How to Start With Exhibition Design: A Complete Guide
A practical guide to starting with exhibition design — tools, workflows, materials, budgets, processes, and insights.
Introduction
Exhibition design is one of the most exciting, complex, and multidisciplinary areas of design. It blends architecture, graphic design, industrial design, marketing, psychology, and engineering — often inside strict budgets and tighter deadlines.
This guide walks you through exactly how to start, what tools to use, what to learn first, and what real-world processes and costs look like.
Where to Start: Understanding What Exhibition Design Really Is
Many people think exhibition design means making a nice booth. In reality, an exhibition stand is:
- a temporary building
- a brand showroom
- a customer acquisition machine
- a product presentation stage
- a logistics puzzle
- a psychology-based experience
- and a spatial design challenge
🎯 The designer’s main tasks:
- understand the brand’s business goals
- create a clear visitor flow
- design a stand that is buildable, safe, and affordable
- choose the right structure and materials
- integrate lighting, graphics, multimedia
- prepare manufacturing documentation
- coordinate with builders, printers, and electricians
- support installation and on-site supervision
What to Learn First: Skills That Matter Most
✔ Spatial thinking
Understanding volumes, movement, and how people behave in space.
✔ Branding basics
Every stand is a brand story physically expressed.
✔ Technical drawing
Basic skills in floor plans, elevations, and measurements are essential.
✔ 3D fundamentals
You don’t need to be a 3D master — just enough to model simple forms and visualize ideas.
✔ Materials and systems
Know the differences between modular systems, wood builds, hybrid frames, and lightweight tech.
✔ Lighting principles
Light can increase perceived value by 40–60%.
✔ Construction logic
Understand load-bearing, joints, cable management, fire safety, and stability.
90% of beginners underestimate electrical planning — cables, power distribution, LED drivers, and safety clearances.
Tools You Can Start With (Free or Very Affordable)
For drawing & layout
- Figma (free)
- Affinity Designer (one-time inexpensive purchase)
- Krita (free)
For 3D design
- SketchUp Free
- Blender
- Shapr3D (free tier)
- Fusion 360 personal edition
For moodboards & planning
- PureRef
- Milanote
- Notion
For coordination
- Trello (free)
- ClickUp (free tier)
Many professionals quietly use HomeByMe or Roomle for insanely quick spatial mockups before switching to pro tools.
How to Design Your First Stand (Step-by-Step)
Step 1 — Understand the brand
What should the stand communicate? What’s the emotional tone? What’s the business goal?
Step 2 — Create a visitor flow
Think in zones:
- entrance
- welcome
- product
- meeting
- storage
- exit
Step 3 — Choose the right system
For beginners, use modular systems:
- Octanorm
- beMatrix
- Aluvision
- Expand
- T3works®
These systems are reusable, predictable, and accepted worldwide.
Step 4 — Add surfaces & graphics
Use:
- fabric lightboxes
- printed Dibond panels
- wooden accent elements
- LED strips for atmosphere
Step 5 — Define furniture & lighting
Warm = friendly Cool = tech Spot = product focus Diffuse = soft environment
Step 6 — Create a simple 3D model
Even very simple modeling increases clarity.
Step 7 — Prepare the budget
Include construction, graphics, lighting, transport, storage, and labor.
Step 8 — Communicate with builders
Share accurate drawings, materials, electricity plans, and timelines.
Step 9 — Support installation
Be on-site if possible — it makes the final quality much better.
Choosing the Right System or Building Material
✔ Modular systems (ideal for beginners)
- fast
- predictable
- cost-efficient
- customizable
✔ Wooden structures
- premium look
- heavier & more expensive
- slower to build
✔ Fabric lightboxes
- lightweight
- fast to install
- visually powerful
✔ Hybrid systems
Best balance: metal frames + custom accents.
Many fairs have hidden limitations (floor load, wall height, overnight work rules) buried in technical PDFs that most beginners never read.
How Long the Process Takes
Small stand (3×3 m)
- 3–7 days design
- 1–2 days revisions
- 1 day documentation
- 1 day installation
Medium stand (6×6 m)
- 10–20 days design
- 3–7 days revisions
- 2–3 days documentation
- 1–2 days installation
Large custom stand (50+ m²)
- 3–8 weeks design
- 2–3 weeks revisions
- 1–2 weeks documentation
- 3–6 days installation
Approval time from clients is often longer than the entire design phase.
How Much It Can Cost
Small stand (9 m²)
€2,000–€6,000
Medium stand (30 m²)
€12,000–€40,000
Large stand (50–100 m²)
€40,000–€250,000+
Extra costs
- €300–€900 electricity
- €500–€2,000 logistics
- €400–€2,500 storage
- €1,000–€8,000 rigging structures
For many stands, graphics cost more than the structure itself.
What Makes a Stand Both Practical and Beautiful
- hidden storage
- integrated lighting
- clean cable management
- intuitive visitor flow
- a single “hero” product
- mix of emotional + functional elements
Unknown Information Most Beginners Never Hear
- flooring height decides cable freedom
- LED walls require heat ventilation & safety buffers
- corner stands get 4× more visitors
- white looks cheap under expo lighting
- ceiling height changes everything
- German fairs have ultra-strict fire ratings (B1/M1)
- fair halls forbid screws directly into floors
- last-minute furniture usually breaks your layout
Conclusion
Exhibition design is a mix of creativity, engineering, logistics, psychology, and business. Start small, start modular, and focus on visitor flow and brand clarity.
“A great designer doesn’t just build a stand — they build an experience.”
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