Macau Grand Prix Museum
A unified brand experience for the Macau Grand Prix Museum
Working with the Macau Government Tourism Office, we partnered with Imagination Shanghai and immersive tech agency, S1T2, to craft an engaging (and kinetic) museum experience that brings the Macau Grand Prix to life through informative exhibitions and high-octane interactive experiences.
Reimagining an iconic museum
In early 2021, the Macau Grand Prix Museum reopened its doors after an extensive MOP 479 million expansion project. The reimagined 16,000m2 museum – six times larger than before, with exhibits spread over four floors – focuses on providing visitors with an interconnected journey through the history and culture of the Macau Grand Prix.
Connecting people to the past, present and future
The museum showcases Grand Prix cars and motorcycles from across the decades, alongside information regarding the drivers, riders, teams and personalities who have made their mark since the first Grand Prix in 1954. More than six decades of motorsports presented in a 21st century, immersive experience.
An intuitive design system inspired by the track itself
For The People were brought in to deliver a comprehensive brand overhaul, creating an expansive visual identity that reflects and extends upon the rich history of motorsports. The system needed to flex across all aspects of the visitor experience, from thematic displays of Macau Grand Prix’s (MGP) history, to deconstructed vehicular displays, to interactive interface design and immersive experiences (including driver avatar creation and large screen competitive VR racing). Visitors are able to delve deep and uncover every aspect of the city’s adored motorsports culture.
The first step of this comprehensive project was to craft a brand narrative that set the tone for the experience. Inspired by motorsports, the brand system aimed to connect the energy and power of the sport with clear and engaging information design.
The design system was built to be empathetic to the museum’s space and architecture. We developed a distinct, and flexible system with strong brand presence and broad audience appeal. Exhibition spaces were created with a sense of fluidity between the different distinct areas of the museum program; ceiling lines generate natural flow paths and create an interplay of form and information.
An interactive journey
Working with S1T2, the brand comes to life through a series of interactive experiences that immerse audiences through technology and storytelling. Through its renovation of the Grand Prix Museum, the Macau Tourism Authority was looking to provide audiences with an exciting, educational experience.
A key aspect of the new Macau GP experience was to craft an interconnected visitor journey through a series of exciting experiences that put the visitor front and centre. These experiences include/d: ‘Suit Up’ – where visitors customise their very own virtual racing suit using a live-tracked, moving model of their body on large LED screens; ‘Wind Tunnel’ — an interactive exploration of the advances in aerodynamic design and engineering; ‘Drive Strength’ — the chance to feel the power required by drivers when racing around a virtual replica of the famous Macau track; ‘Team Viewer’ — on a huge LED screen, visitors compete with each other to record the fastest lap time.
Spread across the museum’s four floors, these installations encourage visitors to unleash their inner racer as they explore the world of the Macau Grand Prix.
“Macau has a long tradition of motorsports, it is part of the local culture. We want the museum to allow future generations to know more and create a connection with the Grand Prix.”
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes,
Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office
Credits
Client
Macao Government Tourism Office
Location
Rua Luis Gonzaga Gomes, Macau
Collaborators
Interactive / Immersive Tech Experience – S1T2
Experience Design & Pro
Architecture – Impromptu Projects Ltd
Photography – Andy Lam + Granville Carroll, Ieong Man Pan, António Sanmarful, Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro , Venus Chan