Color Factory

Group of five young people wearing colorful bucket hats with smiley face patches, smiling and having fun.
A collection of colorful children's accessories on a peach background, including striped socks with smiley faces, an orange hat with a smiley face patch, a rainbow-patterned bag, a water bottle holder, and another bag with bright geometric colors.

INSPIRATION

Color Factory is an immersive museum dedicated to the joy of color: part interactive art installation, part playground for the senses. Originally launched as a pop-up in San Francisco, the concept quickly gained a devoted following and expanded to permanent locations in New York, Houston, and Chicago.

From the beginning, Color Factory has relied on Whitestone to help translate its bold, playful, and highly Instagrammable identity into tangible products. Over the years, we’ve partnered on retail merchandise, giveaways, experiential activations, and custom uniforms, ensuring every touchpoint reflects the vibrancy of the brand.

Client
Color Factory

Year
2019 – Present

A woman with long blonde hair in a striped long-sleeve shirt and brown overalls touches a rainbow-colored wall inside a vibrant, colorful room with rainbow walls, floor, and ceiling.
Color selector with various fabric or material swatches and a color selector wheel.

PLAN

Our goal has been to create merchandise and apparel that not only looks beautiful but becomes an integral part of the Color Factory experience itself. We approached retail with the vision of designing pieces that function as take-home art–items guests would eagerly use, wear, and display long after their visit. Meanwhile, our staff uniforming needed to seamlessly blend into the vibrant environment while strengthening brand identity through every interaction.

Ten pairs of colorful sunglasses arranged on a white background, in colors including orange, purple, green, red, clear, yellow, teal, blue, brown, and yellow.
Group of six people in colorful outfits celebrating LGBTQ+ pride, holding rainbow flags, in front of a rainbow-striped wall and rainbow bunting.
Enamel pins featuring the Statue of Liberty with sunglasses, displayed on white cards against a pink background.
Three colorful bottle openers with rainbow stripes and smiling face designs on a blue background.

Beyond our core offerings, we developed themed product collections for special activations like Colors in Bloom and Haunted Hues. These seasonal collections allow us to align merchandise with evolving experiences while incorporating city-specific elements that connect each location to its local community.

PRODUCT

Over the years, our work with Color Factory has included:

Outline of a heart connected to circular links in a chain pattern.
A black and white icon of a dashed circle with a small circular cutout at the top, resembling a clock or a gauge.

RETAIL MERCHANDISE: Evergreen items like custom charm bracelets (with location-specific charms), pencils, pinwheels, and color-themed keepsakes designed to delight visitors.

THEMED ACTIVATION PRODUCTS: Limited-run items for seasonal events such as Colors in Bloom and Haunted Hues, including wooden color-blocked accessories, playful giveaways, and immersive in-exhibit props.

Outline of a suit jacket with lapels.
A simple line drawing of round glasses with a thin frame.

UNIFORMING: Branded apparel for staff, thoughtfully designed to complement the museum’s palette while ensuring comfort and wearability. Uniforms became part of the visual storytelling, reinforcing the brand in every guest interaction.

EXPERIENCE GIVING: Items like custom glasses that guests use within the exhibits, blurring the line between merchandise and interactive installation.

Pink T-shirt with pink text listing various fun words including 'PEONIES,' 'BUBBLE GUM,' 'ERASER,' 'HAM,' 'WATERMELON,' 'COTTON CANDY,' 'FLAMINGO,' 'GRAPEFRUIT,' and 'TUTU.'
Woman with long dark hair wearing yellow sunglasses, a white t-shirt with red collar and black text, and blue jeans, standing against a colorful striped wall.

RETAIL MERCHANDISE

Colorful pins and cutouts arranged on a denim surface, including a rainbow circle, a rainbow half-circle, a "Love wins" sign, a hotdog-shaped pin, and a rectangular pin with rainbow stripes.
Black coffee mug with colorful cube pattern and a white circle in the center, on a white marble countertop. In the background, a carton of eggs with three visible eggs, labeled "EGGS," sits nearby.
Holiday craft supplies including colorful paper, stickers, markers, a greeting card with colorful blocks and the words 'merry & bright!', and festive decorations on a red table.
Person holding a blue and white Colorflation crossbody bag with a zipper, wearing a black hoodie with white circular logo.
Four people wearing colorful work overalls, smiling and dancing in front of a plain wall.
Person smiling with blonde hair, wearing a black cap and striped shirt, submerged in a ball pit filled with light blue balls.
A young man with blonde hair wearing a colorful face mask, a light pink hoodie, and a pastel purple cap, standing in front of a colorful background.

UNIFORMS

Two hands pressing large green circular buttons on a mint green wall.

EXPERIENCES & ACTIVATIONS

Three students in pink jumpsuits and face masks posing for a photo in front of black lockers, making peace signs.
Colorful circular paper coasters with various candies and chewing gum placed on top of them on an orange background.

RESULTS

Through a multi-year collaboration, Whitestone has helped Color Factory:

Hand holding a small black card with a design of a martini glass pouring blue dots into a bowl against a blurred blue background.

Our partnership has grown alongside Color Factory itself, from a single pop-up to a multi-city destination, weathering challenges like COVID while continuing to deliver vibrant, memorable merchandise and apparel that keep the magic of Color Factory alive long after guests leave.

Enamel pin of the Statue of Liberty wearing sunglasses and rainbow-striped arrow pin on denim fabric.

  • Establish a cohesive, instantly recognizable merchandise program across all locations.

  • Elevate the guest experience by integrating branded products directly into interactive exhibits.

  • Drive consistent retail sales through evergreen items while generating excitement with seasonal and city-specific launches.

  • Strengthen brand presence through uniforms that align with the creative environment and reinforce the museum’s playful aesthetic.

Color theory circles with various color segments and one white circle with black text reading 'Color Theory'.
A sheet of colorful stickers on a black grid background including a yellow smiley face, a rainbow, a color wheel, a Texas state shape with a smiley face, an ice cream cone, a pink square with text, and other small decorative elements.