Step inside a Promega booth and leave the ordinary behind. Here, science sparks creativity, sustainability is woven into every detail, and discovery isn’t just something you see—it’s something you feel.
Where It Started
Our branded trade show booth started as a single piece of art designed by David Goodsell, a computational biology professor at Scripps Research. Renowned for his vibrant watercolor paintings, Goodsell brings the intricate world of biology to life—capturing its crowded, complex structures and processes in stunning detail.
In 2016, we partnered with Goodsell to illustrate our flagship products, commissioning a series of draft images that depict The Central Dogma: The foundation of life and what we do as a life science company. The final image extends the boundaries to show a larger portion of the nucleus while also including mRNA splicing, RNA transport through the nuclear pore, and membrane-bound ribosomes.
Bringing the Booth to Life
Since launching our Central Dogma design, we’ve used its power to connect with the scientific community and introduce customers to Promega in a meaningful way. Our latest booth transformation started with a t-shirt and fiberfill pillow collection drive, emphasizing reuse and sustainability through employee-donated materials. Partnering with Silver Needle Sewing, a small business in Madison, WI, Hagens and her team collectively cut over 8,000 circles and carefully dyed each one to match our design.
Each dyed circle was stuffed with fiberfill and crafted into circles, dying each one to match our design. These dyed pieces were then carefully stuffed with fiberfill, shaped into three dimensional forms, and then thoughtfully sewn onto the fabric, bringing the Central Dogma artwork to life in a tactile, immersive experience.
Beyond the seamstress work, we’ve incorporated several other eco-friendly elements into the design. The booth wall, sourced from Molo Design Limited, is crafted from non-toxic, flame-retardant, 100% recyclable paper that is both strong and portable. For lighting, over 7,000 repurposed microcentrifuge tubes were used to create striking tabletop lamps and pendant lights. The flooring, made from recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate), gives discarded plastics—like water bottles—a second life. This durable, stain-resistant material not only strengthens the fibers for longevity but is also easily recyclable, making it a smart and sustainable choice.
Beyond the Booth
In addition to our trade show booth design, we feature Goodsell’s work on our kit packaging, Helix™ freezers, Lab Sets made with LEGO elements, and swirling across our home web page. The design continues to find new interpretations, appearing on t-shirts gifted to students at various scientific events.
As we continue to incorporate this design into the Promega brand, we aim to harness the unique power of visual storytelling. From genomics to protein expression to cellular analysis, Goodsell’s landscape invites you to marvel at life’s intricacies and the groundbreaking efforts to understand them.
Science, art, and sustainability don’t have to exist separately—they can enhance each other in meaningful ways. Through our new trade show booth design, we’ve created a space that educates, inspires, and challenges the way we think about scientific communication. More than just a design, it represents our dedication to scientific discovery and our commitment to fostering innovation through creativity and sustainability.
Did you know that in addition to reflecting our love of art and science, we designed our kit packaging to reduce carbon emissions? It’s part of our commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility efforts that benefit our planet, people, communities and products. Learn more about our award-winning sustainable packaging design.
Riley Bell
Latest posts by Riley Bell (see all)
- Bringing Science to Life: How Art and Sustainability Shape Our New Trade Show Booth Design - March 31, 2025
- Genetic Symphonies: Building Hox of Life - December 17, 2024
- Exploring the World Through the Promega and Eppendorf Family Exchange Program - November 19, 2024
