Murals have been around since ancient times and became especially popular during the Renaissance era. Flash forward a few hundred years, and murals are still a popular art form. The difference is that, now, communities and businesses can take advantage of modern printing techniques to create impressive murals on their building faces without ever needing to get out a paintbrush. If your building has some blank space on the outside, why not transform this surface into an amazing focal point on your street?
What Is an Outdoor Wall Mural?
Wall murals are large visual displays that can cover an entire wall or a large portion of a wall. Traditional murals are hand-painted by artists, making them a time-consuming and costly investment. These aren’t the only kind of wall murals, though. Another popular option is a printed mural. These murals are essentially large decals, either in one uninterrupted piece of material or cut into sections that fit seamlessly together. These decals adhere tightly to a wall, like paint, transforming a plain surface into something dazzling.
The process looks like this: You digitally design your mural, and then a print studio like SpeedPro that can handle large wall mural printing will print your design onto the right media. For an outdoor wall mural, a print studio will use a substrate like polyester or mylar and add the right laminate to protect your mural from the elements. Once your mural is printed, you peel the image away from the backing and carefully press it onto the wall surface, smoothing away any bubbles, so you are left with a beautiful and impactful display.
Benefits of Outdoor Wall
There are plenty of reasons to consider installing a wall mural on the outside of your building. These reasons mainly come down to three big benefits of outdoor wall murals. Murals are:
- High-impact: All types of signage should make an impact, but it’s hard to match the level of impact you get with a wall mural. Generally, the larger the display, the more attention-getting it becomes. Whether walking or driving past, someone is sure to notice a large, colorful display on the front or side of your building. If you can get people to notice, then you can engage them with your mural’s message.
- Attractive: Murals are unique compared to many other signage types in that they are primarily associated with art rather than advertising. For centuries, artists have created murals to add color and beauty to a space. You can dress up a plain, boring building and turn it into a focal point in your community when you install a mural.
- Durable: Durability is important for all outdoor signage. If you want a display to last, it has to be durable. At SpeedPro, our experts know how to choose the right quality substrates and laminates to create murals that can stand up to the elements. You don’t want rain or snow to cause your mural to deteriorate or sunshine to fade the color. With the right materials, outdoor wall murals can last for an impressive length of time.
How to Use Outdoor Wall Murals
Designing an impactful wall mural starts with understanding what sort of impact you want to make. Let’s look at six possible purposes an outdoor wall mural can serve.
1. Raise Brand Awareness
If you want to raise brand awareness and draw attention to your business, you can create a mural that boldly features your branding. The simplest example would be your company’s logo covering an outside wall. Creating a mural of your logo doesn’t require any extra design services, and it can be one of the best ways to increase brand recognition in your community. You can also include other aspects of your branding on a mural, such as your company’s mission statement or values.
2. Highlight Your Company History
Another great way to use a wall mural is to celebrate your company’s history. This works especially well for companies that were founded decades ago. Some businesses use an anniversary, such as 50 years in business, as an opportunity to celebrate their history. You can include photographs from your company’s founding and early years or even create a timeline of accomplishments or milestones that leads up to the present day. Younger companies that want to create a historical mural can highlight the history of their industry rather than their company.
3. Advertise Your Products or Services
You can also use a mural to make people aware of the types of products or services you offer. A furniture store could include some of their most popular chair and sofa designs on their mural, for example. Advertising what you sell or what you do is especially important if your company’s name on its own is nondescript. For example, a catering business called Mary Lee’s could include the word catering and pictures of popular dishes and desserts on a mural so people come to associate the name with the service.
4. Promote an Event
You can also use murals for more temporary purposes, such as to promote an event. This can be a great option for communities that want to highlight a major event like an annual fair or festival. Businesses sponsoring or hosting an event can also use murals to generate interest, weeks or even months in advance. By the time people can purchase tickets or plan to come, they’ll already be well aware of the event and when it’s taking place.
5. Provide a Photo Backdrop
You can also create a wall mural to serve as a photo backdrop for customers who have visited your business or even for people just passing by. Create an attractive backdrop that also features aspects of your branding, either in a subtle way or more overtly. When someone takes a picture and uploads it on social media, they’ll be advertising your business to their friends. You can also include your social media handles or special hashtags on the mural to encourage people to tag your business.
6. Show Community Spirit
Another great option for an outdoor mural design is to put the spotlight on your local community. This can be a fantastic way for a business to endear itself to community members. You could highlight the town’s history through black-and-white photographs, or you could use a map of the town to create an eye-catching display. Businesses should look for ways to include a bit of their own branding on these murals so people know your business is behind the attractive new addition to the area.
Outdoor Wall Murals From SpeedPro
At SpeedPro, we have the cutting-edge equipment and the expertise needed to help you create large-scale outdoor wall murals that will transform the front or side of your building and will make an impression on everyone who passes by. To get started, find a SpeedPro studio near you. Your local SpeedPro team can answer your questions and help you with all your signage and graphics needs.
