Writers Revealed: Treasures from the British Library and the National Portrait Gallery, London
HOTA: Home of the Arts
2025

Studio Starr developed the exhibition identity and interpretive graphic system for Writers Revealed: Treasures from the British Library and the National Portrait Gallery, London, shaping the visual and spatial language across the gallery environment.

Presented by HOTA, Home of the Arts in partnership with the British Library and the National Portrait Gallery, London, the exhibition brings together manuscripts, letters, illustrations and portraits spanning six centuries of English literary history.

The exhibition features original works by Shakespeare, Austen, Blake, the Brontës, Woolf, Tolkien and others, figures behind some of the most enduring texts in the English language. Visitors encounter formative material connected to works including Romeo and Juliet, The Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, Dracula, Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, and more.

Studio Starr developed a cohesive graphic system within an inherited spatial framework, unifying a diverse range of object types and interpretive elements. The identity was shaped around themes of mystique, gravitas and restraint, providing a contemporary lens for a historically rich and varied archive.

Text hierarchies, framing devices and layout structures were carefully calibrated to support quiet examination and visual rhythm across tightly defined gallery zones. Spatially, the system established consistency while allowing each section to retain its own character and pace.

The exhibition palette, developed in collaboration with exhibition designers Zuzana & Nicholas, reinforced the contemplative tone of the experience. Section titles were positioned vertically at the margins of gallery walls, with typographic devices used to anchor and guide the visitor journey with subtle but deliberate graphic weight.

The result is a controlled and immersive exhibition environment, designed to support close engagement with rare and significant material while maintaining clarity and cohesion across the experience.

Studio Starr brought a rare level of strategic clarity and design sensitivity to Writers Revealed. With multiple institutions involved including HOTA, the British Library, and the National Portrait Gallery, Chris operated as a key visual partner across curatorial, spatial, and interpretive teams, helping to align the exhibition’s layered content into a coherent and respectful visitor experience.

His team’s work ensured the graphic language supported the show’s narrative depth without competing with it, harmonising audience flow, enhancing interpretive clarity, and respecting the significance of the objects on display.

The result was a sophisticated, engaging exhibition that felt as considered as the material itself.

David Don
HOTA Gallery