For the second year in a row, Universal Design Studio has designed the exhibition space for the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Drawing in over 130,000 visitors in 2009, it is the museum’s most popular exhibition and a highlight in the arts calendar. This year’s exhibition also includes the results of an exciting new award – Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year and an interactive lounge that allows the visitor to experience the digital exhibition of past and present winners.

Working closely with the exhibition project team at the museum, Universal Design Studio has developed an interactive environment within which to view the spectacular images on show. In collaboration with east London-based, Bibliotheque Design, Universal presented the exhibition graphically with distinctive title branding and image captions, as well as individual information panels which guide the visitor around the space and tell the stories of each category.

The design brief was aimed at attracting a wider, design-led audience so Universal designed a space that was more aligned with that of an art installation. A large structural framework guides the visitor through the central space, opening up individual, gallery-like rooms and culminates with a striking black monolith that dramatically displays the successful photographs from the 2010 competition.

Along the outside walls, work from the young photographer age-categories is displayed on a black background with statement, low-level, yellow light that guides the visitor around the outside of the space and is visible through the fabric scrim which encases the images within the main framework.