I don’t question the motivation to be welcoming, but a good motivation doesn’t make a good design.
The result is denuded and unmoored. It’s as soulless here in Boston as it would be if the aesthetic infected cultural institutions in Tokyo or Addis Ababa.
I bet the people in charge meant well, they just did a bad job.
Beauty and soulfulness are very subjective, but I think the way to judge this design is by how successful it was at helping perceptions of inclusivity. I'm not sure if this particular institution publishes data about visitor demographics but I'm sure they have an internal understanding of the value of this change.
Yeah, if they were very well-managed that have metrics not only for success but also for potential loss. And then an honest qualitative evaluation to see changes—good and bad—in the things that are hard to measure but nonetheless important.
I’ve seen very few firms of any sort do that well.
The result is denuded and unmoored. It’s as soulless here in Boston as it would be if the aesthetic infected cultural institutions in Tokyo or Addis Ababa.
I bet the people in charge meant well, they just did a bad job.