The Strong National Museum of Play is more than just a museum for children; it is an emblem of toy history housing the prestigious National Toy Hall of Fame. The annual induction of five new toys into the Hall draws national attention, and this year, the museum decided to leverage this buzz. Working with the creative powerhouse, Partners + Napier, they crafted a distinctive print campaign that attracts visitors and taps into the nostalgia of toy lovers. Take a journey back to childhood with the annual artist poster series, and Graphis Advertising Awards entry, delightfully dubbed “Found a Home.”
By: Partners + Napier
Live, Love, Play
The Strong National Museum of Play isn’t just a children’s museum; it’s also a historic toy museum that is home to the National Toy Hall of Fame. Every year the museum inducts five new toys into the Hall. The induction is picked up by news outlets across the country. Partners + Napier was tapped to create posters for visitors and donors to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the event and target parents of children visiting the museum.
What started as a singular promotion three years ago has now become an annual artist poster series. The first year focused on nostalgic jingles with typographic artwork from Doug Pederson. The second year featured iconic video game characters interpreted as modern-day works of art by David Cowles.
This year, the series features the graphic design art of Dan O’Donnell. The artwork features past inductees to the National Toy Hall of Fame—green army men, Mr. Potato Head, and Big Wheel—in graphic representations of cross stitch. Each piece is made up of tiny Xs to create bitmap-like versions of the toys and headlines. The headlines humorously play off of the iconic “Home, Sweet, Home” and “Live, Love, Laugh” signs found in many homes. Together they make the downright cozy point that these iconic toys have “found a home” in the National Toy Hall of Fame.
The series has become popular, with guests, donors, and employees collecting their favorites for their homes, offices, and playrooms to organically extend the campaign’s reach.
Stay tuned for next year’s series … same bat time, same bat channel.
Partners + Napier is an integrated creative agency built to leave a mark on people, businesses, and culture. We do this every day on behalf of ambitious brands through our audience-led, results-obsessed, creative-focused approach. We believe ROI is driven by equal parts courage and craft. And that great design is key to delivering an impact that lasts.
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