About Us
Founded in 1985, McMillan Group leads each project with a design and communication focus as an alternative to the limitations of projects driven by fabrication. This approach sets us apart, gaining clients' recognition for thoughtful and unusual solutions. We have purposely chosen a strategy of running all of our work from a small creative core team. Each project is then orchestrated with strategic partners under our direction of production services for: fabrication, media, programming and installation. We have been recognized as providing the most professional standards for design and management to clients ranging from the Chicago Field Museum, to the Walt Disney Companies, to GE.
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Creative
Through comprehensive planning and unique visual interpretation, our mission is to solve marketing and curatorial challenges with inspired creativity that delivers unprecedented distinction for our clients and meaningful experiences for their customers and visitors. We are passionate about providing the most creative, thoughtful design in every project. The development of great communication lies in a complete understanding of what is really important to our clients and their audience. Our value is not only in the choice of questions we ask, but the “wow factor” of what we do with the answers. From this vision, we find a central concept and infuse it to every level and aspect of the exhibit environment. We then carefully orchestrate elements of good story telling, surprise and drama, layering and pacing of information to make spaces that inspire, educate and delight visitors in a way that is relevant to them. From strategy and concept development through engineering and installation, McMillan Group delivers solutions that uniquely and effectively express each client's brand, message or subject, experientially.
Process
With our detail oriented turnkey process, from research, strategy and concept development through project management of the production team, McMillan Group delivers solutions that uniquely express the content, provide quality control and guarantee that the project is: on time, budget and message. The Master Planning phase includes a Needs Analysis and Strategy Plan used to develop the design. The Master Plan builds consensus and clearly defines the pathway to attaining project goals and objectives. Applying our creative vision and effectively interpreting this information is what also makes us unique. The development phase involves direct client input, starting with big picture options through the fine tuning of every detail with complete, value engineered construction documentation. We measure every phase of the design against the client's objectives.
Management
As Executive Producers, we champion our design vision and manage production teams, taking full responsibility for the results of every project. Project management is an integral part of our process resulting in successful events and exhibitions. As our clients’ advocates, we represent our clients in sourcing, qualifying and directing the appropriate strategic partners to provide the best resources in the production of media, fabrication, lighting and AV programming. We project manage the construction and installation phases to ensure the quality and integrity of the design and to keep your message, schedule, and budget in balance with any scale of program.
With over thirty years in the exhibit industry, McMillan Group's Principals, Charlie and Nancy McMillan, are designers and executive producers adept at being both their clients' advocates and in leading large production teams by understanding the importance of building relationships based on trust, understanding and diplomacy.
Nancy McMillan is partner and Principal at McMillan Group, an exhibit, architectural and communication design firm, founded in 1985. In addition to her primary role as designer, she is also responsible for marketing and business management. She specializes in planning, content development, media and interactive creation, graphic and interior design as well as a full range of project management responsibilities.
Nancy has developed a process for the strategic implementation of multi-divisional trade show programs including the creation of exhibit architectural and graphic standards guidelines.
Besides winning multiple design awards with her partner Charlie McMillan, Nancy has been a speaker on design at the Exhibitor Show and Gravity Free conference. She also has written numerous articles on design for publications including: Exhibitor Magazine and Briefings published by the Association of Briefing Program Managers.
McMillan Group's work has been featured in the following publications: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, LD+A, Museum News, Exhibitor, Event Marketer, Event Design, Archi-tech, IDSA, SEGD, ABPM, Lighting Dimensions, Exhibitor News Network, Exhibit City News, Messe Jahrbuch (German), Messe & Event (Austrian), as well as in the following Annuals: Corporate Interiors, Frame and Trade Fair.
Nancy has a B.A. degree from Principia College, including two intensive 3-month Fine Art and Art History study tours through Europe. She continued her education at the New York School of Visual Arts, Boston Museum School, Massachusetts School of Art, DeCordova Museum School and Silvermine Guild School of Arts. Prior to becoming partner at McMillan Group, she worked as a graphic designer at Earl Flansburgh and Associates, Architects and then became a freelance editorial illustrator.
