Museum of Video Game History
Historical museum based around video games.
Prompt
I love playing video games, whether its a strategy game or another standard shooter game, I look forward to playing them. They have been around for a notable amount of time now, and a museum focused around such a topic seemed intriguing to myself, so I wanted to make one. With games starting the concept off like Pong and Pac-Man, it's incredible to think about what we have now. It's also interesting seeing how games have evolved with the times, with not just the styles that are seen in the games but also the gameplay functions and ideas surrounding the various concepts.
Images from various sources.
As mentioned in the previous section, this museum concept is based around video games. This exhibit will start in the 1970's and work its way forward in time all the way to the present. It will catalogue the progress we've made in this field and how exactly it went from being something as simple as Pong to a exceedingly complex game like Dark Souls III. I also want the museum to tell a visual tale of how the general design structure changed with the time, as the wallpaper and plaques will be designed to fit the era they're showcasing. Given it's effect on American culture, it will be located in the Mall of America.
Exhibition Concept
Reference Photos. Images from various sources.
Initial Design Phase
For the logo, I wanted something that harkened back to the original joystick and the Atari logo, so I combined the two. But after some deliberation, I switched it to harken back to the original NES system cartridge. The floor plan was designed so as a person goes through the exhibit they are walking through the different eras, and after getting to the present are able to see the different environments that games have been played in. Then, each era was made to have it's banners, wallpapers, and plaques reflect the designs of the time with familiar patterns and layouts.
Second Design Phase
Looking over the separate era designs, I noticed that things tended to clash. Now, while I wouldn't mind each era hitting a visitor with a rather extreme nostalgia bomb, I understand that sometimes subtle is better than directly on the nose. As such, I made an overall color pallet to be used for each era and made adjustments to the banners, wallpapers, and plaques to reflect this. I also brought the color saturation down so that it wouldn't detract from the objects being showcased in the exhibit. I also made some collateral for shirt designs, using the various era patterns as the graphic element.
Third Design Phase
In the end, I changed the logo by ditching the cartridge element and kept it just to the "VG" element and added a line motif. The display cases were also shifted. Originally, they would require a visitor to look down rather far, and in some cases it would be rather strenuous for older visitors, so each arcade machine or console now gets its own glass box which is accompanied by a plaque to its left which explains what the item is. The patterns were also reduced to be an element on the general wall as opposed to being a banner, being replaced by a flat color. Every console is also on a turntable.
