Environmental Graphics? What, like painted trees?

Too often, when we bring up the term environmental graphics, clients look at us with the old ‘what the hell are you talking about’ expression. Well strap on your seat belts, we’re about to take a wild ride on the large format graphics train.

Wikipedia refers to Environmental Graphic Design as, “the profession embracing many design disciplines including graphic design, architecture, industrial design and landscape architecture. Practitioners in this field are concerned with the visual aspects of wayfinding, communicating identity and brands, information design, and shaping a sense of place.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself, but of course I’ve got a few things to add using layman’s terms. Environmental graphics have the ability of transforming any setting into an informative, mind-blowing advertisement… or at least they can depending on how risqué the client wants to get. Whether you’re looking to advertise on your store front, or take an outdoor branding campaign to new heights with building size graphics, the array of materials available today gives you endless possibilities.

We recently completed a set of window graphics and building banners for the City of Tempe’s new parking garage. The new structure not only offers some much needed parking to the Mill Ave. area, it boasts 12,000 square feet of office and retail space. Our job was to create a campaign that not only met city code for exterior signage, but presented information in a clean and highly visible manner. Needless to say, we nailed it.

And window graphics are just the tip of the iceberg. Environmental graphics most commonly show their face in windows, on buildings or a variety of other outdoor applications, but most don’t realize their extensive capabilities indoor as well.

Currently the hottest trends in environmental graphics, digitally printed wall murals and floor graphics can be applied to any flat, non porous surface. Looking to cover a portion of the floor, or an entire hallway? No problem. 3M adhesive vinyls make any project feasible no matter the scope.

Probably the coolest thing about printed wall murals, besides their ability to be fully customizable, is their flexibility allowing the graphic to take on the texture of the surface to which it’s being applied. Take a look at an example we did for the City of Scottsdale (that’s not paint people).

So whether you’re looking for a new way to communicate your brand’s message, direct customers through your store, or just make a wall look absolutely killer… give environmental graphics a shot. I assure you, they won’t disappoint.