BigPicture Exhibit Entry and Interactives
exhibit graphics, visual design, environment, non-profit, interactive
BigPicture is an annual nature photography competition at the California Academy of Sciences, celebrated each year with a new entry experience in the museum’s central piazza—a soaring glass-ceilinged hall that sets a high bar for graphic presence.
Each year’s design starts from the grand prize image, translating a single photograph into large-scale environmental graphics that set the tone for the show.
2022 — Cactus bees swarming in a mating ball inspired fluid, swirling forms in deep orange and red, capturing the heat and motion of the image.
2023 — For the competition’s 10th anniversary, circular motifs evoking cycles and rhythm marked the occasion.
2024 — Monarch butterflies massing in a Mexican forest under the theme ”Unusual Perspectives“ inspired a warm golden palette, with the BigPicture icon multiplied into a shifting congregation—echoing the butterflies themselves.
2025 — A brown lemur making a harrowing leap across Madagascar's stone forest inspired an explosive burst motif—pure kinetic energy translated into graphic form.
Each year’s installation is paired with a digital interactive—in 2023, a decade-long retrospective allowing visitors to browse winners year by year.
MY ROLE
Graphic design, Visual design, Prototyping, File production, Graphic production supervision
BigPicture wordmark by Jinny Kim. Bee ball photograph by Karine Aigner. Exhibit photographs by Gayle Laird © California Academy of Sciences. Exhibit design and development by the in-house team at the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco.
