Digital Printing

Massive Message

These handpainted murals and digitally printed supergraphics have one thing in common: They’re BIG.

Published

18 years ago

February 6, 2006

Anya Rao Signs of the Times March 2009 Issue

On occasion, subtlety is the best way to convey a message, but, more often than not, bigger is better. The handpainted murals and digitally printed supergraphics on the following pages showcase extra-large projects that demand attention with their immense size.

On one hand, artists handpainted the giant, permanent murals to tell a story or provoke thought, while blending into their outdoor environments. Contrastingly, digitally printed supergraphics, a temporary promotional medium, also grab the attention of passers-by. Both styles prove that sometimes size matters.

Big News

Hong Kong’s tallest building, Two IFC, received vast window dressing with possibly the world’s largest newspaper. The building wrap on Hong Kong’s new skyscraper, the fifth-tallest building in the world, promotes the launch of the Financial Times Asia edition. Hong Kong companies Mediaedge:cia HK conceived the idea; BrandWrap managed the project, and advertising agency Doremus created the design.

Touted as the first of its kind in Hong Kong, the building wrap used 65,600 ft. of M5550 mesh fabric from Belgian company SIOEN. MegaPrint (Hong Kong) printed the project using NUR Blueboard and NUR Fresco printers and finished using RF seam welding. The massive newspaper was created from 84 panels, each between approximately 41/2 to 143/4 ft. wide and 85 to 300 ft. long.

The wrap, which covers 50 of the building’s 88 floors, was installed by 18 professional climbers from the Australian company Vertigo. The climbers, using 51/2 miles of rope, scaled the building and tied the mesh panels to the building using climbing rope and cable ties. The completed wrap stretches more than 740 ft. from top to bottom. The building’s developers, MTR Corp. Ltd and Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd., also participated in the project.

Driving Up a Wall

Infiniti and Suzuki both made big drives to advertise their vehicles to motorists with colossal advertisements attached to the sides of buildings. Suzuki’s giant 100 x 28 ft. supergraphic graced a Los Angeles building. Vision Graphics (Salt Lake City) produced the ad using MACtac

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