A bold and culturally rich exhibition that brought 1960s Mod culture roaring back to life – Mods: Shaping a Generation was more than a design project. It became a social movement, a record-breaking museum show, and an award-winning celebration of youth identity, style, and rebellion.
£1.75M economic impact | National press coverage
Working closely with local young people’s charity Soft Touch Arts, and the team behind community interest company Social Gallery, we helped shape every stage of the experience – from curating rare archive content to developing a full visual identity, website, and immersive exhibition environment. With over 60,000 visitors across three months and £1.75M generated for the local economy, it’s one of our most impactful projects to date.
Set across Leicester Museum & Art Gallery’s 3000 sq ft gallery space, the exhibition told the story of the 1960s Mod scene in Leicester and Nottingham through the eyes of those who lived it. We worked closely with the curatorial team to help source archive materials, commission content and shape the overall structure and visitor journey.
Collaborators included fashion stylist Roger K. Burton (Quadrophenia, Bowie, The Rolling Stones) who supplied original garments from the film, and author Alan Fletcher – the man behind the Quadrophenia novel. Their input helped elevate the project from local showcase to nationally recognised cultural event.
The creative challenge? To build a brand that felt true to Mod heritage – but fresh for a new generation. While we nodded to the iconic RAF roundel and Union Jack, we avoided clichés in favour of clean, contemporary styling. The result was a sophisticated brand identity that appealed across ages, mixing 1960s influence with modernist clarity.
We designed a full suite of exhibition graphics, wayfinding, marketing materials and an immersive, AV-rich website – complete with oral histories, archive photography, and interviews that preserved at-risk heritage stories for future audiences.
Our exhibition design combined nostalgia with high-end polish – from themed stage areas and scooter displays to full nightclub recreations and looping Ready Steady Go! footage. We used SketchUp and Podium to model every section in 3D, ensuring accessibility and flow.
With bespoke colour palettes, Mod-inspired typefaces and curated soundtracks, the experience took visitors on a multisensory journey. Many danced, cried, and reconnected with their youth – a testament to the emotional depth and attention to detail throughout.
This wasn’t just about design – it was about connection. The exhibition became a meeting space for Mods old and new. A second exhibition, Modified, ran alongside it at Soft Touch Arts, co-created with nearly 100 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The project left a genuine legacy – not just in visitor numbers or press headlines, but in how it brought people together across generations. The success has led to a follow-up: Punk: Rage & Revolution is now in the works, and we’re excited to be back on board.
Impact
"This stunning and immersive exhibition showcased Mods’ fashion, music, film and design. It was hugely popular and it was fantastic for us to welcome many people who had not previously visited Leicester Museum & Art Gallery."
– Joanna Jones, Head of Leicester Arts, Museums, Festival and Events, Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
"This wasn’t just about design - it was about connection. The exhibition became a meeting space for Mods old and new. While London is often the focus for writing about youth culture in the 1960s, young people in provincial towns created their own scenes with their own tastes and styles and took them out into the wider world. In some cases, they were hugely successful and influential, but their stories have barely been recorded. This project addressed that problem incredibly well."
– Colin Hyde, East Midlands Oral History Archive, University of LeicesterWe’re responsive & easy to work with, so drop us a line and let’s create some amazing work together.
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