In-house life: Evonne Mackenzie, V & A.
Evonne Mackenzie has been Design Director at the Victoria & Albert Museum since December 2018, overseeing the work of the entire V&A family, including the Museum of Childhood in London and the V&A Dundee. Evonne started out at The Lighthouse, Scotland's architecture and design center, and has programmed architecture, design and fashion for the British Council and worked as a producer at Heatherwick Studio.
She spoke to us about the challenges of moving from a studio where it's all about creating the “new” to a 165 year old institution, the importance of being a big advocate of design, and the complexity of design for one of the worlds most famous museums.
This interview is part of a series by the agency's in-house head, created by consulting firm WDC and former CR editor Patrick Burgoyne, that explores the unique opportunities and complications of working in-house.
Above: Filthy Lucre exhibition, 2019, exhibition and graphic design by V&A Design Studio; Above: Everything will be well exhibited, 2020. Exhibition and graphic design by V&A Design Studio, lighting design by DHA; Images: Simon Kennedy
IHALC: Tell us about your role and what it entails.
Evonne Mackenzie: My role includes designing everything for the museum that is “temporary” and has an incredibly broad scope. In terms of discipline, it includes architecture, exhibitions, furniture, graphics, lighting, sound, audiovisual media, illustration, photography, and I can also switch between a marketing campaign and an exhibition, then between a temporary exhibition, a brochure, a sign, a Visitor path or an award trophy. That said, I'm not the only person in charge of design, and I also have great colleagues who are leaders in design for digital, product, and retail.
I would say my role and approach is primarily to enable great design for the museum rather than being a unique design voice. When I got to the museum, I knew I didn't want to do everything my way, because that's the opposite of what I love about V&A. Instead, I wanted to embrace diversity and build the world up that I had always loved. The aim is to try to find the right design approach for every project, venue or audience and to make room for multiple design voices and perspectives – both within the team and among design staff, which in my opinion is what the museum and the design achievement enriched.