Misk Art Week is an annual art and culture festival offering the best of contemporary art through exhibitions, performances, talks and workshops. The festival is a platform for creative expression in Saudi Arabia held by Misk Art Institute, a non-profit cultural organization established by HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in 2011 that empowers local artists through an interconnected ecosystem of support, expertise, and education.

Our work encompassed making sure the customers’ journeys were fulfilled and studied from beginning to end. We organized all aspects of the festival for proper navigation filled with a multitude of experiences. By dividing the massive space into well-studied zones, we created an enjoyable and easy-to-navigate journey with diverse activations to keep participants entertained.

Each year is exemplified by a theme, this year’s was Nostalgia, hence all the activations, games and installations produced revolved around said theme. These activations catered to all ages, welcoming families, young adults, and older audiences with diverse interests. From the art collector to the academic and child at heart, the spaces were designed to attract the biggest and most distinct audiences giving them a platform to explore their creativity, network and have fun.

The zones included: The Azimah Exhibition, Creative Forum, Educational Space, Live Art Space, Creative Souk, F&B, Main Stage, Seating Areas, Masaha Building and a kids’ playground. These zones held different activations, experiences and purposes which would engage the community and gain insight into the audience through dialogue and data-collection. We specifically focused on networking as a main driving force behind the space and experience design, which is why many activations would ask participants to share contact information, promote their work, share opinions or give insights into the theme.

While studying the space, we purposefully took into consideration the 5 senses, most importantly sight, hearing, and smell. This allowed the audience to enjoy a unique set of visual and auditory experiences in each zone making the space design less complex and easier to navigate.

We used white colored material and concrete in the design for a cleaner and more professional feel. Our main struggle was the immensity of the space which is why we needed to create an entertaining experience from start to finish, in every corner, so that participants do not feel disillusioned. We specifically focused on the Masaha Building being the final destination of the walk-though and made it more accessible by highlighting a purple pathway that led the crowd from the main entrance to the main building, Masaha, with ease. The minimal colors of the material used for buildings, and such allowed the purple pathway to stand out visually. It also gave priority to the artists and their work by giving them maximal display through the design of buildings, stage, and booths.

The clear wayfinding system made for an easier journey as well and used branding elements from the Misk Institute. These brand elements were also incorporated into badges, posters and flyers in the event.