All Power to the People:
Black Panthers at 50

All Power to the People:
Black Panthers at 50

at Oakland Museum of California

ROLE: lead graphic designer, art direction, gallery design elements

SCOPE: identity and branding, exhibition design, typography, hierarchy / label system, typesetting, image retouching, marketing materials

STATS: +70% NPS • 84,300 visitors over 4.75 months • 137 sqft/min sweep rate

 

All Power to the People explored the history, legacy, and art inspired by the Black Panther Party, established in Oakland in 1966. Black and white photography was accentuated by powerful contrasts to tell a story of innovation and resilience at a landmark moment — 50 years since the Party’s founding.

The graphic design approach for APP led me on a journey to find African American typographers. After consulting with Maurice Woods, the African American Graphic Designers Facebook group, and then Joshua Darden’s studio, I was astounded to face the fact that there was ONE commercial African American typographer extant: Joshua Darden. His Freight paired with Garage Gothic to evoke the Black Panther Newspaper, itself featured in the show.

All Power to the People introductory space. Interactive art pieces by Sam Durant and Hank Willis Thomas. Image shows several people, one sitting in a wicker chair with a "peacock" back made of brass while another person takes their picture. A chattin
What We Want: The Black Panther Party platform writ large on the wall, with handwritten drafts in the case below. Text is in white vinyl on a black wall, with a few people looking at artifacts in a case. Photo: Odell Hussey, ©OMCA.
Party Newspaper, label, and quote from a participant. Image shows four black and white photos on a white wall, with a quote above and a label in the bottom right. Photo: Odell Hussey, ©OMCA.
"Culture Moves the Message Forward" section text and wall layout, with oversized Emory Douglas artwork. One person is reading white text on a black wall, near framed posters and a wallpaper reproduction of poster of a woman holding a bayonet. The wom
Entrance corner for All Power to the People . To the left is a bright red billboard with darker red radiation curves and a quote from Huey Newton. To the right, the words "All Power to the People" stand proud on top of an image of a protest during t
All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50 exhibition branding. Text is in all caps, blocky black on white, slightly distressed.

The story lives on

 

The overwhelming popularity of All Power to the People and the missing presence of this locally-birthed movement in the permanent history gallery of the Oakland Museum of California led to massive changes. Content from APP was expanded to include the general Black Power movement and its origins after World War II.

The graphic design guidelines of the history gallery space meant body text was set in era-specific typography (Verlag), and I could choose a new font to illustrate the titling and details. In this case, Mike Nicholls from Umber Magazine pointed me to Tré Seals’ recently-established Vocal Type Co. — his Bayard works powerfully in the new context.

reading list, compiled by Lisa Silberstein

 

The takeaway reading list was one of the final experiences in All Power to the People. Multiple re-prints were necessary, totaling over 16,000 copies and an online version for download with innumerable impressions.