I’d like to discuss the subject of engagement as it relates to wall murals. One of the huge benefits of large scale artwork is that it is an attention magnet. In order to take advantage of this, painting murals that make good backdrops and give the subject an easy way to interact with the art are ideal…

3 Ways to Make Your Mural Interactive

1. Provide a hashtag and a way to find and tag the artist. Nothing is more fun than sharing your super cool pose in front of a mural with the artist that painted it. It also allows passers by to learn more about the background of the artwork they walk by every day. And adding a hashtag allows others to see previous photos posted with the art, like a cool chronicle of the mural’s life.

2. Make sure your mural tells the story of the location it sits in. If you are located downtown in a city, using the city’s name gives people a great way to share their trip to San Diego, or otherwise, with friends and family on Instagram. What makes your little corner of the world special? Tell that story through your artwork. I will feature a project I completed for historic downtown Ames, IA below as an example of how you can blend art and marketing seamlessly together in one!

3. Create an intentional place for a pose. I want to clarify, this can be very subtly done. I am not a huge fan of the “wings” murals. In my opinion, they are overdone and too obvious. Not to mention the fact that they only allow for a single person photograph, rather than a group. Make sure your mural is designed with the intention of being a backdrop, without making it cheesy.