Craig Yamey is a graphic designer with years of experience creating bespoke designs and custom ranges for museums and cultural organisations. His work includes collaborations with the British Library, Royal Museums Greenwich, and Museum of London.
Collaborating with Retail Design & Visual Merchandising Consultant Arantxa Garcia, Craig has created a fun retro-inspired range to celebrate our major exhibition SURF! at National Maritime Museum Cornwall. It’s a vibrant collection that perfectly captures the joyful spirit of the exhibition and waveriding culture!
Learn more about Craig’s creative process and the inspiration behind the SURF! range:
How did your journey as a graphic designer begin?
My love of graphic design definitely comes from my father, Mervyn. He had the most meticulous handwriting, and from a young age, he sparked my passion for letterforms. He kept drawers full of rubdown transfer lettering in all kinds of funky 70’s fonts, and I would add the lettering to my own designs. My dad sold photocopiers in the ’80s, and when colour copiers first came out, he’d let me tag along to the office to play around with them. I’d feed in my own drawings and photos, twist the colours, add weird effects—it felt like magic at the time and was probably my first taste of experimenting with mechanical image making. I’ve been sketching, taking photos, and filling scrapbooks with doodles and hand lettering for as long as I can remember. As a teenager I knew I wanted to do something creative as a career but I didn’t fully understand the nuances of graphic design until my art foundation course at Central Saint Martins. I’ve always been drawn to logos and letterforms, but the graphics module on the course blew me away with its experimental, almost art-like approach—and I was hooked from that moment on.
That passion took me to Brighton University, where I completed my Graphic Design degree in 1995. It was such an exciting time to be learning the craft. We were working in a very hands-on, approach—cutting and photocopying, hand drawing type, screen printing, and using letterpress. I didn’t go near a Mac until the final term. The best part of my 3 years at Brighton was sharing the building with students from other degrees—product design, fine art, illustration, ceramics and textiles. Being surrounded by so many different approaches really shaped the way I worked, and we were encouraged to experiment with lots of different media.
After Brighton, I went on to do a Masters at Central Saint Martins, where I focused on creating typefaces using photographic techniques. Once again, it was an incredibly experimental environment, and I loved being able to dive into different departments—letterpress, screen printing, photography—mixing it all up and working in a really multidisciplinary way. I then spent eight years working for small design studios, creating a wide range of work including brochures, packaging, posters, T-shirts and illustrations.
After spending eight years working for other companies, I felt it was time to embark on my own venture. That’s how MUSEO DESIGN came to life. Having always been passionate about visiting museums and galleries, and inspired by the art-driven products in their shops, I carved out a wonderful niche creating bespoke collections for museum retailers. It became the perfect blend of everything I love: product design, illustration, repeat patterns and typography. The business grew quite organically. As buyers moved on to new museums, they kept commissioning my work. Within the first three years, I built an extensive portfolio of museum projects, collaborating with amazing people. Clients included Houses of Parliament, the British Library, Westminster Abbey, and the Science Museum. Even after 20 years, I get a real buzz whenever I see someone wearing a bag or T-shirt featuring one of my designs.
What elements of working with museums and cultural organisations do you enjoy most or find most inspiring?
The most inspiring aspect about working with museums and cultural sector is the sheer range of subject matters and aesthetics that I engage with. I love working in a variety of design styles and visual languages ranging from 1950s Americana to dark Victorian Gothic illustrations, and from whimsical Alice in Wonderland repeat patterns to bill posters for Shakespeare’s plays. Each exhibition has its own story and audience, which means every project demands a unique approach. I particularly enjoy the research and development stage—sometimes it’s creating mood boards while other times it requires a deeper delve into historical narratives, discovering unusual details to weave into the design.
The museum work allows me to connect with history and different cultures, in ways I don’t often experience in my other design work. To be given access to a museum’s archive is a real privilege. What also excites me is the collaborative nature of the cultural sector. Buyers, commissioners, and merchandisers have a strong vision for what they want, and I enjoy the challenge of interpreting those nuances and transforming them into designs that resonate with audiences and jump off the shelf. In a world where so much graphic design exists purely in a digital realm, one of the greatest joys of working with museum shops, is seeing my designs on physical products in a tangible space.
The shop designed by Arantxia Garcia (Exhibeo VM) for the SURF! exhibition goes beyond the typical retail experience. It perfectly channels that nostalgic, retro surfboard vibe, and seeing my work elevated in such an environment is truly an honor. The shop serves as an extension of the exhibition, and I love seeing the joy people experience when they buy or gift my work.
How did the exhibition plans inspire your designs, and where else did you find inspiration?
When I started working on the three ranges for SURF! I was provided with loads of amazing source material from the exhibition—old photos, posters, magazine covers, stickers and badges. I was immediately drawn in by the playful, fun motifs featured on some of the stickers—palm trees, sandy footprints, waves, and sunshine. This inspired the creation of the “PALM TREE” range, featuring loose, hand-drawn silhouettes brought to life through the exhibition’s signature colour palette. The colours have a distinctly retro feel, capturing that vibrant 80s/90s vibe that I adore.
I also love all the hand drawn character art. It is full of personality. The Gorilla and “Surf Insight” typography is so bold and playful and the long-haired Surfer Dude from the Outer Limits Surfboard logo brought a trippy, psychedelic touch. I knew characters like these, reimagined with a retro twist, would make for a really fun, commercial range. Alongside the source material I was provided, I put together two moodboards—one centered on retro surfing typography and the other on imagery and colour palettes.
There’s something so charming about how many of the original graphics were hand-drawn, almost DIY. That’s the feeling I wanted to capture—nostalgic, laid back and full of good vibes. The SURF! range has a really distinct visual aesthetic that feels right at home in the world of surf culture.
How does this collection fit within your creative portfolio?
Outside of MUESO DESIGN I’ve spent years painting highly stylized characters and faces, including large-scale pieces in street art but despite 20 years in museum design, I have never had the opportunity to create a retro character— until now! So this has been a dream job.
I love the current trend of reimagining old advertising mascots and turning everyday objects—like coffee cups, pizza slices, and surfboards—into fun 50s-style characters. This range was my first time exploring the theme of surf culture which created an exciting shift for me. A lot of my museum projects are rooted in historical imagery and motifs so it was really refreshing to design something that not only celebrates surfing history in Cornwall but also feels right at home alongside youth culture brands. I love how the designs are popular with kids and adults alike.
Do you have a favourite design (or surf character) from this range?
My favourite character from the range has to be the blue surfboard throwing up the Shaka. I decked him out with some black-and-white checkered boardshorts for that classic 80s surf board vibe. I love how the design stays subtle on the T-shirt chest and then pops big on the reverse. This little guy just radiates happy summer vibes, ready to ride the waves.
