Cardiff Design Festival

Brief

The American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson sustains a loyal brand following throughout the world, keeping active through clubs, events, and museum exhibits. We were approached by Harley enthusiast Chris Scott to design and develop an exhibition that would showcase the history of the company through the whole of the 20th century, with a particular focus on the customising culture that surround the motorcycle manufacturer.

Result

Tony Hill, Director of MOSI said: "Harley-Davidson is the classic iconic motorcycle brand that is loved by bikers and design enthusiasts alike. Not only is it a symbol of American culture but has been adopted by cultures around the world to reflect their own unique style and identity. MOSI already has a wonderful collection of historic motor cycles and groundbreaking engineering so we are delighted to build on this with our new exhibition."

Solution

The Manchester Museum of Science and Industry was quickly selected by Chris as a venue that would portray the motorcycles along side some of the great inventions of the last century. Hoffi worked with Chris and his team, which included Harley-Davidson themselves to design an exhibition and brand that was family friendly as it was an important factor that the museum exhibit should appeal to day to day visitors of the museum and not be exclusive to enthusiasts. All exhibition and brand communications were produced in the context of the highly established brand of Harley-Davidson, remaining true to its American biker heritage, which Hoffi carried through the exhibition, using themed periods in the manufacturers history.