Luci Creative
Luci Creative is a privately held, women-owned experience design agency that creates immersive museum exhibitions, corporate brand visitor experiences, and contemplative environments for leading U.S. cultural institutions and enterprise brands. With four U.S. studios and 40+ employees, it serves clients including Amazon, Harley-Davidson, McDonald's, and major science and history museums.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersLincolnwood, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Luci Creative does
Luci Creative is a full-service experience design agency founded in 2011 and headquartered in Lincolnwood, Illinois, with additional studios in Boston (2018), Seattle (2023), and New York (2024). The firm employs more than 40 people and operates as a privately held, women-owned business led by CEO and Principal AJ Goehle, Chief Creative Officer Matthew McNerney, and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Yarashefski. Luci designs immersive museum exhibitions, corporate brand visitor experiences, contemplative environments, and library playspaces, with project sizes ranging from approximately 1,000 to 21,000 square feet. The firm was named one of Crain's Chicago Business' Biggest Women-Owned Businesses of 2023, and Goehle was recognized as one of Blooloop's top 50 museum influencers globally in 2023.
Luci's core offering centers on its proprietary 'Imprint Experiences' methodology, which combines whole-body learning design, multi-sensory engagement (touch, sound, scent), narrative design, and a five-step co-creation process (Abandon, Prepare, Engage, Co-Create, Evaluate) developed for use with both institutional clients and the communities they serve. The firm applies this framework across a portfolio that includes marquee institutional projects such as Carnegie Science Center's Mars: The Next Giant Leap (ASTC Roy L. Shafter Award winner), California Science Center's Game On! Science Sports & Play, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry's Numbers in Nature and 007 Science, National Music Museum, First Division Museum's First in War and Duty First, and the Moonshot Museum; corporate brand work including Amazon HQ2 Visitor Landing and the Harley-Davidson Experience Gallery; library playspaces for Spokane Public Libraries and Santa Clara County Library District; and contemplative spaces such as the Awaken Into Spirit Experience for the Fetzer Institute.
Luci generates revenue through project-based professional services fees for custom-scoped engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed and each engagement is sized to the client's specific needs, budget, and scope. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales targeting museum directors, institutional leadership, and brand executives, supported by thought leadership through industry conferences (AAM, ASTC), a published Insights blog, TEDx and podcast appearances, and earned media in publications such as Blooloop and Event Design Magazine. Primary customer segments are Museums & Cultural Institutions and Corporate Brands, with Public Libraries representing a smaller but growing vertical that has produced documented attendance gains exceeding 20% post-installation versus typical 2% gains from standard facility updates.
Luci Creative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Luci Creative
- Legal name
- Luci Creative
- Website
- https://lucicreative.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Luci Creative is a privately held, women-owned experience design agency that creates immersive museum exhibitions, corporate brand visitor experiences, and contemplative environments for leading U.S. cultural institutions and enterprise brands. With four U.S. studios and 40+ employees, it serves clients including Amazon, Harley-Davidson, McDonald's, and major science and history museums.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Luci Creative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Museum & Brand Experience Design Services
- NAICS
- Interior Design Services (54141), Graphic Design Services (541430)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)
Keywords
Where Luci Creative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lincolnwood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Luci Creative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Museum Planning and Exhibition Design: Project-based fees for designing and producing museum exhibitions, visitor centers, and cultural institution experiences. Engagements include full content development, scenic environments, original film production, graphic programs, and production oversight. Revenue recognized over project lifecycle from planning through installation.
- Brand Experience Design: Custom experience design for corporate brands including visitor landings, brand galleries, and brand environments. Project-based engagements for brands such as Amazon, Harley-Davidson, and McDonald's.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Luci Creative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Luci Creative is a full-service experience design agency that plans, designs, and produces immersive museum exhibitions, corporate brand visitor experiences, and contemplative environments for cultural institutions and major brands. The firm provides end-to-end services including content development, scenic environments, original film production, graphic programs, artifact case design, and production oversight for projects ranging from 1,000 to 21,000 square feet. Engagements are custom-scoped project-based services sold directly to museums, corporations, libraries, and cultural institutions.
