Exhibit Designer - Kraemer Design +… at PlayCore · Cincinnati

EXHIBIT DESIGNER - KRAEMER DESIGN + PRODUCTION Kraemer Design + Production (KD+P) is seeking an mid-career Exhibit Designer to help create imaginative, educational, and highly engaging visitor experiences for children’s museums, science centers, nature centers, visitor centers, and family-focused attractions. KD+P specializes in interactive experiential exhibit design and production, supporting projects from concept design through installation, including interpretive environments, graphics, lighting, media, cabinetry, special effects, and hands-on interactive components.  The Exhibit Designer will translate client content, educational goals, and audience needs into memorable, durable, and buildable exhibit experiences. This role is ideal for a creative designer who enjoys storytelling through space, play, physical interaction, visual communication, and collaborative problem solving.  Key Responsibilities  • Serve as a primary point of contact for clients  • Develop exhibit concepts that transform client content into engaging, family-centered experiences with clear visitor takeaways.  • Create sketches, mood boards, spatial studies, 2D layouts, 3D models, renderings, and presentation materials that communicate design intent.  • Design hands-on interactives that are intuitive, durable, safe, inclusive, and appropriate for children, caregivers, school groups, and multigenerational audiences.  • Collaborate with project managers, content developers, graphic designers, media designers, architects, fabricators, engineers, and client stakeholders throughout the design process.  • Support master planning, concept design, schematic design, detail design, and production documentation phases.  • Integrate interpretive goals, learning objectives, visitor flow, accessibility, ergonomics, materials, finishes, lighting, graphics, audio, media, and fabrication considerations into cohesive exhibit environments.  • Prepare design documentation, including plans, elevations, sections, details, material references, interactive descriptions, and fabrication notes.  • Participate in client presentations, design reviews, charrettes, internal critiques, and coordination meetings.  • Prototype, test, and refine interactive ideas as needed to improve usability, visitor engagement, durability, and educational impact.  • Coordinate with fabrication partners to ensure design intent is maintained while adapting to budget, schedule, material, and constructability requirements.  • Review shop drawings, samples, mockups, and installed conditions for consistency with the approved design.  • Stay current on museum, attraction, play, learning, accessibility, and interactive design trends.  Required Qualifications  • Bachelor’s degree in exhibit design, industrial design, environmental design, architecture, interior design, themed entertainment design, museum studies, graphic design, or a related field; equivalent professional experience will also be considered.  • Professional portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking, visual storytelling, spatial design, and hands-on or experiential design work.  • Experience developing visitor-centered environments, exhibits, interactives, themed spaces, educational environments, play environments, or public-facing attractions.  • Strong sketching, visualization, layout, and presentation skills.  • Working knowledge of 2D and 3D design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, Rhino, Revit, AutoCAD, Vectorworks, SolidWorks, or similar software.  • Ability to design within real-world constraints, including budgets, schedules, fabrication methods, maintenance needs, accessibility, safety, and durability.  • Strong communication skills with the ability to explain design ideas clearly to internal teams, clients, and fabrication partners.  • Detail-oriented approach with the ability to move between big-picture concept development and practical production documentation.  • Ability to manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, respond to feedback, and contribute in a collaborative studio environment.  Preferred Experience  • Experience designing exhibits for children’s museums, science centers, nature centers, visitor centers, aquariums, zoos, libraries, cultural institutions, or family entertainment venues.  • Understanding of child development, family learning, informal education, universal design, ADA accessibility, and visitor behavior.  • Experience with mechanical, low-tech, digital, media-based, sensory, role-play, water, air, light, sound, motion, or cause-and-effect interactives.  • Knowledge of materials, finishes, cabinetry, casework, graphics, lighting, audiovisual systems, and exhibit fabrication techniques.  • Experience participating in design charrettes, stakeholder workshops, client presentations, and interdisciplinary project meetings.  • Experience coordinating with architects, contractors, engineers, fabricators, installers, educators, evaluators, and content experts.  What Success Looks Like  • You create exhibit ideas that are imaginative, hands-on, visitor-centered, educationally meaningful, and practical to build.  • You can turn complex content into simple, engaging, hands-on experiences that invite participation and discovery.  • You balance creativity with the realities of fabrication, installation, maintenance, safety, and client goals.  • You communicate visually and verbally with clarity, confidence, and flexibility.  • You contribute positively to a collaborative team culture and help projects move forward with thoughtful design solutions.  Work Style and Expectations  The Exhibit Designer should be comfortable working in a fast-moving, project-based studio where ideas are developed collaboratively and refined through feedback. This position requires curiosity, resourcefulness, humility, strong follow-through, and a willingness to solve design challenges at multiple scales—from the overall visitor journey to the touchpoint details of an individual interactive.  Application Materials  • Resume  • Portfolio or work samples showing concept development, spatial design, interactive design, rendering, documentation, and completed project experience where available  • Brief note describing why you are interested in designing interactive family-focused experiences with KD+P  Equal Opportunity Statement  KD+P is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and encourage candidates who bring different perspectives, experiences, and creative approaches to exhibit design.