Let's face it, nobody wants their business to be generic. Every business's ultimate goal is to stand out in often over-crowded industries and be a product or service provider with something unique to offer. Just as it's important to have this unique offering, it's equally important to have your place of business stand out; visually appealing office spaces have more of an impact on passers-by than their bland counterparts.
Every business relies on signage to be successful, whether it be a cafe, sporting store, or even a bank. Without good signage, passers-by are less likely to notice a business, so it's vital to not only have signage that is highly visible, but which stands out and is memorable.
Most businesses rely solely on general signage, which includes window prints, vinyl graphics, printed signs, and router cut lettering. These options are extremely common, leaving little room to stand out in the crowd. These types of signage also come with the cost of extensive repair work, due to the usage of screws, glue, or nails to attach them to the building's exterior, causing unsightly damage should they ever need to be removed.
Fortunately, common, generic signage methods are not your only option when it comes to branding and marketing. We believe that having a custom wall mural is a fantastic and unique way to increase the visibility and identification of your business.
To provide a working example of this, let’s use a veterinarian clinic.
This vet clinic has a main road presence in a prime location. While general signage can alert drivers to the clinic, it's sometimes hard to differentiate between the vet clinic and neighbouring businesses. If a business's signage is not clear it can create not only an inconvenience, but a road hazard for drivers who have to slow down, check maps, and search for street numbers. Instead, this clinic can take advantage of its large open wall and great location - imagine the visibility of a custom-designed, beautifully handcrafted, detailed piece of artwork on their building. Imagine a large, colourful portrait of a cute dog, or a collage of fuzzy friends beaming at passers-by.
With this approach, the vet clinic now becomes highly visible and unique, which allows for easier identification and encourages foot-traffic. The result is an engaging atmosphere for whoever may be driving, riding or walking past the business. This can lead to increased exposure through social media platforms and word of mouth as people share photos of the mural and discuss it with others.
From the example above, you can see how beneficial a custom wall mural can be when looking to brand or market your business. The visual impact of a unique piece of wall art offers a step up on local competition's generic signage.
Remember, if you're paying for a building, you're paying for a blank canvas. So, why not use this as a tool to start engaging with the community and bring in new customers!
People love different and engaging atmospheres - use this to your advantage!
(Above: A public wall mural in the detailing phase of the painting process. You can read more about the artwork in our portfolio.)
—
The wall mural painting process begins with an initial consultation. This consultation serves to identify what the client’s vision and goals are for their mural, inspect the area where the mural is to be painted, and come up with a suitable budget.
After the initial consultation, our talented artists create a digital design based on the client’s requirements, taking into account time and budget constraints, themes, colours, and the size of the wall. Once complete, the design is sent to the client for approval before painting preparation can begin.
We use specialty artists’ acrylic enamel for our wall murals. The acrylic paints are colour matched as closely as possible to the approved design, using a colour chart or printed copy of the design.
Depending on the condition of the wall it may need to be cleaned. This could be as simple as giving it a quick wash with sugar soap or, for much grimier concrete and brick walls, they may need washing using a high-pressure water jet.
Some walls may also require sanding, specifically colourbond or sheet metal surfaces, due to their shiny coating. Sanding helps to roughen up the surface and allows the undercoat to bond correctly. Without sanding, there is a risk that the paint may peel or flake off.
To ensure the site is left in its original condition, we take the appropriate time to tape and mask around the working area. This can include covering the ground with fabric drop sheets and, if necessary, using drop sheets to cover countertops, tables, or anything which cannot be removed from the area during painting.
We use a high-quality masking tape which ensures no glue residue is left behind and that the original paint remains untouched.
Most walls require a primer or undercoat. This not only helps the adhesion of the paint, but also provides longevity to the mural. We use a high-quality undercoat to prevent reactions with the acrylic enamel spray paint.
Once the wall has been properly washed, primed, and protected, it is ready for the mural to be painted. We mark out the wall drawing on the work-space using a grid system to ensure the mural is proportionate and matches the approved artwork.
Once the artwork has been marked out, we begin adding outlines, creating the shape and overall appearance of the design, matching the artwork as closely as possible.
After the outlines have been painted, we begin adding in the detail and bringing the mural to life. This process involves adding layers of colour to create the shapes which make up the imagery of the design. The detailing step is the longest part of the mural painting process, but also the most visual, and rewarding.
When the mural is finished, we check over the entire wall to ensure the artwork matches as closely as possible to the original design, and check that the wall has remained clean.
(Above: Anti Graffiti Coatings protect your walls from unsightly tagging, allowing it to be easily, quickly, and cheaply cleaned off.)
—
If you’ve looked into having an outdoor wall mural painted, you’ve likely had concerns about the artwork being vandalized. Not only is graffiti and tagging unsightly, and difficult to remove, it can also cause serious damage to your custom painted wall mural.
Thankfully, there’s now an easy way to combat this. We offer a variety of anti graffiti coatings, ranging from affordable single pack anti graffiti clear coats, to the even more effective two-pack coats.
(Above: Local business Knox Vet Clinic has gained social media attention thanks to passers-by posing for photos with their new custom wall mural located on the exterior wall of their practice. You can read more about the artwork in our portfolio.)
—
If you’re looking for new ways to grow your business, expand your reach, and attract new customers to your growing fanbase, it may be worth investing in a custom wall mural.
Whether indoor or outdoor, custom wall murals, such as the ones we create at Graphic Enhancement, have the power to expand your business in a whole new way. With the potential for social media attention, as well as their ability to completely change the vibe of your business space, a custom wall mural can only benefit your business.
Here are seven reasons why we believe your business will benefit from its own custom wall mural…
When potential customers walk by a strip of cafe’s and eateries, there are numerous factors which contribute to their decision to stop and enter a particular store. One important factor is the atmosphere.
A unique business with an eye-catching custom wall mural will undoubtedly stand out from the rest. Indoor murals can create a talking point for customers, while outdoor murals attract passers-by, who are then inclined to check out your interior.
If you offer a service and want to stand out from the competition, a custom wall mural is a great way to do so.
Wall murals are a great way to show off what your business has to offer using art. Spice up your pizza shop with pizza-topping covered walls, paint coffee beans across the front of your cafe counter or create an entire visual menu directly onto your walls. Whether you specialise in selling coffee, kebabs or even craft brewed beer – the sky is the limit!
Custom artwork can also help to attract a certain audience. Show off Jazz Night at your live music venue with a portrait of a jazz player, advertise your used-car dealership with a portrait of your favourite classic vehicle.
