HMH celebrated the unveiling of our renovated Boston headquarters with a timeline installation that charted the organization’s 200-year history.
As the sole designer responsible for developing the timeline design, I collaborated closely with our historian, copywriting team, facilities staff, and installation vendors. I was tasked with creating a format that told the unique history of each of the three storied organizations that forms HMH today. I chose to build three distinct, merging “veins” of the timeline, complete with shadowboxes to showcase real historical artifacts from each company.
The installation spans across 40 feet and features a floor-to-ceiling lightbox, custom layered acrylic panels, and a mounted monitor that displays the latest developments in HMH’s story. I hand-selected every substrate used to execute the final timeline, from magenta-edged century markers and overhead lighting to the black velvet lining the back of the shadowboxes. Each choice was tailored to the existing space and designed to enhance the viewing experience.
While many designs were explored (see alternate concepts below), ultimately only one had the flexibility to showcase the history of all three organizations that make up HMH.
Relevant cultural, social, and political developments to the education industry, located at the bottom of the installation, provide key context for the core timeline.
Milestones were sized carefully for legibility. Arranging sequential overlapping milestones for three concurrent organizations proved to be a challenge, and I experimented at length to create a format that would allow us the flexibility to tell our full story. The modular design allows for future changes and additions.
The “intro” and “outro” areas were pivotal to setting the tone for the installation and communicating the vision that has driven our organization for nearly 200 years. The monitor at the end provides an opportunity for us to showcase our current progress, demonstrating how HMH is building a bright future to complement our vibrant history.
Every single design element was meticulously sized and documented in a comprehensive plan sent to our installer. I supported the installation process remotely in collaboration with my colleague Karen Stroman, ensuring that the execution and placement of each detail was accurate to the design.
