About

W19 Design – Interactive exhibit and exhibition design

Who are we?

I say ‘we’ but it is mostly me. I’m Nick Banks; an experienced designer and engineer with many years in the exhibit and exhibition design business. From concept through to production you can be assured of personal and professional service. We can design a bespoke interactive, a set of exhibits or a whole exhibition to your exact requirements.

We can do as little or as much as you need from concept development through design refinement and on to production and installation. We focus on design but also do fabrication, installation and maintenance. I have a small workshop on-site and a large network of suppliers and sub-contractors which allows me to be flexible with production both in size and time while keeping to a strict budget. If you have your own local fabricators we are happy to liase with them and assist where ever we can.

Design process

Throughout the design and development phase drawings and models can be provided in technical and non-technical formats such as dxf, pdf, jpg, 3Dpdf, eDrawing and Parasolid allowing the client to easily envisage how the final design will look and work. We can produce full colour renderings of the final exhibition and even fly-throughs. For production we have on-site facilities and a number of local suppliers that allow us to monitor progress and quality and make small adjustments where required with minimum fuss. Having a range of fabrication options locally allows to use specialists in each field keeping costs down while maintaining first rate quality control.

We design with the end user in mind and aim to create an interactive experience that is accessible to all. Interaction can be visual, tactile or audio and even smell or taste. Limited mobility or disability should not be a barrier. Access, Inclusion and Diversity are always considered. W19 Design is committed to sustainable design and the use of ‘green’ technology wherever possible.

Where we work

We are based in Bristol in the UK but work all over the country and around the world. Design work tends to be done at our Bristol base but we can arrange a site visit for start-off meetings and ongoing reviews as well as installations and maintenance. If you need us on-site for longer that is no problem.

Meet the team

Nick Banks – An experienced exhibition designer with a product design and engineering background with knowledge and experience of the whole exhibit design and build process.

I studied ElectroMechanical Engineering at Southampton University then went on to a postgraduate course at the Royal College of Art studying Industrial Design Engineering. My first proper job was as a graduate designer at Dyson designing and testing vacuum cleaners ultimately moving to managing a small design team working in Dyson’s new robotics division. Next I moved to motorsport and designed gearboxes for rally cars and even worked on a few parts for Formula 1. After taking a small career break to travel I joined Techniquest and the world of science communication.

During my time at Techniquest in Cardiff I brought product design and engineering methodology into the design of a wide range of exhibits and exhibitions covering subjects from genetics to music. After some great fun and great projects I crossed the Severn Bridge and joined At-Bristol. Working in At-Bristol gave me even more of a chance to engage with the public developing new interactive exhibits then testing them on willing volunteers to develop an even wider range of interactive exhibits.

After working as part of a larger organisation for many years I set up my own company for the design and construction of exhibits and interactive elements for science centres, museums and visitor centres. My goal is to offer high quality, bespoke interactive exhibits at an affordable cost.

 

Making bespoke interactive exhibits accessible to all.