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The Making of a Billboard

If you are a Charlottesville local, it is likely you have wandered through IX Art Park; an artistic wonderland of murals, paintings, sculptures, events, concerts, and more.

We were excited to work with the IX Art Park team on promoting their latest project: The Looking Glass. This exhibit, coming in 2020, is an immersive art experience that transports you to an imaginative world. From the moment you walk in the door, you are surrounded by an enchanted forest that is filled with whimsical installations built from the ground up by local artists. 

Our job was to find a creative and functional way to use the IX Art Park garage door to create a promotional billboard for this upcoming exhibit. Here is a peak into our design process and behind the scenes of making The Looking Glass billboard.

Points we had to keep in mind for the billboard:

After some research and brainstorming, we came up with 3 designs that ranged from simple to complex, but all incorporating the key elements the client wanted. They were pleased with all three, but there was a clear favorite they ended up going with for the final display. Here’s a look at the designs we created, why we chose them, and which one the client ultimately chose to be featured at IX Art Park. 

Design #1: The Spiral Concept

This was our simplest design out of the 3 that we felt catered well to the garage. The idea behind this concept was to create a design that naturally drew people in. The spiral gave the effect that you were falling into a window that led to another world. While this design was playful and mysterious, it didn’t fully capture what the exhibit was about.

Design #2: The Branch Concept

In similar fashion to concept #1, this design lead the consumer right to the middle window begging them to peak at the exhibit inside. We added elements from The Looking Glass exhibit itself as a preview of what was to come. This design clearly showcased the vibe of the exhibit, but still lacked an eye catching element that the client wanted.

Design #3: The Caterpillar Concept

Finally, we showed the client the caterpillar concept. This design was based off an iconic caterpillar art piece in the exhibit that we felt was a unique, memorable image that would draw people’s attention. The client ended up choosing this design due to it’s whimsical elements in combination with the iconic caterpillar that stood out against the others. 

We also incorporated a few different pieces from the art exhibit that captures the playful nature of The Looking Glass. It was also important to the client that we made space for cutouts in the billboard. When you walk up to the mural in person you can look in the holes provided to see artists at work and monitor the progression of the exhibit. We incorporated one triangle up above for adults as well as a window on the gnome house for kids to look too.

Final Process

After adding colors, shading, and other decorative elements, the piece was ready for print. The billboard was cut into 15 pieces that would be easily installed into the garage door. It took about 2 hours for the team to install the billboard. In the end, the client was ecstatic with the final display. We had a blast working with IX Art Park on this fun and unique project.

Head over to IX Art Park to see the billboard in person. Don’t forget to peak inside to see the artists at work and follow @weareconvoy and @ixartpark for updates on The Looking Glass exhibit!