Tag Archives: Steal This Idea

Steal this Idea: Whenfinding

This isn’t a new or really different idea, but it’s surprising how many museums don’t do this very well. Simple, clean design and clear calls to action. Give your guests a reason to come back. Also did I just coin “whenfinding?” It must appear somewhere else, right? Got other examples? Put them in the comments!Continue reading “Steal this Idea: Whenfinding”

Steal This idea: Sitting with Meaning

There will be lots of time when visitors need or want to sit in your museum. Or your neighbourhood. Why not make that an experience in and of itself? It can be as complex as building a custom theatre for your exhibition… …or as simple as using the right materials and ensuring those taking aContinue reading “Steal This idea: Sitting with Meaning”

Steal this Idea: Better Donation Boxes

For sites that rely on donations, museums don’t always do the best job at 1) making the case for donating, and 2) making it easy to donate. I don’t pretend to be an expert, but a few examples in New Zealand/Aotearoa really stood out to me. By simply taking your annual budget and dividing itContinue reading “Steal this Idea: Better Donation Boxes”

Steal this Idea: Empty Cases

Museums generally organise their stories around objects. But what to do when you don’t – or shouldn’t -have an object? Sometimes drawing attention to the lack of a material history can be just as effective. Steal This Idea is a new series of blog posts designed to promote some of the best heritage practices thatContinue reading “Steal this Idea: Empty Cases”

Steal this Idea: Book Buying Tips

Museums must have books for sale. It is important that your museum be a jumping off point on someone’s learning journey. But books are rarely good sellers at a museum gift shop. So why do we see so few museums use the same techniques a good bookstore does in highlighting its selections with messages fromContinue reading “Steal this Idea: Book Buying Tips”

Steal this Idea: History on the Street

Museums and historic sites are magical places where people come to explore and learn and interact. But history should never be limited to these buildings. There are myriad ways to tell stories across the urban and rural landscape. Here are a few of our favourites. This one was especially impressive. The footprint of the now-vanishedContinue reading “Steal this Idea: History on the Street”

Steal This Idea: Themed Playgrounds

At North Wind we are a big fan of the maxim “sufficiently advanced learning is indistinguishable from play” (even if we don’t remember who originally said it!). Recently we have started to see a lot of museum-adjacent playgrounds and museum playspaces who have created infrastructure for play that resonates with appropriate themes. Ship-shaped play structureContinue reading “Steal This Idea: Themed Playgrounds”