On a NASA forum, Robert, a NASA Educator mentions from his experience in the classrooms; the idea of studying astronomy is not even on the radar for children, as they believe the concept is way too complex. With the help of design, an infographic poster uses a reminiscent style of retro comic books to explain dark energy and display the data collected in a method that will be digestible and engaging primarily to a younger audience aged 8-12 years old. Data from the dark energy camera is 3D printed inside an abstract telescope, which the audience can look through and take apart. It stands on a poster that further contextualizes the telescope. Using materials such as paper, LED lights and conductive ink, the Space Goggles is a provocation piece that aims to spark curiosity about dark mass and encourages making-to-explore. Developing the concept of education through an immersive experience resulted in the “What's Out There” Exhibition.

This exhibition brings the audience through a journey in which they learn about dark energy, how it interacts with the universe, the history and the data collected so far, through 3 sections; the light-up information section, the data telescope room and the projection tracking room. The overall branding for the exhibition is bright and friendly. Colour schemes of pink and blue and a mascot named Commander Light give the topic an approachable look. Outdoor and digital advertisements will be displayed, demonstrating how audiences would find out about the exhibition. Ultimately, this project hopes to inspire a whole new generation of astronomers to explore and expand knowledge about the ever-growing universe.

As mentioned on the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) website, “dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe” (STFC, 2017). Albert Einstein had a theory about gravity in which he added a term for the cosmological constant. This term assumes that empty space has its own energy; this would be the first-ever prediction about dark energy. Dark energy makes up about 68% of the universe. The other mass consists of 27% dark matter and 5% visible matter (NASA, 2020). Dark energy differs from dark matter because dark matter produces an attractive force known as gravity, whereas dark energy produces a repulsive force known as anti-gravity.

The Dark Energy Survey (DES) is a 6-year international exploration that STFC took part in. The exploration aimed to better understand the nature of dark energy. An article on the STFC website talks about the concluded research as a new form of exploration. DES Data Management Project Scientist Brian Yanny states, “While DES scientists focus on using it to learn about dark energy, we wanted to enable astronomers to explore these images in new ways, to improve our understanding of the universe” (STFC, 2018).

One essential factor of DES is the Dark Energy Camera (DECam); the instrument used to conduct the survey. With the help of DECam, scientists were able to and are continuing to uncover the nature of dark energy, how it interacts with existing galaxies and the effects it has on the universe. Situated on the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope in the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, South America, DECam took 6 years to build from 2004 to 2010. There is a sense of international unity when it comes to the making of DECam. It was made with specially designed components from five different countries and funded by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, Germany, and Switzerland (The Dark Energy Survey, 2016).

Vivas referred to the image of 250 million stars in the Milky Way Bulge taken by DECam. As seen in figure two, three and five, articles use images captured by DECam to talk about the study, which is how most visual communication regarding DECam exist.

Dark energy as a topic is massive and vague, making it feel overwhelming and intimidating. The “What’s Out There” Exhibition uses bright and colourful visual language to make the subject feel accessible and friendly, attracting the target audience. Eric Rohter, a Norway based designer, shows a prime example of creating children-friendly branding with his identity for the World Children’s Festival, using easy shapes and sweet colours which may make Rohter’s design seem naive. However, Rohter mentions wanting to give children their unique ownership over his designs by allowing children to doodle on top of them (Fulleylove, 2015). Rohter stresses how creativity can bring together communities to explore collaboratively.

The pocket provocation piece takes inspiration from the ideology of Papier Machine, a Do-It-Yourself electric book created by designer trio Agnes Agullo, Raphaël Pluvinage and Marion Pinaffo. The intended aim of Papier Machine, as mentioned by Agullo, was to “show electronics in a singular and accessible way” (Brewer, 2018). Through similar principles, the Space Goggle’s intended aim is for the user to visualize dark mass through creating and playing, making the concept easier to grasp.

The purpose of the project is to make dark energy data accessible to a younger audience. The friendliness of the brand identity proves to be appropriate for the target audience. Between the risograph poster, the abstract data telescope, the Space Goggles, and the “What’s Out There” Exhibition, it is evident the project has accomplished piquing questions rather than answer answers about the unknown. There is cohesion in the flow of the project, the aim to spark curiosity present in every decision made. Objectively, the concept of the project can be considered successful as it uses design to translate data in a way that would be digestible to an audience that does not currently engage with the data.

The project uses outcomes of a great variety that takes the form of something as small as a poster to a life-size space exhibition. Although extensive exploration has gone into testing and prototyping the Space Goggles, refinement of the “What's Out There” Exhibition would be necessary to bring the concept to practice. Research to back up the specifications of the exhibition is crucial; the types of lights or the size of the installations in relation to humans, to name a few. This project can excite children to wonder what is out there and show how a small discovery has the potential of being a catalyst for new developments of the ever-growing universe. Everything boils down to one thing, to inspire children to explore.