Maker park

A digital platform for STREAM education through informal learning and games.

ilmi Science Discovery and Innovation Center, Riyadh (SA), Expected opening in 2025

Architectural rendering of Ilmi Center at sunset, featuring a glowing spherical structure at the center of a landscaped cultural park filled with visitors.

Overview

ilmi is a forthcoming science and innovation center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Spanning 38,000 square meters, it will serve as both a national landmark and a cultural hub for families. The center will feature immersive, hands-on exhibits that promote informal learning across STREAM subjects (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). A complementary digital platform will extend ilmi’s educational mission beyond its physical space and across the country.

  • Daytime view of Ilmi Center showing families and school children walking toward the iconic reflective sphere, surrounded by gardens and flowering trees.
  • Portrait of a young boy smiling in traditional Saudi attire, representing the target audience of the educational initiative.
  • Aerial night rendering of the Ilmi Center lit up against a dark desert landscape, with illuminated pathways and the luminous central sphere at the heart of the design.
  • Front-facing rendering of Ilmi Center at dusk, showing visitors entering the museum through a tunnel-like entrance beneath the glowing orb.

Contribution

I was responsible for the creative direction and strategy behind the digital platform prototype, and I was closely involved in defining the broader Digital Learning strategy for the Center, leading the Accessibility guidelines. The platform is rooted in principles of Informal Learning and Universal Design Learning, it blends storytelling with game mechanics to spark curiosity and self-driven exploration. The experience is designed to accommodate different kinds of preferences and needs, offering multiple ways of learning, from interactive games to hands-on challenges.

  • Colorful 3D illustration of a robot hands holding a smartphone displaying the “Maker Park” gate from the Ilmi app, with gamified learning visuals in the background.
  • 3D illustration of a transparent ruler and compass on an orange circle over a blue background with circular white graphics, symbolizing mathematics.
  • 3D digital illustration of a microchip on a light blue circle over a blue background with circular white graphics, symbolizing technology.
  • Two smartphones display a colorful, hexagonal map-based interface of a virtual learning environment, featuring a cartoon robot character. The robot waves beside the screens, against a vibrant gradient background.
  • Two smartphones show a digital challenge interface with chain reaction instructions. A cheerful robot holds large gold coins and a trophy is seen in the foreground, all set against a colorful background.
  • 3D digital illustration of a green science beaker surrounded by orbital rings, set against a blue background on a yellow circle, symbolizing science.
  • 3D digital illustration of a rocket launching with stylized pink fins and grid texture, set against a green circle on a blue background, symbolizing engineering.
  • Three mobile screens showing different stages of a digital learning activity: defining energy, identifying innovations, and accessing a “Chain Reactions” challenge in the Maker Park.

Key achievements

  • Led creative direction on a pioneering national project
  • Turned STREAM topics into playful, accessible tools
  • Designed for all ages, abilities, and learning styles
  • Worked across an international network of experts
  • Helped define a new vision for informal education in KSA
  • A cheerful robot holds its face in surprise next to a floating game controller and a smartphone showing a colorful hexagonal map interface from the educational platform, all set against a vibrant gradient background.
  • 3D digital illustration of an artist palette with colorful paint blobs and brushes, set on a vibrant pink circle on a blue background, symbolizing arts.
  • Cartoon robot wearing large golden medals, with a glowing electric battery being activated by a tap gesture, set on a blue background with lightning effects.
  • Four mobile screens showing a game on buoyancy and density. A cartoon robot introduces the activity, followed by scenes of ships being loaded in different stages.

Warning!

The final platform is being developed by a local company and will be released in the coming years. Due to NDA constraints, the material shown here is for reference only. Although this was a three-year project, I am unable to showcase the full work.

  • Continuation of the buoyancy game interface showing increasing cargo being loaded onto a ship, total score display with weight values, and a success screen with three stars and a robot avatar.
  • Cartoon robot with dizzy expression and stars orbiting its head, illustrating confusion or information overload, set on a bright blue background.
  • Cartoon robot wearing a green jersey with the number 1, cheerfully raising a golden trophy with confetti falling around, celebrating a game achievement on a bright blue background.
  • A colorful isometric map made of hexagonal tiles showing various interactive stations, including a robot character at the center and icons such as a trophy, camera, and film reel, representing different educational activities.
Are you curious?
Watch the teaser!
3D rendering of a stylized camera lens gripped by a pink robotic hand with yellow and blue wrist, representing a recording or video function.

Credits

Role: Creative Director | Strategist
Employer: IJsfontein
Client: Misk Foundation
Photography: Unsplash
Renders: Provided by client
Mockups & video: IJsfontein

© All rights reserved to IJsfontein

Explore the next project or drop me a message.
Get in touch! Children using a multi-user touchscreen to uncover virtual artifacts in a digging-themed game, while parents look on, in a gallery designed to simulate a layered archaeological dig site.

Awarded

Family Exhibits

National Museum of Qatar, Doha (QA)