Charlie McMillan is a partner and Principal at McMillan Group, an exhibit, architectural and communication design firm he founded in 1985. Serving primarily as art director, he is also responsible for executive production of McMillan Group projects. He specializes in design, engineering, construction management, lighting design, video and interactive media direction, AV system management as well as project management.
Charlie’s work has won multiple gold and silver design awards from IDSA, SEGD, Exhibitor, Graphis, Event Design, BMA, gdUSA, Event Marketing ExAwards, Event Design and Good Design. Charlie and his partner Nancy McMillan are one of only two firms ever awarded “Designers of the Year” by Exhibitor Magazine (1989).
Charlie has been a speaker on the subject of design in programs for: Cornell University, University of Bridgeport, Urban Land Institute, Gravity Free Design Conference, Exhibitor Show, Health Care Exhibitors Association, Computer Event Managers Association, International Exhibitors Association, GE Corporate Marcom Design Council, Exhibit Design Symposium and the Event Design Conference. He has been on the Advisory Board for the Exhibitor Show and Gravity Free Design Conference as well as being the chairman of the first Exhibit Design Conference in Monterey, CA in 1991 sponsored by Exhibitor.
Charlie has written numerous articles on design for publications including Exhibitor Magazine and Innovation Magazine published by the Industrial Design Society of America. He has a B.A. degree from Principia College including an intensive 3-month Fine Art study tour through Europe with further education at Boston Museum School and School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Nancy McMillan
Charlie McMillan
- MOA Ft. Lauderdale
- Michael C. Carlos Museum
- The Field Museum
- Franklin Institute
- Mt. Holyoke College
- The Israel Museum
- Los Angeles County Museum
of Art
- Massachusetts Heritage Park
- Sikorsky Museum of
Rotary Flight
- Peabody Museum - Harvard
- UPENN Museum
- Alcon
- Codman
- Datascope
- Elscint
- GE Healthcare
- Glaxo Welcome
- Hewlett-Packard Medical
- Johnson & Johnson
- Kaiser Permanente
- Mallinckrodt
- Marconi Medical Systems
- Mindray
- Picker International
- Serviscope
- Shimadzu
- U.S. Surgical
- Zimmer
- American Isuzu Motors
- BMW of North America
- Delphi
- GE Transportation
- General Motors
- Hyundai
- Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
- ABC
- Grass Valley Group
- MSNBC
- NBC
- NEC
- Discovery Group
- The Walt Disney Company
- Konami
- Mattel
- Rosco Laboratories
- Maryland National Bank
- Deloitte
- Coca-Cola Foods
- Coffee Council
- General Foods
- Hershey
- McLane Co.
- Pepsi
- Purina
- 3M
- Caradco
- Electronic Theatre Controls
- General Electric
- ICI Americas
- Johnson Controls
- MagneTek
- Moss
- Parker Hannifin
- Philips
- Square D
- Toto U.S.A.
- Advantest Corporation
- ATI Technologies
- AT&T
- Cisco Systems
- Citrix
- David Sarnoff Research Center
- FactSet
- Flight Data Center
- IBM
- Indus International
- Minitab
- Microcom
- Plant Equipment
- Racal Datacom
- Ricoh
- NASA
- The Jet Propulsion Laboratories
- Stennis Space Center
- Aramco
- GE Energy
- Conoco
- Christian Science
Publishing Society
- Delmar Publishers
- Exhibitor Publications
- Hanley Wood
- Time Warner
- UMI
- University Products
- Ziff Davis
MUSEUMS
HEALTHCARE
TRANSPORTATION
BROADCASTING
ENTERTAINMENT
FINANCIAL
FOOD
INDUSTRIAL
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
SPACE
ENERGY
PUBLISHING
Approach
Leadership
Clients
McMillan Group Inc. 25 Otter Trail, Westport CT 06880 203-227-8696
