Whisper Nest Mural
An environmental branding project.
Overview
Whisper Nest was a bar and music venue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was hired before the bar opened to work on the branding and interior design elements. I designed and installed a mural that created a cohesive brand experience for the customers.
Roles
Interior Design, Brand Design
Duration
1 week, 2020
Team
Individual
Branding
Though Whisper Nest's branding didn't rely on a single logo, each appearance of the bar's name built on the brand feeling—warm, cozy, glowing.
Interior
My goal in designing a mural for the interior was to recreate those same brand feelings—warm, cozy, glowing—in a physical space. The client wanted a space that would be comfortable enough to spend lots of time in.
Inspiration
Warm, cozy, glowing—I was getting reminded of the hypnotic glow of a warm oozy lava lamp. A previous art project of mine captured the organic movement of a lava lamp and I suggested that we try something similar. After altering the color palette and the compositional balance, we agreed that this would be the right direction.
Expansion
After a year of the bar's opening, the client wanted to expand the mural to another wall in the bar. We decided to not use the accent colors in the original mural, but kept a detail of interest by embedding the bar's name in the organic shapes as a surprise for anyone interested in looking closely.
Final Product
After the bar opened and started to fill with customers, it created an interesting backdrop for Instagram photos and memories of long nights with friends.
Takeaway
As I saw the many ways that people interacted with my work as they posted photos on social media, I realized that my artwork was a focal point in the memories people made while visiting Whisper Nest.
After a few years of business, Whisper Nest closed and a new bar opened in the same location. The murals were quickly painted over with a plain gray. While I was initially disappointed to see such a large work of art disappear, I've started to appreciate the value of the mural for what it was—it wouldn't have been right for the new bar, since it was carefully tailor-made for Whisper Nest.