# Considerations Before starting the exhibit creation process, you need to consider closely your topic, desired effects, and objectives with the understanding that the decisions you make might change as you progress. **1.) Determine the Topic** What is the main focus or theme of the exhibit? * Some examples: a historical period or movement, an event, a person's biography, a process or technique (e.g., silk screen printing), an idea or concept (e.g., the law of gravity), an industry (e.g., whaling), a single object (e.g., a specific book, painting, or musical instrument) **2.) Determine the Desired Effect** Effects to consider (as cited in Barth, et al. 2018): * **Aesthetic:** designed to showcase the beauty of objects * **Emotive:** designed to elicit an emotion in the viewer * **Evocative:** designed to create a specific atmosphere * **Didactic:** designed to teach the viewer about a specific topic * **Entertaining:** designed for the amusement or enjoyment of the viewer **3.) Determine the Objectives** What do you want people "walking away" with? This means considering things like: * What is the motivation for creating the exhibit? (Why this exhibit?) * What are the intended learning outcomes? * How do you want visitors to be able to apply what they learn beyond the exhibit? **References** Barth, G. L., Drake Davis, L., Mita, A. (2018). ["Digital Exhibitions: Concepts and Practices"](https://marac.memberclicks.net/assets/documents/marac_technical_leaflet_12.pdf). Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference Technical Leaflet Series no. 12. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://bcds.gitbook.io/learn/tutorials/digital-exhibits/getting-started-with-digital-exhibits/considerations.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.