In an effort to solidify the relationship of the brand to children, I also developed a set of illustrated spokes-characters called “The Kidnetic Kids” that would represent the children’s museum in a variety of ways. In addition to making the brand feel more fun, the characters would help establish a common thread between the themed galleries within the museum, as well as serve as “brand ambassadors” at events. All of the characters were developed as a collaborative effort between myself and my good friend, the extremely-talented children’s book illustrator, Jennifer Maynard (https://www.jennmaynard.com/).

Internal Materials/Presentations: I designed and developed all of the organizational documents including the by-laws, board member recruitment guide, board member agreement forms, business plan, market analysis, community survey, director reports, binder covers, screen savers, etc. I have also created multiple Apple Keynote presentations for board meetings, public events and supporter/donor solicitation.

Exhibit Design/Museum Layout & Budgets: I designed all of the mobile exhibits for events, and was involved in every aspect of the fabrication process. Mobile exhibit design is far more complex than permanent exhibit design due to all of the variables involved in transport and set up at various indoor/outdoor venues. For our large-scale mobile exhibit, The Kids’ Corsair, I created detailed structural diagrams for the frame, the electrical system and the outer “skin” of the aircraft. I worked closely with a CAD artist, and a team of professional welders to help complete the steel frame. I also consulted with multiple electrical professionals to complete the pedal-powered electrical system which featured lights, sounds and active cockpit display gauges. Outside of the steel frame, I fabricated the rest of the exhibit myself using aluminum, steel, wood and XPS (Extruded Polystyrene) materials.

I created detailed renderings of many of the proposed permanent exhibits that were to be featured within the children’s museum, as well as all of the exhibit area signage. Safety, liability, budget, space constraints, and complexity of construction were all key considerations in the design process. All of these exhibits were designed to match themed galleries where they will be housed. In addition to the exhibits, I also created several proposed floor plan layouts of the entire museum to fit within different space and budget constraints. Along with the design and fabrication process I prepared detailed budgets for each exhibit, as well as an overall operating budget and financial forecasts for the museum itself.

Unfortunately, after almost four years of hard work, a lack of community and volunteer support prevented The Kidnetic Clubhouse from achieving key goals and moving forward effectively. While the progress that had been made was substantial, the organization decided to dissolve in 2017 before being open to the public. While this worthwhile endeavor didn’t come to fruition, it has served as a invaluable learning experience far beyond the scope of marketing and branding.

The slideshow below contains a small sampling of my work with The Kidnetic Clubhouse.