Smithsonian Businesses 



Office of Public Affairs 



A Smithsonian Frog Lab, a piece of An Nouveau glass, a 

 CD-ROM on American art — each says something to the 

 consumer about the Smithsonian's mission as a leading 

 research and educational institution. In turn, merchandise 

 like this — sold in museum shops, through the Smithsonian 

 Catalogue, or in retail stores through licensing 

 agreements — generates revenue that is critical to the 

 Institution's financial base and benefits its many programs, 

 including research. 



This year, Smithsonian Museum Shop sales exceeded 

 $56 million, a 9 percent increase over fiscal year 1997. 

 Exhibition-related shops remained popular, especially at the 

 National Air and Space Museum, where "Star Wars: The 

 Magic of Myth" inspired the most successful temporary shop 

 ever. The "Jewels of Lalique" shop in the International 

 Gallery featured glass jewelry and giftware from Lalique and 

 an assortment of products that reflected Rene Lalique's 

 influence in an and nature. 



The Smithsonian Catalogue enjoyed record sales of nearly 

 $35 million, a 10 percent increase over last fiscal year. In 

 April, the Catalogue opened its new 125,000-square-foot 

 fulfillment center near Dulles Airport in Chantilly, Virginia. 

 Sales resulting from the mailing of 18 million catalogues last 

 year overwhelmed the capacity of the previous, much smaller, 

 location. With the move, the Catalogue plans to increase the 

 number of packages shipped annually from 442,000 to 

 740,000. 



The new facility is home to the Catalogue's call center, as 

 well as purchasing, accounting, human resources, information 

 systems, shipping, teceiving, and inventory control 

 operations. The large inventory of holiday ornaments, 

 neckties, furniture, and other items inspired by Smithsonian 

 collections is received and processed there and then shipped to 

 customers around the world. 



licensing agreements also help fund research initiatives. In 

 1998, more than 65 percent of the available royalties revenue 

 went to collection or programmatic endeavors, including 

 research. As a result of the revenue-sharing system, for example, 

 the Smithsonian Institution Libraries supplemented its 

 General Support Endowment, which addresses the Libraries' 

 needs and strengthens its capacicy as an accessible tesearch 

 resource. 



Some of the children's retail products developed by 

 licensees reflect the Smithsonian's position as a leading 

 research institution. With the Smithsonian Anatomy Lab and 

 the Smithsonian Frog Lab, for example, young scientists 

 explore anatomical systems and their interacrion with their 

 environments. The labs, sold in stores throughout North 

 America, were created by Product Development and 

 Licensing and Natural Science Industries in conjunction with 

 the National Museum of Natural History's Department of 

 Anthropology and the National Zoological Park's 

 Department of Pathology. 



This year, Director of Communications David J. Umansky 

 and staff in the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) began 

 implementing the Secretary's new visual identity program, 

 designed by Ivan Chermayeff of Chermayeff & Geismar in 

 New York City. The foundation of the program is a new logo, 

 used with a sunburst symbol, that links the Smithsonian 

 name with each museum, research institute, and office. 



A major effort in implementing the visual identity was the 

 preparation, printing, and distribution of the Smithsonian 

 Design Guidelines, which governs use of the logo by staff and 

 outside designers and printers. By the end of the fiscal year, 

 the new identity was in place on many Smithsonian products, 

 including stationery, Web sites, brochures, and reports. 



A public service ad campaign put the Smithsonian in the 

 public eye this yeat. The ad featured Larry Fuente's colorful 

 Game Fish, from the Renwick Gallery's collection, with the 

 line "Ever wonder who decides what the Smithsonian keeps?" 

 It ran in TV Guide, Latina, the New Yorker, Eile Decor, and 

 other magazines in free space provided to nonprofit 

 organizations such as the Smithsonian. The ad received the 

 Addy 98 Citation of Excellence from the Advertising Club of 

 Washington, D.C. 



Extensive media coverage followed the announcement of 

 a three-year conservation project for the Star-Spangled 

 Banner. The project is part of the White House 

 Millennium Council's Save America's Treasures initiative, 

 launched at the National Museum of American History 

 on July 13 by President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary 

 Rodham Clinton. OPA handled all media for the event and 

 videotaped the ceremony. 



OPA produced a 16-minute video for television news 

 producers with exterior views of the museums and the 

 National Mall, as well as shots of famous artifacts, including 

 the Star-Spangled Banner. The staff also developed and 

 produced a seven-minute film about education at the 

 Smithsonian to be used by the Office of Membership and 

 Development and other offices. 



Two brochures in OPA's Resources series were updated this 

 year: Native American Resources at the Smithsonian and African 

 and African American Resources at the Smithsonian. The 

 brochures are intended for teachers, students, and researchers 

 interested in exploring Smithsonian collections, databases, 

 publications, and othet resources. 



OPA also reestablished a full-time staff position this year to 

 publicize and promote research at the Institution. 



A Unified Visual Identity for the Smithsonian 



The Smithsonian's first logo, in 1847, was James Smithson's 

 profile. Symbols of enlightenment followed: a globe and 

 torches of knowledge in the late nineteenth century and then, 

 in 1966, the sunburst. Over the years, the museums, research 

 institutes, and offices developed their own visual identities. 



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