Cayton Children’s Museum

Practice Area

Client

Sharewell

Industry

  1. The welcoming main entrance of the Cayton Children’s Museum. Inside and out, ‘inclusion’ is an important design theme of this ‘please touch’ museum.

  2. The welcoming signage and The Generosity Garden, honoring donors, begins visitors on their journey through the inclusive space, supporting an environment focused on learning through play.

  3. The Generosity Garden, resembling blades of grass, recognizes over 50 donors who make the facility possible.

  4. The ‘Together We’ space is designed to spark imagination, collaborative play, communication and discovery in an effort to explore the possibilities of when we work together.

  5. The ‘Launch Your’ area allows visitors ages 0-2 to explore what it means to push beyond, in a safe yet exciting way.

  6. The ‘Let’s Help’ area teaches children they can serve and support their community and help one another. Exhibits include the Help-a-copter, a repurposed, interactive helicopter.

Project Vision

With the blank canvas of a brand-new 21,000-square-foot home in Santa Monica Place retail center, the Cayton Children’s Museum had a unique opportunity to expand its offerings and engage new local and international audiences. Given the overall mission to teach community values and inspire a sense of inclusion and social responsibility through immersive and imaginative play, the design firm was challenged to help Sharewell conceive of the museum’s new branding, iconography, design palette, collateral (both digital and print) as well as the naming of multiple components of the museum.

The design firm’s use of bold colors, textures and patterns draw people of all ages into a sensory experience before they even walk through the doors and inspire “please touch” participation. Inside and out, inclusion is an important design theme, brought to life not only through the use of forty different languages and a rainbow-like color palette, but also through visual languages that all ages of children and their caretakers can relate to and understand. The design firm’s signage, wayfinding, and environmental graphics combine analog and digital media and are designed to spark imagination and inspire community engagement, such that all feel their participation is valued.

Signifying the museum’s mission of growth in children, the Generosity Garden, resembling blades of grass, welcomes visitors while recognizing the 5 donors who made the facility possible. The rest of the space is designed as five exhibit wings that work in concert to inspire visitors to explore core universal values, such as kindness, compassion, respect and hospitality.

Project Details
Design Team

Greg Nelson (principal), Patrick Fredrickson (project director & senior designer), Sean Morris (designer)

Project Area

21,000 sq ft

Consultants

Office Untitled

Fabricators

, Digital Plus, Graphic Installations