Product overview
Luci Creative is an experience design firm that designs immersive museum exhibitions, brand visitor experiences, and contemplative spaces. The company operates as a studio offering project-based design services rather than a software product platform. Their portfolio includes space exploration exhibitions (Mars: The Next Giant Leap, Moonshot Museum), science museums (Game On! at California Science Center, Numbers in Nature), corporate experiences (Amazon Visitor Landing, Harley-Davidson Experience Gallery), military history exhibitions (First in War, Duty First), music institutions (National Music Museum), and contemplative spaces (Awaken Into Spirit Experience). Projects range from 1,000 SF to 21,000 SF and have won industry awards including the ASTC Roy L. Shafter Award and Event Design Magazine's Best Museum Environment Silver Award.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Museum Exhibition Design Full-service design of immersive museum exhibitions ranging from 1,000 to 21,000 SF, including content development, scenic environments, original film production, graphic programs, artifact case design, and production oversight. For museums, science centers, history museums, Holocaust museums, music museums, and war memorials.
- Museum Master Planning Strategic planning services for museums and cultural institutions, including facility programming, content strategy, and exhibit planning roadmaps. Used by institutions such as the Adams Presidential Center, Boston Holocaust Museum, National Women's History Museum, and National World War I Museum and Memorial.
- Corporate Brand Experience Design Custom experience design for corporate brands including visitor landings, brand galleries, and employee/customer-facing environments. For enterprise clients such as Amazon (HQ2 Visitor Landing), Harley-Davidson (Experience Gallery), McDonald's, and John Deere.
- Contemplative Environment Design Design of contemplative environments and reflective spaces, such as the Awaken Into Spirit Experience for the Fetzer Institute, featuring central installations with handwritten visitor reflections.
- Library Playspace and Experience Design Design of immersive children's playspaces and intergenerational library environments featuring original characters, climbing structures, net reading nooks, and literacy-rich installations. For public library systems such as Spokane Public Libraries and Santa Clara County Library District, where attendance increased by over 20%.
Quantifiable outcome
- Attendance increases of over 20% at libraries following Luci-designed playspace installations (vs. typical 2% gains from standard updates)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Luci Creative
Customer profileNamed customers25 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Luci Creative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Luci Creative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ravenswood StudiocorePrimary production and fabrication partner across the majority of Luci's museum and brand projects. Credited on USGA Experience & World Golf Hall of Fame, Game On! (California Science Center), First in War, Moonshot Museum, National Music Museum, Harley-Davidson Experience Gallery, Publishing House Experience, 007 Science, Numbers in Nature, and Duty First exhibitions.
- RLMGcoreMedia and experience design partner featured on USGA Experience & World Golf Hall of Fame, Moonshot Museum, and Mars: The Next Giant Leap projects. Specializes in interactive media, audio-visual experiences, and exhibit technology.
- ElectrosoniccoreAV and technology integration partner on USGA Experience & World Golf Hall of Fame, Game On!, Mars: The Next Giant Leap, and National Music Museum projects. Provides audio-visual systems and technical infrastructure for immersive experiences.
- Northern Light ProductionscoreOriginal film production partner credited on First in War (five original films), Duty First, and National Music Museum projects. Specializes in documentary and exhibit film content.
- Kubik MaltbieminorExhibit fabrication and installation partner on USGA Experience & World Golf Hall of Fame.
- Hadley ExhibitsminorExhibit fabrication partner on USGA Experience & World Golf Hall of Fame.
- Zubatkin Owner's RepresentationminorOwner's representation partner on USGA Experience & World Golf Hall of Fame, providing project oversight and management.
- Chicago Scenic StudiosminorScenic fabrication partner on Amazon Visitor Landing at HQ2.
- EON ProductionscoreCo-development partner with the Ian Fleming Foundation on 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry — the first official exhibition to explore real science behind the Bond franchise, with access to 13 vehicles, 90+ original objects, and production materials.
- Ian Fleming FoundationcoreCo-development partner with EON Productions on 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond, providing historical materials and authenticity.
- NikeminorSport research and equipment partner on Game On! Science, Sports & Play, providing the Nike Sport Research Lab and access to real athlete data and research tools.
- LA84 FoundationminorYouth sports nonprofit connecting Game On! to Los Angeles' broader sports ecosystem.
