Museums & heritage

McKinley Presidential Library & Museum: making a memorial readable in miniature

From the September 2026 concept archive · Story published November 9, 2026

Design proposal

Original concept artwork from our proposal archive. The production-and-use story below is an imagined next chapter; a completed order is not claimed for these items.

The pin keeps the museum logo on a broad base, with five light points in open margins around the seal and lettering.

McKinley Presidential Library & Museum — blinkee concept — Light-up pin concept: proposed glow and component placement are illustrative.

The inspiration behind the design

Logo extracted from an official PDF and architectural research

The museum's own PDF supplied the original navy, red, and white logo. Memorial research supplied the dome, entry, steps, and statue that shaped the reverse. The coin brings the graphic identity and the physical landmark together; the architectural relief remains an interpretation for proof review.

McKinley Presidential Library & Museum original design reference — Visual identity reference retained from the original research. This reference is separate from the proposed product rendering.

The idea behind the object

A proof would compare the memorial detail at actual size and simplify secondary lines while retaining the landmark's recognizable structure.

Thought experiment: taking the proposal further

A production proof brings the printed artwork, cut outline, LED locations, battery, switch, and attachment together. The lights need room inside the edge, and the name needs to remain readable at the selected size. A rendering can show the intended mood; a sample establishes the actual brightness, sequence, weight, and fit.

In that imagined next chapter, the approved proof would lead to a sample review, then a confirmed production run and a plan for presenting the pieces. Those are possible next steps, not events we claim happened for this proposal.

Explore the related coin and keepsake design story.