The Boston Children’s Hospital recently opened the Hale Family Building, a clinical building on their main Longwood campus. It was designed by Shepley Bulfinch and is the largest expansion in BCH’s history. As part of this expansion and renewal project, BCH collaborated with Jeff Kennedy Associates to develop an exhibition that aims to highlight their rich history of academic accomplishments and innovation in the field of pediatric medicine.
The exhibition, titled Boston Children’s A to Z, is located in a public corridor on level one of the new clinical building. BCH’s stories of innovation are organized in alphabetical order: A is for Alms box, B is for picture Board, C is for Curious George, etc., through Z is for Zebrafish. Each letter of the alphabet features an important artifact from their collections.
Oversized woodgrain murals and letter blocks juxtaposed against colorful abstracted scientific imagery give the exhibit an approachable, fresh appeal while speaking to the hospital’s rich 150-year history of innovation.
As part of the design process, I coordinated the color palette and typography with BCH’s brand guidelines and adhered to a rigorous review for accessibility and inclusion.
I integrated both storytelling and theme-setting graphics tightly with the artifact displays and visitor interactive elements to create a cohesive whole, overseeing the graphic fabrication process as well.
The exhibition is now open to the public.
Photography by Jeff Kennedy
