unique immersive experience that really brings to life Northumberland’s Anglo-Saxon ‘Golden Age’ and our wider showcase of the heritage, ancient hospitality and contemporary crafts, arts and produce of the region. Many congratulations to the whole Studio MB team.” Creating an award-winning visitor experience such as Ad Gefrin is not something Studio MB deliver in isolation & we want to name check Freakworks, Pixel Stag, Click Netherfield, Leach Graphics, KDR Projects, Sysco, Mark Hewitt at Myriad Creative, Michael Grubb Studio, Finn McCallum Stone Carving & Astley Signs & thank them for their input & assistance. Finally thanks to the extraordinarily motivated client team for enabling us to ensure Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum & Whisky Distillery offers its visitors that something a little more unique & worthy of, we hope, many more awards.

    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
  • View organization page for Studio MB, graphic

    2,019 followers

    SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARDS 2024 It’s Award week! We’re proud to have two projects shortlisted in the Experiential category of the Scottish Design Awards - The Faith Museum & Ad Gefrin. The Faith Museum is part of Auckland Castle, once home to the Prince Bishops of Durham; a place where the material & spiritual have combined since pre-Roman times. Leading visitors on a journey through history, the Museum tells the story of faith in Britain across six millennia kindling curiosity, raising universal questions about our place in the world & relate to one another. Four dynamic galleries explore key moments, people & ideas that have impacted Britain. Rarely seen objects, national treasures, personal mementoes & contemporary art commissions provoke enquiry & reflection. These objects have been chosen to show the nature & impact of something seemingly invisible & intangible: if faith is something we cannot perceive physically, can evidence of faith be found? The Ad Gefrin Distillery & Visitor Experience, located in the heart of Wooler, Northumberland, is a brand-new whisky distillery, museum & impressive experience of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria. More than 1,000 years ago, Northumbria was the most powerful kingdom in all England, ruled from Bamburgh Castle & the Royal residence of ‘Ad Gefrin’ in the nearby Glendale Valley. The museum experience introduces visitors to the rich history of Ad Gefrin, which had almost become lost until its rediscovery in the 1950’s. To tell this fascinating story visitors begin by being welcomed into an immersive recreation of the Great Hall, complete with replica weaponry & the royal thrones. Moving to the museum you can explore the story in greater detail through a collection of carefully curated selection of artefacts from the area many of which are of national significance. These are set to a backdrop of illustrated scenes depicting key events the chronology of the site of Ad Gefrin - a story broken down into seven main themes, nature, language, creativity, worship, power, lost & found. From the museum visitors then embark on the distillery tour to find out what’s involved in creating Northumbria’s first whisky for 200 years. The guided tour includes the Cask Store where the process is brought to life from the first drops of rain to the bottling of the spirit through interactive digital AV & illustration. The tour climaxes within the Tasting Room, an immersive space where you can taste the various spirts being produced on site. Good luck to all the nominees. Fingers crossed. #scottishdesignawards2024 #visitorexperience

    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image

Similar pages

Browse jobs