National Football Museum
Exhibition design telling the story of the beautiful game
Created at
The Chase
Deliverables
Exhibition design
Project
Exhibition
Sector
Arts & Culture
Project information
Background
The National Football Museum was originally housed beneath Deepdale Stadium, home of Preston North End, one of the Football League’s founding members. Created to tell the story of the beautiful game, it brought together historic artefacts, film, graphics and interactive exhibits for football fans of every generation. Its exhibitions celebrated not only the sport’s greatest achievements, but also the social stories, communities and emotions that make football matter.
The creative challenge
As part of The Chase creative team, I worked with a specialist exhibition consultancy and team of football historians to bring the 1940s and 1950s timezones to life. I was responsible for developing the exhibition styling and graphic assets for these two pivotal decades. The task was to turn a rich archive of stories, facts and artefacts into a dynamic visitor experience, while finding distinctive creative ways to spotlight defining moments in football history.
Creativity with character
As a lifelong football fan, this was a dream brief and one I approached with real responsibility. I designed within a layered metal framework, using varied print substrates, typography, archive and imagery to create texture, depth and atmosphere. A backlit display captured the drama of Wolverhampton Wanderers playing European football under floodlights. For the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, I created a dignified, powerful installation that allowed the story to speak with gravity rather than spectacle. The result was an immersive exhibition design that balanced information with emotion, helping visitors experience the character, conflict and changing culture of post-war football. The project went on to win numerous design awards and its success saw it move to a bigger venue in Manchester.