Luci, an award-winning experience design studio for museums and brands, has announced its commitment to helping museums and brands convert limited attention into lasting impact in an era where time is scarce and attention is fragmented. Entertainment is winning wallets, often at the expense of education.
The studio’s approach focuses on creating imprint experiences: designing outcomes that influence visitors, how they perceive the world, and their role within it. Luci is dedicated to empowering visitors, turning them into active participants, and engaging all of their senses.
Its work is guided by insights from behavioural science, psychology, and neuroscience. Neuroscience demonstrates that play enhances encoding and recall, proving that education versus entertainment is a false choice.
Luci creates those mechanics: pacing, multi-sensory cues, and social interaction within mission-driven content so experiences resonate on every level—physically, emotionally, intellectually—and remain memorable long afterwards.
Activating every sense
“As institutions race to keep up, the winners won’t be the loudest. They’ll be the most memorable,” says AJ Goehle, founder & CEO of Luci.
“Experiences are the best platform for whole-body learning. We can activate every sense: bringing play into learning and feeling into visiting. Delight isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’; it’s a requirement when you’re designing for outcomes.”
“Traditional exhibits and programming must adapt: spaces need to flex; content must respond to seasons, events, and shifting narratives,” adds Matthew McNerney, chief creative officer. “So we set aside preconceptions, and design for what our clients are truly trying to achieve: conversations, communities, compassion.
“That means designing experiences plus their support systems: content strategies, programming, staff enablement, and post-opening optimization.”
A visitor-first approach has guided Luci since its early projects, such as MSI’s Numbers in Nature, where guests navigated a mirror maze to experience the complex mathematics of fractals firsthand, rather than just reading about them.
“Meeting people where they are is our north star,” says Kevin Snow, executive creative director. “When learning lands in your hands, head, and heart, it sticks.”
The rebrand follows sustained growth for Luci, including a second appearance on the Inc. 5000 list with 73% expansion over the past three years, as the firm continues to deliver work that resonates across diverse, multigenerational audiences.
“These experiences have ripples,” says Kiah Shapiro, managing director. “When they shape a visitor, those visitors go on to shape their communities, and those communities shape generations. Our job is to design for those ripple effects.”
Last month, Luci announced the appointment of Helen Divjak as its new director of exhibit development.
