Museums: Merchandise

Dialogue in the Dark

Dialogue Social Enterprise creates immersive exhibitions and workshop to foster empathy and openness towards other ways of living, cultures, and values.  In Dialogue in the Dark, blind tour-guides invites visitors on an adventure in total darkness, helping them to unlock their non-visual perception and to overcome stereotypes and limitations in new surroundings. In Dialogue in Silence, deaf explainers widen visitors’ capacity to communicate while discovering their power of nonverbal communication. The role swap works for the duration of the experiences. As perspective about disability and abilities change, the impact lasts forever. Reflect Studio created merchandise for the shop at Dialogue Museum in Istanbul, Turkey. 

The Design Process

To begin with, the creative team went through both experiences at the museum multiple times, pinpointing the climax moments in both experiences and engaging in detailed dialogues with the blind and deaf guides who guide the visitors , as well as the visitors to better understand their most memorable moments. 

To elaborate on a wider approach about issues of ability and disability, we took our research beyond the boundaries of the museum and conducted user research about the concepts of city-life, colours, darkness and conversations. By the end of our research period, we gathered insights and transformed them into themes of Eigengrau, Dialogue, Dots & Lines and CMYK to be applied on the Dialogue Museum merchandise. 

Backpacks, T-Shirts & Pins

The themes were applied to tote bags, backpacks, t-shirts and pins to be sold in the Dialogue Museum shop, using eco-friendly and re-cycable materials. We then re-designed the shop area in order to create a meaningful shopping experience inside the museum.

As perspectives about disability and abilities change at the museum, the impact lasts for ever. As visitors purchase a product from the museum shop, their memories last forever.