Imperial War Museums seek 3D designer for two-year contract

Imperial War Museums (IWM) is seeking a design studio to provide 3D design services for exhibitions over a two-year period.

The chosen studio/designer will work on a project-by project basis and there is scope to extend the contract for a further year, at the discretion of IWM. Founded in 1917, IWM serves to record the story of the Great War and narrates the lives of people who lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present day.?

The collections are housed across five museums: IWM London in Lambeth, Churchill War Rooms in Westminster, HMS Belfast, which is moored in the Pool of London, IWM Duxford in Cambridge, and IWM North in Manchester. Each location hosts a range of permanent and temporary exhibitions.

IWM has included descriptions of previous projects in the brief, from a thematic exhibition on The Troubles in Northern Ireland to a photography exhibition of Holocaust survivors and their families.

IWM is a non–departmental public body (NDPB) overseen by a Board of Trustees and its chairman, and its sponsor department is the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS). In addition to its role as a museum, it also acts as a major national art gallery, a national archive of written and audio-visual records, and a research centre.

The appointed 3D designer will be responsible for developing initial concepts through to complete and detailed 3D designs that “communicate key narratives” for multiple exhibitions, according to the brief. It notes that the designer/studio should prioritise showing “creative flair” as well as a “sensitivity to IWM’s purpose and objectives”.

Advising on construction and installation methods is another aspect of the role alongside material exploration and finding cost effective solutions. For this, IWM will require concept visuals, detailed construction drawings and showcase layouts.

A list of desired qualifications for the chosen designer, includes: a relevant professional or vocational degree in 3D design, demonstrable experience of delivering well-considered, creative and effective 3D designs for exhibitions, proven experience of managing design projects and an advanced knowledge and use of 2D and 3D design applications, in particular Vectorworks and Sketch-Up.

Throughout projects, the 3D designer will also be expected to liaise with any internal or external 2D designer.

The brief asks that any work completed during the contract should align with IWM’s strategy to “improve the environmental sustainability of its operations and activities” and that designers provide IWM with regular emailed updates on work progress, attending any pre-agreed meetings throughout each project.

Work programmes and budgets will be agreed with the relevant exhibitions manager or project lead for each project.

The closing date for applications is 21 August 2023, with the contract set to commence on 1 October 2023, running for two years until 30 September 2025. (This may be extended for a further year).

You can express interest and download the full brief here.

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