valentin nguyen
information

Swamp Shop — Illustration and typography for a gift shop sign refresh.


In 2024, the California Academy of Sciences renovated one of their gift shops to better reflect their brand. I refreshed the entry signage for the Swamp Shop, their gift shop near the “swamp” area of the museum. The main inspiration for the design are the mosaics built into the shop’s interior made by artist Guillermo Wagner Granizo, which were once at the old Academy’s swamp. Only a few of Granizo’s mosaic pieces remained at the Academy after the 1989 earthquake.

Project was worked on between March to May 2024. Creative direction by Rhonda Rubinstein. Design oversight by Sterling Larrimore.


BEFORE — Shop was called “Lab Junior”
AFTER — Shop with its newly renamed and installed “Swamp Shop” sign


Inspired by creatures of the swamp.


When the Academy reopened in 2008 after the 1989 earthquake, the new building maintained pieces from the old building as an homeage to the Academy’s legacy.

The refreshed Swamp Shop sign is inspired by the scale pattern on Granizo’s gila monster mosaic. The “confetti” scale pattern celebrates the mosaic and reflects the scaly creatures that generally live in swamps. Using Granizo’s mosaics as inspiration, I sketched different variations for the sign’s patterned background. The goal is for the refreshed sign to feel more modern, themed to a core part of the museum (in this case, the swamp), and branded.

Gila Monster by Guillermo Wagner Granizo, which has been repurposed as a decorative part of the Swamp Shop.

STEP 1 — SKETCHES. Preliminary sketches of pattern studies for the mosaic tiles. I explored different variations of tiles — from large vs. small, straight vs. scattered, and connected vs. spaced out.

STEP 2 — PATTERN STUDIES. For the overall pattern direction, I explored different pattern and style variations such as small vs. big dots, and outlined vs. unoutlined dots. 

STEP 3 — COLOR STUDIES. For the color of the blocks, I explored different themes inspired by the colors of the swamp. We decided to go with option 2 for its modern take on swamp/reptile colors.

STEP 4 — TYPE STUDIES. Type studies for the letters of each block tile. We decided to go with option 1 for its modern and simple design.


Celebrating the swamp in style.


The final sign includes 22 blocks with alternating green-blue colors inspired by the swamp ecosystem. A colorful, gila monster-scale pattern runs down each block like celebratory confetti. The letters that spell out “SWAMP SHOP” have classic striped details reminiscent of the nature of shopping (i.e. barcodes).




previous

menu

projects
information
junk drawer

links

email
linkedin
resume