Summary: The Morse Museum in Winter Park needed new merchandise that would appeal to young adults ages 18-25. I designed a chain enamel pin based on a whimsical frog-themed
ceramic letterholder in the museum’s collection. The
pin is currently being sold in their museum store.
ceramic letterholder in the museum’s collection. The
pin is currently being sold in their museum store.
Research and Ideation
To research, I browsed through all the artwork the museum had on display. One piece caught my eye in particular, a ceramic letterholder from 1895. The frog’s lanky humanesque design immediately reminded me of the Frog and Toad books I used to read when I was younger. Based on memes and trends I have seen online, I had a strong feeling that other Gen Zers had the same nostalgic love for frogs that I did, so I decided to explore how this piece could be turned into merchandise.
I concluded that an enamel pin design was the most viable solution, because it would not take up a lot of storage space, was relatively affordable in large quantities, and could be used to decorate tote bags or button-ups. I omitted the giant shell from the sculpture to make the design less clunky and modernize it. Instead of riding a shell chariot like the sculpture, the frog in the pin design is jet skiing and is being pulled through the water by the fish.
Vector Production File
Final Product
Disclaimer: The rights to all sketches, technical files, and artwork shown here belong to the Morse Museum