34 Critical Raw Materials

17 June 2026 – 13 April 2027

Client
University of Oxford Museum of Natural History

Location
Oxford

Collaborators/Creative partners
Exhibition text consultant: Rebecca Mileham
Exhibition build: OMNH Technicians
Graphic production: Fine Print

Photography
David Sudlow Designers

34 critical raw materials shaping our future is the latest special exhibition presented by Oxford University Museum of Natural History and our third successive creative partnership with them. It examines the 34 materials the UK government considers essential for our society and economy. Raw materials (like helium, cobalt, titanium and lithium) power our daily lives, from smartphones to medical equipement to wind turbines. But their supply is limited and their supply chains often unsustainable and unethical. This bold exhibition provides an understanding of this and the considerations governments are faced with to secure supplies.

The design centres around a bright neon colour palette (a nod to the radioactive nature of some of the objects) and a visual language of layering and graphic montage (inspired by the political aspects of mining). All 34 materials are identified through black and white textured digital drawings of their ores, which are used as assets to create contextual backdrops at scale. In addition to the exhibition graphics we created the overall visual identity and marketing assets to use throughout the project run.

Type: Exhibition, Visual identity
Size: 80sqm