Aim Design were commissioned by Dundee Science Centre to develop their Science Learning Institute which includes a new exhibition entitled ‘Medical Marvels’. This playful refurbishment celebrates Dundee’s pioneering medical advances in non-invasive surgery over the last 100 years with opportunities to get hands on at every turn and put new skills into practice! A new experience vein pulses its way through the first floor gallery space commencing with the history of surgery from the 14th century and continuing with exhibits demonstrating present, non-invasive surgical technology as well as glimpses into our surgical future. Throughout the space, seamless solid-surface materials and dramatic feature-lighting are used to create sleek environments that appear futuristic and sculpted with surgical precision to connect exhibits along the way.

The experience vein folds tightly through the available floor area to extend the route and maximise visitor dwell time over the relatively small space. The graphic design and circular clusters of information lozenges compliment the soft curves of the visitor vein.

A path of white spherical lights pulses red with a blood flow effect along the visitor pathway lighting the way and incorporating a visualisation of blood pressure guiding visitors through the route.

The travelling “Predators” exhibition contained a number of animatronic interactives set within a flexible design, including a life-size great white shark, as well as a giant tarantula, and chameleon. Visitors were encouraged to engage with exhibits and to learn about the fascinating characteristics of predators large and small via information presented alongside background stageset imagery.

The backdrop was developed to relate to each of the exhibits and their respective environments, encapsulating the essence of each of the animals and creating an atmosphere for learning and entertainment.

The exhibition was suspended without floor fixings to avoid unnecessary damage to each of the host venues’ floors and could be boxed and unboxed simply and quickly. Curved sections flow between the building structures and were developed to provide several configurations to fit into a variety of different venues.

DC Thomson approached Aim in association with Creative Services and Xcentuate to investigate the possibility of developing a centre to celebrate the creativity and historical legacy of their extensive range of comic characters and related publications. Occupying a space within a building under provisional development as a joint venture between regeneration specialists, Our Enterprise and Dundee City Council, the resulting proposal focused on their ‘children’ and ‘young teenager’ portfolios and characters.

A character crypt suspends both new and old character heroes in frozen ‘ice cores’ and presents the development of the comic character throughout the last 100 years.

The primary visitor experience provides a fully immersive challenge that invites the visitor to create their own comic hero character. Their character competes with several recognised DC Thomson heroes throughout the challenge and ends with a showdown at the brain numbskull zapzone. The developed visitor characters lay in waiting in Beano’s virtual world for their next adventure.

A comic record of the experience is produced as a parting gift for the visitor to take away with them or send to friends and family.

Aim were commissioned by Sensation Science Centre to develop the design for their summer exhibition, “Robot – The Fantasy and the Reality”. To support the exhibits of robots from film and TV, as well as real robots, a themed backdrop was developed relating to each of their origins whilst maintaining a holistic aesthetic for the exhibition. The touring ‘atom’ stageset, developed previously for the Scottish Scientists’ exhibition, was adapted with new graphics to provide a designated information hub where visitors could interact with the various exhibits and learn about the reality and future direction of robotic technology.

Aim were responsible for the development of the design concept and exhibition layout along with the project management and overall delivery of the project.

Aim were commissioned to design, develop, and manage a series of large scale installations that would form the basis of an exhibition detailing current energy issues and opportunities: “Planet Energy” was the premium summer exhibition for Aberdeen’s Science Centre.

Seven power generating technologies were explored in dedicated panels – wind, hydro, marine, geo-thermal, oil, gas, and solar – arranged to create a circular exhibition space imitating planet Earth and its layers. The exhibition stageset was designed as a ‘knockdown and crating’ solution for touring.

Aim designed a number of interactives and informative displays which were seamlessly integrated into the exhibition space. Video interviews with researchers were also projected directly onto the new graphics to blend the physical and the virtual aspects of the exhibition.

Aim worked in liaison with Glasgow Science Centre to develop an interactive exhibition on renewable energy to be housed in a public exhibition space at the headquarters of Scottish & Southern Energy. The exhibition included a wind turbine with an ‘infinity tunnel’ ceiling which would give the impression of infinite height when standing inside the turbine exhibit.

Elements that typically run the full height of the turbine were mirrored, including lift, power cables, and the access ladder. Visitors would experience the noise generated by the rotating turbine blades via an integrated audio installation in the base of the turbine that reverberated through the whole installation. These elements combined to complete the illusion of being in a real wind turbine, with interactive educational displays recessed into the stageset to explain the science and engineering of the subject matter. A hydro exhibit provided visitors with the opportunity to charge their mobile device by pumping water into a tank and powering a turbine.