Imaginary Conversations was an exhibition held at Chatsworth House that celebrated the style of the late dowager Duchess Deborah Devonshire and her influence on the Spring/ Summer 2024 collection of British fashion designer Erdem Moralioglu.

Highlighting the stories, textiles and archival material that shaped the recent ERDEM collection, Imaginary Conversations drew links between the garments and the late Duchess. Housed in the Chatsworth guest rooms, the exhibition flowed between rooms, with archival moments and pieces blending and contrasting with ERDEM’s materials and collection.

Working in collaboration with Erdem Moralioglu and his team, and Chatsworth’s textile department and curators, we created a complete visual identity to reveal the ideas behind the exhibition. Graphics for Imaginary Conversations provided clarity and worked in unison with other elements of the exhibition located throughout the house. The strategy was to create a simple but distinct typographic identity, using contrasting serif and sans serif letterforms to support the exhibition concept of 'two different perspectives meeting'. 

Our design team utilised a simple, high-contrast, black and white colour palette for the signage to ensure visibility in the dimly lit areas of the exhibition, and this muted approach also allowed the archival collections and ERDEM pieces to take centre stage. The identity was applied to various way-finding and interpretation panels throughout the exhibition, helping to guide and inform visitors.