UBC Donor Dinner Mural
A longstanding institution like UBC is rich in history. It’s taken many hands and generous donors to help build the city-like campus into what it is today, which is a story worth commemorating.
Industry
Education
Location
Vancouver, Canada
Services
Creative Solutions
Graphic Design
The Project
In preparation for a donor event, UBC came to us with a creative challenge we were more than willing to tackle: create a beautiful, cohesive piece of art featuring nearly 30 locations. They provided the building photos to include, all from different points in time and of varying quality.
The purpose of the art was to chronicle the several chapters in UBC’s story and express gratitude to those who have helped bring it to life. It was a broad ask but a blank canvas, giving us space for creativity and problem solving.
The TWYST
Naturally, you’d think, “Let’s use screens to display the images.” But screens feel technical, and our goal was to facilitate a welcoming atmosphere. After seeing the venue and considering how donors would interact within the space, we unearthed the project’s twyst: long, stretched canvas banners that enveloped the room with warmth and nostalgia.
The Solution
Because the images weren’t ideal for printing, we needed to find a way to make them usable and cohesive. Considering the event’s purpose and the story the artwork intended to tell, we gave each photo a watercolour treatment.
That infused each image with a sense of nostalgia. Every piece evoked the anticipation donors would have felt at each building’s groundbreaking, and the accomplishment at its ribbon-cutting ceremony. When blended together, each painting signified a chapter in UBC’s greater story.
At the event, donors were immediately drawn toward the canvas paintings, which set a warm ambience. Guests slowly wandered around the room, admiring each milestone and reflecting on the awe-inspiring impact of their contributions.
