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Planets on the Path, Adler Planetarium

Background

What if you could walk the solar system at the speed of light? This was the central idea behind the Planets on the Path public exhibit — starting at the Adler Planetarium, those walking the lakefront path would reach each planet marker at about the same time as they would if they were traveling our actual solar system at the speed of light. Planets on the Path was installed with the help of the Chicago Park District in the summer of 2015. Check out the event on NASA.gov!

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My role

As the lead designer on the project, I worked with the Planetarium's astronomy department to craft copy for each banner, with the Exhibits team to design the physical structures. I also designed and illustrated each banner and related promotional materials.

EXHIBIT DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION, COPYWRITING

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 SOME INTIAL RESEARCH 

Constructed with a bent tube frame that was secured into the ground, each banner was printed on a stretch nylon that was actually zippered around the frame like a sleeping bag. 

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The banners

Each banner has an illustration of the object, a fun fact, the distance to the next object and the estimated time it will take to get to the next marker.  

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©2023 by Melissa Szwan
Made with love and a little bit of horse-girl energy in Chicago, IL

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