PRESS RELEASES 
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Best Museum Environment |
Preserving and sharing the legacy of “The Greatest of All Time” was the Muhammad Ali Center’s goal, and Formations came up with a design that reflected the man, the boxer, and (most importantly) his values and ideals. Float like a butterfly—sting like a bee.
The project began with a market research survey to assess the public’s awareness of Ali. No surprise, more associated him with the boxing ring than his other lifetime accomplishments. As a result, designers developed six core values—respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, and spirituality—they’d integrate into the exhibit, in a bid to connect visitors to more than just Ali’s golden gloves. “The Center wanted to find some very unique messaging that wasn’t just a rehash of what’s already been said about Ali,” says Craig Kerger, project designer at Formations.
The six core values were brought to life throughout the footprint. Visitors arrived at the entrance via escalator, greeted by a brightly-lit art gallery, dubbed Ali the Artist. From there they moved into the Orientation Theater boasting rich veneers and floor-to-ceiling graphics. After a short film they exited into an exhibit hall featuring six themed pavilions tied to the core values. Exhibits were layered with audio-visual elements to enhance each topic and takeaway. Example: in the Spirituality Pavilion, visitors sat in chairs amid moving imagery and text projected on an overhead dome. Audio of soft moving water and lit gobo water projections helped create a reflective atmosphere.
Next was Ali’s Professional Boxing Career gallery, an oval-shaped room open in the middle with a view of a boxing ring on the floor below, and encircled by a graphic timeline of Ali’s fights. The timeline display featured boxing ring ropes and backlit graphics, while larger-than-life cutout images of Ali lined the room and a cutout crowd hovered in bleachers.
Rich materials and textures were used in all areas of the design, including perforated metal, textured glass, and exotic woods that provided balance to the bold color schemes of the space, which were inspired by boxing ephemera.