Digital Exhibition & Game
complementing a temporary exhibition with new stories and bringing a lost toy back to life

The Germanisches Nationalmuseum launched Microworlds as a digital exhibition to accompany a physical temporary exhibition of the same name. While the digital exhibition focuses on historical tin miniatures as a medium of narrative and imagination, the game offers users an opportunity to explore and interact with this world on their own terms.

On behalf of the museum, I was responsible for the visual theming and frontend implementation of the website, based on an existing Drupal template. In addition to image editing and the full integration of bilingual content (German and English), I worked in close collaboration with the digital curator and assistant curator to translate the curatorial intent into a strong, contemporary visual concept.

The design aimed to create an emotional connection to a long-forgotten toy with significant historical value. Headlines and introductory texts are set in Rando Display, a typeface that evokes a historical atmosphere through its serif structure while retaining a sense of individuality and modernity through its swash details. Body texts are set in Corporate S, the GNM’s house typeface, to maintain visual continuity across platforms.

Color played a key role in animating the digital experience. A system of vivid, modular color themings was applied to different sections of the exhibition, creating a stimulating environment for a subject often perceived as static or dated. Playful visual accents echo the swash characteristics of the headline typography, subtly reinforcing the idea of play within a now museum-bound object category.

In addition to the website theming, I developed the concept and UX for a digital interactive feature: a meme creator, inspired by an idea from the digital curator. I translated this into a responsive application that enables users to create their own image-text compositions using historical tin figures. The feature was designed to work seamlessly across desktop, tablet, and mobile. In a public community gallery, visitors can publish their creations, like those of others, and filter by popularity—establishing a light-touch feedback system that fosters engagement and visibility.

The meme creator was enthusiastically adopted: within a few days, users had already submitted a large volume of witty and creative memes, many of which gained traction through likes. This response illustrates how participatory, low-threshold tools can successfully activate even traditional or nostalgic museum content for a wider audience.