Stairway Mural Design for WPP Campus
The WPP head office in Mumbai, housing prominent advertising and design agencies such as Ogilvy, JWT, Grey, Landor, and Fitch among others, spans 9 floors. To enhance the visual appeal of the stairway, we embarked on a series of paintings as part of a mural project.
Given the diverse nature of the building's occupants, we decided to focus on hand-painted signages as the central element of our design. Hand-painted signages have long been regarded as a fundamental form of visual communication and advertising. In alignment with the BAY99 branding, we conceptualised 20 Circular Units to be dispersed across all 9 floors, ranging in diameter from 2 feet to 8 feet.
We intentionally introduced elements of urban decay and natural wear to these signages, reflecting the context of Mumbai and India.
Each circular unit corresponds to the respective floor number and features a visual directly or indirectly linked to it. Smaller circles display the floor number in a richly detailed, colourful pop-art sign painter style, rendered in an Indian script. Larger circles exhibit a blend of neutral and saturated colours, depicting objects, symbols, and vehicles inspired by the local visual language prevalent in the urban landscape of Bombay. These objects and symbols are associated with communication, gestures, devices, products, wall-painted advertisements, and even symbols of good luck.
Team Bombay Duck Designs:
Ashutosh Dhanawade, Zeenat Kulavoor, Sameer Kulavoor, Dnyanesh Patale, Bhavesh Bhonde, and Guru.
2019