The Smithsonian Institute:
Becoming Visible
High-quality illustrative pieces showcasing five women's efforts in America. These pieces were created for both the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum premiere interactive site launch and introductory video.
Role
Visual Design, Illustration
Team
Visual Designer, Corey Hemingway
Designer, Jamie Bourne
Design Lead, Corey Jones
UX Designer, Avery Timmons
Developer Lead, KJ Monahan
Tools
Procreate (Software)
Official Site
https://www.becomingvisible.si.edu/
Background
Launching the very first of anything is always daunting. The pressure to make sure it’s a success, however it’s made, can set a precedent for the future. For the premiere interactive website of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, it was an honor even to be brought onto the team of small designers to create something so special.
Questions asked for this project began as surface-level and generic, leading to more specific and intentional questions. Here is a sneak peek into the line of questioning that was asked in our discussions.
“What should be included?
“What can we include?”
“What can we create?”
“What should the illustrations look like? Hand-drawn or Vector?”
“How many illustrations should be made?”
“How many should be included in the video and on the site?”
Visual Design Approach
Typically, when handling illustrative-based projects, starting off the project with some pen-and-paper action is top of mind. However, in this particular scenario, time was of the essence. A non-existent website had to be storyboarded, illustrated, fully developed, and delivered live in one and a half months. Just in time to commemorate International Women’s Day.
Admittedly, we were stressed, but still very excited.
After some intentionally limited rounds of rough ideas and semi-rough sketches, high-quality illustrative pieces began to come out of the woodwork. Every illustration presented on the website and the video represents the stories and the many capabilities of each woman featured.
Over twenty high-quality illustrative pieces are placed in a manner that elevates the storytelling and narration being shown throughout the introductory video, while a select, chosen few appear on the official site itself.
We are so proud to be able to successfully complete the site within the deadline and I feel honored to have been trusted to create such visually strong and compelling pieces to officially launch the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
