Medal of Honor Trail
American Battlefield Trust
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Creative Direction: Kim Quinn
Design Lead: Andy Moliski
Content: Liz Russel
The American Battlefield Trust is a charitable organization whose primary focus is in the preservation of battlefields of the American Civil War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 through acquisition of battlefield land.
Our team at Bluecadet developed a rapid conceptual roadmap to help establish a trail for Medal of Honor recipients that conveys the significance of the award, and valor expressed for comrade and country told through rich narratives and dramatic activations.
Project type: One Month Ideation Sprint
Onboarding and Discovery
Build a system of branding that is recognizable across all formats— from roadside signage to marker plaques. This will help acquire new visitors and help direct existing visitors to more sites of valor.
Create a web-based digital portal that can crossover online and on-site engagement. This portal can also be used to develop an itinerary between locations while keeping track of those a user has already visited.
At the Battle of Slaughter Penn Farm in Virginia, a walking path connects the stories of each medal of honor recipient and places them along a single unified journey in context of the battle.
Gateway Orientation
Five vertical pillars—one for each soldier—are visible from the entrance.
Illuminating signage with time-activated lighting provides a larger window for on-site visitation and a powerful visual opportunity.
Recipient pillars lit with spotlights act as beacons to help visitors navigate the walking path at any hour.
Monoliths are built to compliment the natural landscape in weathered material, but contrast it in form to be used as a means of non-invasive way-finding.
Each interpretive sign has an embedded NFC device which allows for easy access to site-specific digital experiences, without needing to download an app.
Triggering On-Site Media: Immersive AR
Through the lens of a user’s phone, the battle of Slaughter Pen Farm explodes into action as they witnesses a 360° recreation of a recipient’s heroic act of valor. The story progress as the user paces from position to position, associating physical movements to the advancement of the battle.
Other digital experiences could include audio soundscapes, extended media, virtual docent narration, and way-finding opportunities. Modern medal of honor recipients could voice over and parallel their own stories to civil war recipiants.
Visitors are encouraged to ‘leave’ behind a dedication following a prompt in an AR space around a small bell-tower monolith.
Visitors can return to any memorial virtually and acknowledge a dedication by tapping a button, ringing the monument’s physical bell.