- Los Angeles Dodgers FoundationminorMLB foundation connecting Game On! to LA sports community and youth programming.
- AstroboticcorePittsburgh space company building lunar landers, featured in the 'Pittsburgh in Space' section of the Mars: The Next Giant Leap exhibit and connected to the Moonshot Museum.
- Griffin Museum of Science and IndustrycoreLong-term institutional partner with multiple major exhibitions: Numbers in Nature: A Mirror Maze (8,000 SF), 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond (15,400 SF).
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Luci Creative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA): Long-established leader in museum planning and exhibition design with a global footprint. Directly comparable: comparable museum clients, similar project-based fees, and competing for the same institutional RFPs that Luci is winning, including Smithsonian-affiliated work.
- ESI Design: Experience design firm specializing in immersive environments, museum interactives, and brand experiences. Directly comparable: parallel museum planning and interactive media practice, similar client roster of cultural institutions and corporate brands.
- Local Projects: Experience design studio known for narrative-driven, interactive museum installations such as the 9/11 Memorial Museum and Storycorps. Direct peer: same problem space (museum interactives, brand experience), same target buyers (museum directors and brand executives), highly competitive for similar projects.
- Gallagher & Associates: Museum planning, interpretation, and design firm working with cultural institutions worldwide. Direct peer: same project lifecycle from master planning through fabrication oversight, competing for the same institutional and federal museum contracts.
- Thinc Design: Boutique experience design firm focused on museums, visitor centers, and branded environments. Direct peer: comparable scope, project size (1,000–20,000+ SF engagements), and pursuit of similar cultural-institution RFPs.
- Mather & Co: Museum and visitor experience designer known for narrative-led, immersive installations for cultural institutions and corporate visitors. Direct peer: similar core competency in interpretive exhibition design and visitor experience strategy.
Broad incumbents
- Pentagram: Largest independent design firm with practice areas spanning graphic, brand, environmental, and exhibition work. Broad incumbent: Luci's Creative Director Michelle Reeb joined from Pentagram; the firm competes with Luci for brand experience work while operating at much larger scale.
- Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with a sizable experience and brand-environment practice. Broad incumbent: competes for the corporate visitor experience and brand environment engagements that Luci serves (e.g., Amazon HQ2 partnership work), with much larger staffing and global reach.
Regional players
- Haley Sharpe Design: UK-based museum, heritage, and visitor experience design firm. Regional peer: offers a tightly comparable museum and exhibition design service but operates primarily in the UK and EMEA markets rather than North America.
Emerging players
- Ideum: Interactive exhibit and software firm producing touch-table and immersive installations for museums. Emerging player: overlaps with Luci on tactile and digital interactives and could partner with or compete against Luci for the technology-heavy components of museum projects.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Luci Creative social profiles
Digital presenceLuci Creative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Luci Creative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Luci Creative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Luci Creative M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Luci Creative
What does Luci Creative do?
Luci Creative is a full-service experience design agency that plans, designs, and produces immersive museum exhibitions, corporate brand visitor experiences, and contemplative environments for cultural institutions and major brands. The firm provides end-to-end services including content development, scenic environments, original film production, graphic programs, artifact case design, and production oversight for projects ranging from 1,000 to 21,000 square feet. Engagements are custom-scoped project-based services sold directly to museums, corporations, libraries, and cultural institutions.
Is Luci Creative a public or private company?
Luci Creative is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Luci Creative founded?
Luci Creative was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Luci Creative based?
Luci Creative is headquartered in Lincolnwood, United States, in the North America region.
How does Luci Creative make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Museum Planning and Exhibition Design is the primary driver. The others are brand Experience Design.
Who are Luci Creative's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), ESI Design, Local Projects, Gallagher & Associates, Thinc Design and Mather & Co. Broad incumbents are Pentagram and Gensler. Haley Sharpe Design is listed as a regional player. Ideum is listed as an emerging player.
Does Luci Creative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Luci Creative.
What industry is Luci Creative in?
Luci Creative's product category is Museum & Brand Experience Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAL, Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design, with a secondary code of MPAAAAAA, Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies. Its NAICS code is 54141 and its SIC code is 7311.