Irving Penn's use of studio backdrops in his photographs was studied to arrive at the design of two large-scale moments within the exhibition that evoked his studio and situated visitors within a similar setting as his photographic subjects. These two gallery "backdrops" were crafted with a heavy-weight commando cloth, similar to felted cotton, in a neutral light-grey tone and highlighted a key work as a focal point within the first and second half of the galleries. Recreating the effect of shadows beyond the backdrop and to distinguish transitions between different thematic sections, the color palette consisted of three mauve-grey purples of varying saturation levels. The use of contrast was also applied to the didactic panels of paint-washed plywood that emphasized the unique identify font system developed for FAMSF's marketing campaign.