The Royal Society: Summer Science Exhibition

Visitors skyrocket by 375%

Laptop displaying Summer Science Exhibition bespoke web application by Contra Agency

The client.

The Royal Society is the independent UK science academy, dedicated to promoting excellence in science. Its flagship annual public engagement event, The Summer Science Exhibition, has been running since 1778 and showcases cutting-edge research to a range of audiences.

The challenge.

After COVID swept the nation, forcing thousands of live events to cancel, the Royal Society needed to create a fully digital experience for The Summer Science Exhibition, fast. Contra was challenged to create an immersive 3D exhibition environment within a three-month deadline.

The strategy.

Conduct a content audit and plan taxonomy. Research creatives and build moodboards, initial sketches, and design renders. Create iconography and build 3D environments with microinteractions. Conduct user testing and action iterations. Launch the web application.

Laptop displaying Summer Science Exhibition bespoke web application by Contra Agency

What we did.

Global research

Appealing to a universal audience of all ages, Contra need to create a hub that was colourful for children but also mature enough to be enjoyed by adults. We researched a range of interactives from around the web, each with unique visual styles. These included layered illustrations, low-polygon models, and maps and isometric areas.

Picture perfect design

Following discussions with the Royal Society, we decided to create four amazing worlds for visitors to explore in an immersive 3D environment. This started with some rough sketches that allowed us to tap into our inner child and design something children would enjoy, while ensuring each world had all the necessary elements to represent each exhibition. Design renders then provided a first look at how the sketches would look in a 3D setting.

Bringing our vision to life

It was time to build these immersive worlds. As we developed the platform, we tested it with a varied range of users that matched The Royal Society’s audience. It proved to be a hit with both adults and children alike.

Other worldly experience

The result was four incredible worlds based on unique schemes. Before entering each world, users were transported into a central foyer where they could choose which door to walk through. From there, they had complete freedom to explore outer space, a sprawling urban environment, the forces of nature, and even under the surface of our skin. Each world taught valuable lessons about various topics in an engaging and memorable way.

Interactive content

Within each zone, users could hover over interactive topic icons and click them. Each icon would be animated to further bring the exhibition to life. They’d then be met with interactive content, games, and lightning lectures related to that topic. Using the existing event branding and animated iconography created by the Royal Society Design team, we incorporated these into the hub and applied interaction to link to each of the exhibits.
Increasing icon

182%

increase in site traffic YoY

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450,000

video views

Digital Impact Awards logo

Winner

of Digital Impact Award

Contra delivered a really creative and practical solution that hit our brief, budget and tight deadline. With great feedback from visitors and over 450,000 video views, we were really happy with the results.

Rob Rutter, The Royal Society
Rob Rutter Head of Digital Marketing and Engagement at The Royal Society
Catalin Vintila Contra Agency

Catalin

Designer

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