Murals have long stood as a powerful form of artistic expression, capable of turning the quiet architecture of a blank wall into a vibrant canvas. We are ecstatic to see this within the walls of our own institution, and watch our students be the ones to bring these canvases to life. Within RMCAD’s 2024 Summer B Experience Design class, four students worked to inspire others using the hallways of our Rude campus building, while simultaneously showing off RMCAD’s campus culture and student life. Students Matthew Fulton, Andrew Garcia, Deonte Hill, and Tim Smith Yusef made up the class alongside Professor Leah Chutz. Fulton, Yusef, and Professor Chutz were able to sit down and discuss the details behind the mural’s design and final creation.
The Beginning: Developing the Concept
At RMCAD, the Experience Design class is focused around designing for spatial and environmental user experience and user interface (UX/UI). This process involves methodologies that are very similar to UX/UI design for website and mobile app development and design, but with very different deliverables. With human centered design at its core, the team began creating journey maps and interviewing fellow RMCAD students.
Understanding the Project Goals
Professor Chutz shared, “Before we interviewed people, we created journey maps, similar to creating a user persona, where we create a ‘fake’ person who would potentially use the Rude building. So we all created different students to see how they would interact with it and what they would like to see.” These journey maps were used to see the person’s thoughts, feelings, needs, and wants as they move through the building itself, giving the team a better understanding of the direction their work should take.
Alongside the student interviews, the journey maps helped the team to determine what the community felt surrounding the current Rude design and what they wanted the community to get out of the future murals. Many of their interviews came from first year RMCAD students who had classes within the Rude building in an attempt to reach students with fresh eyes and new perspectives.
The Creative Process: Designing the Mural
The team’s interviews and journey maps showed that students wanted to see more color throughout the building, as well as more highlighted student work. Additionally, some students expressed occasionally getting lost within the building and asking for clear directional signage. Thus, these factors guided the team into their brainstorming process.
Although each aspect was built in collaboration, the team found it most efficient to start by dividing up the sections of the building, and then work together to refine these ideas and execute them. Yusef was tasked with the wayfinding (the building’s signage) and the hallway on the lower level, Fulton was tasked with the bathroom doors, and Garcia and Hill were tasked with the entryway.
Sketching and Refining Ideas
Fulton began his process by taking inspiration from the Epic building’s design, graphics that had been completed through a previous year’s Experience Design class. He felt it was not only appropriate to keep the consistency across campus, but to connect the two buildings and create a larger sense of unity.
Yusef’s hallway and wayfinding designs were inspired by Massimo Vignelli, one of the great minds behind the New York City Subway signage designs. He wanted his designs to express creativity yet remain clear and understandable, while also allowing for students’ work to be highlighted. “My design wasn’t meant to be anything crazy, so it wouldn’t distract from the student artwork,” Yusef noted.
Selecting Colors and Materials
The class created moodboards that helped them narrow down their color and design choices, and in coming together, ultimately landed on the greens, oranges, and yellows that now make up the building. “Everyone felt good about their section of the building they were working on, but also everyone was very receptive to feedback and collaboration, which was incredibly helpful for this project,” said Professor Chutz.
The Execution: Bringing the Mural to Life
They then dove into the process of combining their ideas and drawing their mockups. They used photos they had taken to visualize their ideas in photoshop which helped to understand scale. “We wanted to make it fun, but also function in a way that makes sense to the users,” said Professor Chutz.
Overcoming Challenges
For the majority of the team, this was their first experience laying vinyl and using paint in order to create the mural, so they encountered several learning curves along the way. At first, the tape they used was not properly sticking to the walls, and this process had to be restarted with new tape before they could begin painting.
The painting itself was a very meticulous process. The coatings had to be painted over several times in order to achieve their desired colors and sharp outlines. Additionally, the lettering on the wayfinding required particular care when placing to make sure it was properly aligned.
The Final Process
When entering the building, you are greeted with the RMCAD mural on one side and a plain green wall with frames on the other. This green backdrop was meant to leave room for RMCAD students’ artwork to truly shine within the entryway as well as the lower level hallway. These particular frames that were used are permanently affixed to the wall with the ability to open and switch out the artwork that lives inside, a similar feature to that of the Epic building.
The Finished Product
Fulton and Yusef expressed their excitement for how the completed design was executed. They felt the color helped to bring the building to life and achieve the desired effect that students expressed within their initial interviews. Similarly, they were pleased with their design choices that allowed the student work being showcased within the building to truly shine. Yusef stated, “Professor Chutz really made the class. Most professors might not have let us be as ambitious as we were.”
Yusef described how exciting it is to work on a piece that gets to live on a building for years to come, and that he hopes to continue to do similar work after he graduates. Fulton shared, “I like doing it all, logos, books, murals, etc. I came to RMCAD with the intent of learning and doing as much as I can and I feel like we succeeded in redesigning the space for the purposes of the people that use it.”
Leaving Their Mark
The journey of transforming the Rude building interior was a long process that combined artistic vision with productive teamwork and perseverance. From imagination to completion, each step presented valuable lessons in imagination and design. Whether working on a large-scale campus or an individual piece of artwork, the skills and knowledge gained from the process are invaluable.
Ready To Make Your Impact On The RMCAD Campus?
Both artistry and practical design play a central role within user based graphic design. At Rocky Mountain College for Art + Design, we imbue our students with a range of technical and artistic skills to suit your interests and professional goals. Learn more about our on-campus and online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design Program where you can explore your passions, or request more information and apply today!
Many of the quotes in this story have been edited for brevity and clarity by the author, but retain the significance and purpose of the original speaker.
