Space For Everyone – How We Made the Mural
- 26th Jan 2024
- Author: Elliott Langley - Marketing Administrator
As we close in towards the end of January, I want to take a closer look at our brand-new Space for Everyone mural that was decorated by our team this week.
On Monday 22 January we closed the doors to the National Space Centre and dedicated a day solely to staff training and development. From Quality Standards and providing exceptional customer service, to how to make the perfect cup of coffee, our staff members received a full day of training opportunities, team building and fun activities. Of course, we did miss seeing our visitors getting excited about space with us, but it is important that we occasionally take time to focus on our teams and ensure that the service we provide is to the highest standard possible.
But perhaps most exciting was the installation of a new piece of wall art in our welcome hall that loudly and proudly communicates our core philosophy: Space for Everyone.
A Warm Welcome For Everyone
As I mentioned all the way back in the first Our Space post, we've made it our mission to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to get excited about space. Our Space For Everyone mural makes it clear from the moment that you set foot in the building that everyone is welcome and that there is something for you at the National Space Centre.
Measuring over 5 metres in length, the Space For Everyone wall graphic was created by our in-house Design team as part of our ongoing commitment to making our values more visible. We worked with our friends at QQD Design & Print, who helped us to find the best material for the job and printed the graphic for us. Part of our organisation's buying policy is to work with and support local independent businessess, so their 40+ years of expertise and commitment to quality have seen us working together many times over the years.
We settled on good old foamex in the end, as this is easy to affix to walls and also good for absorbing ink. Once the wall graphic was in place, it was time to get creative! Our Design team took the lead and ran sessions throughout the closure day, guiding staff through colouring in the letters of the mural and the many diverse characters that decorate them.
Ingrid, Becca and Michelle took some time to talk me about how it went and what it was like creating the Space For Everyone mural.
Designing the Mural
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me! So how did you come up with the Space For Everyone design?
Ingrid [Lead Designer]: Well we came up with the design as a team. Our brief requested a mural which celebrated our organisational values and the Space for Everyone theme, which could be then painted by all of us at the National Space Centre. The final concept used our love for typography and the team's amazing skills at character development and illustration.
Becca [Graphic Designer]: We wanted to tell a story of how the people who work at the National Space Centre make Space for Everyone, and make the Centre what it is – so decided it would be illustration and typography based to allow for drawn characters.
And where did you find your inspiration?
Ingrid: We found inspiration in both staff and visitor experiences. The mural tells the story of a visitor finding their passion for space thanks to their experiences in the Centre over the years. It celebrates the contributions of every single person in our organisation towards this goal.
Becca: You can see how the characters interact with the girl through the letters to the end where she becomes an astronaut.
What does Space For Everyone mean to you?
Ingrid: It means that everyone has the potential to seek a career in the space industry, no matter what they look like or where they come from. This has a particularly special meaning for me as a Designer; I have always had a passion for space, and being able to use my visual communication skills for science education has always been my dream job.
Becca: And this doesn’t have to be science related, which is shown by all the different staff roles in the mural... including myself as a Designer!
Was this a collaborative project or did one of you take the lead?
Ingrid: I guided the concept and sketched the overall idea, then handed the project over to Michelle and Becca who created the amazing characters and illustrations.
Michelle [Graphic Designer]: We split the tasks between us – two people drew the figures, someone else drew up the linework, and on the day we were all there to help direct our artists and make sure everyone had a chance to get involved.
Was there anything in particular that you took into consideration when you came up with the design?
Ingrid: We looked at the teams that comprise the Centre and made sure we represented different roles - especially those who are behind the scenes. We also considered characters that aimed to represent the diversity present in the Centre and in our audience.
Michelle: It was important for us to include lots of different professions in the figures we drew. Often a few glamorous or public-facing jobs get more of the spotlight – with space it’s usually astronauts! – but it takes lots of people working quietly behind the scenes to make those big moments possible. Without staff doing the vital jobs of fixing, cleaning, invoicing, printing and planning, the National Space Centre wouldn’t be the great place it is.
What do you hope the mural communicates to our visitors?
Ingrid: We hope it communicates our values as an organisation, inspire them to learn more about space, and let them know there's a place for everyone.
Michelle: I hope the mural communicates the human side of science. Behind every jaw-dropping equation and shiny new spacecraft are hundreds of passionate, funny, curious people, just like you!
You're too kind! So what was it like on the day with our staff?
Ingrid: It was a really nice experience! We got to see people's creative skills and styles. We also found out Michelle had a knack for giving instructions to large groups of people (we also learnt that this might be from her days as a Lifeguard). Some described it as a therapeutic experience as they zoned in, others kept coming back to paint after their session had finished.
I'd like to make a special mention of:
- The grandma's striped leggings and neck tattoo
- The character that got described as "Weird Barbie" for her random colour patterns and added features.
- The section which, by a random twist of fate, was filled in by all 4 members of NSC Creative present on the day in different sessions.
- The cow print pattern on the final E, which made Becca very, very happy.
- The drawings of a cat, a famous cartoon character (that we had to draw over!) and some dubious-looking tadpoles, which caused controversy but also a warm feeling in my heart.
Becca: I do love the space cow print. People came back at the end of the day to see what people had added to their colouring and to try and do more!
Michelle: It was a really fun day and everyone got stuck in. At the end of the day some people came back because they wanted to do more colouring. They just didn’t want to leave. One of the managers had to shoo us away from the wall so they could lock up the building!
Are any of the characters based on real people?
Ingrid: We purposely avoided drawing specific members of staff, as there are so many of us and we didn't want to leave anyone out! We opted for representing roles instead. There are rumours of one of the characters looking like a certain Curator, but that's all I'm going to say on the matter.
Michelle: Most of the characters combine traits and features from members of the difference departments. It might be a hairstyle, or a pose that somebody often does.
Were there any suprises on the day? Anything go horribly wrong?
Becca: People seemed to opt for more patterns than I was expecting!
Michelle: We did have to quickly figure out how to direct large groups of people so that everyone got a turn.
Ingrid: Nothing really went wrong. We had a a moment where we thought we might have run out of ink, but a couple of nice people from our Marketing team went out on an adventure to pick up some fun, chunky paint pens, which the team loved - so a big big thank you for this.
It was our pleasure, we love an adventure in Marketing. So to wrap up, what do you all think of the final result?
Ingrid: I'm really happy with it! Both the process and the end result, it was a pleasure to see it get painted throughout the day, with so many different styles and personalities. Every detail, pattern, stroke, smudge and quirky addition makes it a unique piece that can't be replicated.
Becca: I think it’s a nice piece that shows off the different personalities of the staff that work at the National Space Centre and who make it what it is. It’s nice to have something made by all the teams who might not often work together normally.
Michelle: I think it looks great! You can see everyone’s different ideas and drawing styles, and their choices of colour and patterns. There’s a lot of individuality, all combined together to make the final design.
