ADAM CHEN



OYSTERS MAKE 
GREAT NEIGHBOUR

Passion Project @ G&A

Scope：
Experience Design, Motion & Concept Development

Goal：
Create an engaging experience that reveals how oysters support New York Harbor and inspire visitors to see them as essential neighbors in the city’s ecosystem.

Team Members & Roles：
Adam Chen — Product Manage / Motion Graphic / Prototyping

Xyla Yixuan Li — Visual Design / UIUX
Cora Wilson — Signage Design
Julia Daser — Creative Technologist 
Cora Wilson — Creative Technologist


Overview

 Oysters make great neighbors is a temporary exhibit at AMNH created in collaboration with the Billion Oyster Project. It uses oysters as a lens to explore how New York Harbor’s ecosystem and identity have evolved over time and how restoration efforts today are shaping its future. Through stories, media, and physical interaction, visitors are invited to reflect on their relationship to the city’s environment.

Concept Development

 Oysters make great neighbors is a temporary exhibit at AMNH created in collaboration with the Billion Oyster Project. It uses oysters as a lens to explore how New York Harbor’s ecosystem and identity have evolved over time and how restoration efforts today are shaping its future. Through stories, media, and physical interaction, visitors are invited to reflect on their relationship to the city’s environment.

Visitor Journey

 The visitor journey guides guests from harbor touchpoints into the AMNH exhibit, where interactive moments reveal NYC’s oyster history, restoration stories, and opportunities for reflection and discovery. We designed this journey for families, students, and curious New Yorkers interested in ecology and hands-on learning.





Design System

 With many younger visitors in our audience, the visual language needed to be engaging and playful while staying rooted in historical storytelling. Our collage-based system—built from textures, cutouts, and layered imagery—creates a tactile, approachable feel connected to the evolution of oyster shells over time.