CP
Case Study · Cortina Productions
Interactive Museum + Exhibit Design
BUILDING
WORLDS
INSIDE WALLS
Interactive Design · Exhibit Systems · Institutional Storytelling
The Studio
Cortina Productions
Cortina Productions builds deeply researched, carefully crafted interactive experiences for museums and cultural institutions. Their work doesn't just inform visitors. It immerses them. As a full-time designer and eventually lead designer, I was part of the team that made that happen across a wide range of projects.
My Role
Lead Designer
I joined Cortina as a designer and grew into a lead role — taking ownership of complex, multi-screen interactive systems from concept through production. My work spanned UX architecture, visual design, motion, and production oversight. Every project required deep collaboration with historians, curators, educators, and engineers — and demanded that the design serve the story first.
Lead Designer
UX Architecture
Interactive Systems
Exhibit Design
Production Direction
Institutional Storytelling
Institutions + Projects
College Football Hall of Fame
Multiple interactive experiences across the venue — player kiosks, position-based interactives, historical archives, rotunda displays
Atlanta, GA · Multi-System
Smithsonian Institution
American History Museum — Progress Exhibit interactive design and pitch work for multiple Smithsonian properties
Washington, DC · Pitch + Production
San Francisco 49ers Museum
STEM Education Lab — multi-touch interactive tables featured in TIME Magazine. Forces of Football physics system, player motion analysis, collaborative learning experiences
Santa Clara, CA · TIME Magazine Feature
OKC Bombing Memorial
Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum — interactive experience design for one of the most sensitive memorial institutions in the country
Oklahoma City, OK · Memorial
North Carolina Aquarium
Graveyard of the Atlantic — immersive underwater interactive featuring endangered species, habitat data, and conservation storytelling
North Carolina · Natural History
Tennis Hall of Fame
Multi-touch interactive table exploring tennis culture, personalities, social impact, and the evolution of the sport
Newport, RI · Interactive Table
The Challenges
01
Designing for Sacred Spaces
Every institution carried enormous weight — the OKC Memorial, the Smithsonian, the Hall of Fame. The design had to be invisible in the best sense: never drawing attention to itself, only deepening the visitor's connection to the content.
02
Multi-Stakeholder Production
Working with historians, curators, educators, engineers, and clients simultaneously required clear communication and airtight design documentation. Growing into a lead role meant owning that coordination.
03
Education Through Design
The 49ers physics interactives had to teach real science — forces of flight, motion, direction — to visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Making complex concepts immediately intuitive through visual design alone is a distinct and difficult skill.
04
Scale and Permanence
Unlike digital products, exhibit work is physical and permanent. The design decisions made in production would be experienced by millions of visitors over years. That standard shaped everything.
The Outcome
Grew from designer to lead designer — taking ownership of complex, multi-screen interactive systems across major museums and cultural institutions. The 49ers STEM Lab earned a TIME Magazine feature. Permanent installations at the CFB Hall of Fame, Smithsonian, and OKC National Memorial continue to be experienced by millions of visitors.
Lead
Designer Role Earned
Perm
Installations Still Live
What It Built
"Cortina Productions shaped how I think about design. Working across the Smithsonian, the College Football Hall of Fame, the 49ers Museum, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial taught me that great design serves the story — not the designer. I left as a lead, with a deep understanding of large-scale production, institutional collaboration, and the rare discipline of making complexity feel effortless."
