Ainu Art and Culture Exhibition / Smithsonian Museum
Graphic Design
Objective: Create and illustrate a concept for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The exhibit hall would display the life and culture of the Ainu people.
The Ainu are an ethnic group, distinct from the Japanese, that live today almost exclusively on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. They were traditionally hunters-gatherers and fishermen. They didn't practice rice farming like the Japanese. They hunted bear, sea otter, deer and other animals, gathered wild plants and fished for whales, seal lions, swordfish and salmon on the open seas until they were driven inland by the Japanese.
Primary skectches of Ainu kimono designs, spirit animals and cutrual symbols.
Digital translation of Ainu kimono design as a key element of the poster illustration.
Cultural symbols created in a scaleable model for ease of use and replication.
Ainu cultural elements grouping for illustration layout.
Initial color palette for illustraton and layout option.
Final concept for illustration and design.
