Product Design for the Retail Market

Exhibit-linked product and gift design that is intelligent, inspired and irresistible. Just about anybody can slap a logo on a mug and call it a souvenir. At Ingenium Design, we take a different approach.  Our designs are exhibit-driven.

Souvenirs that reflect a favorite exhibit through design, materials and application 

• Virtual storyboards bring designs to life

• Materials/applications relate to exhibit

• Concepts to artwork; production suggestions, if needed

• Familiar with domestic/overseas manufacturing standards 

• Engaging copy links products to exhibits

National Museum of Asian Art

inspiration: Life-size wooden chinese warrior carvings.

ideation: Capture these warriors’ intense fierceness by opting for bold accent color, and reproduce many of the products on wood.

National Museum of Asian Art

inspiration: X-ray imagery of wooden lacquer Buddha.

ideation: Use translucent materials and shorted images to recreate the digital scans that revealed how this lacquer Buddha was made. Products include see-through PVC postcards, vinyl totes and glass paperweights.

Hirshhorn

inspiration: Ai WeiWei Wallpaper exhibit.

ideation: Cover everyday objects with artist-activist Ai WeiWei’s striking wallpaper patterns. Look closely. This subtle pattern draws attention to the controversial subject of surveillance.

Smithsonian

inspiration: National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, D.C.

ideation: Create an original design to appeal to the 1.5 million visitors who come to see these springtime stars each year.

National Museum of Natural History

inspiration: Archived Specimens exhibit.

ideation: Celebrate nature’s brilliant designs with colorful, fanciful applications of butterflies, moths, and beetles.

National Museum of African American History & Culture

inspiration: Distinctive Architectural elements .

ideation: Take a cue from the bronze-colored metal latticework that envelopes the museum and create a collection specifically for the grand opening that reflects the exhibits message of light and hope.

National Museum of Asian Art

inspiration: Artist Darren Waterson’s recreation of Whistler’s Peacock Room.

ideation: Capture the feel of the installation with in-your-face colors and graphics that illustrate Waterson’s response to Whistler’s Peacock Room. Waterson’s vision of discord and beauty plays out on tablet covers, note cards, cuff links and and pop-up miniature version of the room.

Hirshhorn

inspiration: Yayoi Kusama infinite patterns.

ideation: Showcase the surreal art of Yahoo Kusama by populating apparel, PVC jewelry and other mementos with her signature polka dots.

National Museum of the American Indian

inspiration: Exhibit about the Inca Culture along the Inca Road.

ideation: Create motifs inspired by those found on Kero cups and integrating them respectfully on travel accessories.

National Museum of Natural History

inspiration: The Hope Diamond.

ideation: Reproduce the multifaceted image of this iconic gem in its ever-so-rare dark grayish blue on unconventional items — tees, backpacks and totes — that appeal to Generation X, Y, and Z.

 Products shown were contracted by Smithsonian Enterprises. All rights reserved.