JUST KEEP GROWING
Client: Athena Fitness and Wellness
Athena Fitness and Wellness is woman-owned, women-focused gym in Olympia, Washington. I was hired to create a mural for their group fitness room which holds space for a wide variety of classes. It was important the message and energy of this mural appealed to high energy classes, as well as low vibe classes, like yoga; all while aligning with Athena's brand.
Discovery
In my initial meeting with Athena I asked if they had a specific design in mind. They lovingly said "do whatever you want". Don't get me wrong, I love a project with endless possibilities and am comfortable working with unknowns but sometimes no guidelines can be overwhelming. I knew, in this case, it was up to me to create the parameters for this project.
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If they didn't know what they wanted, I needed to understand what they didn't want. I asked questions around how much brand representation they wanted in the mural and if there were any phrases they had in mind. These probing questions allowed me to get clarity and structure around my approach.
Creative Brief
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Growth mindset phrase
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Body positive culture
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Brand / logo representation not needed in the mural.
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Stay away from helmets, spears, shields etc.
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Energy of mural needs to appeal to high energy classes, as well as relaxing classes and workshops.
Big Questions
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How much brand representation do you want to see in this mural?
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What type of activities will be happening in this room?
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How might we create a visual piece that inspires and energizes a wide demographic while remaining on brand?
Research
Whenever and wherever I travel, I deliberately find local murals and street art - it's baked into every one of my travel itineraries. I love the accessibility and inclusiveness of street art and how it's there for anyone and everyone to enjoy. Needless to say, my research on murals is ongoing and endless so when I began my work with Athena, I had a library of inspiration - from artists and instagram famous muralists.
Concept Development
Athena's brand is all about empowerment and positivity. Keeping this in mind, I dug into a bunch of quotes, trying to zero in on something that was concise and applicable to various classes with different energies.
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Once I had a couple solid quotes, I took it to paper to play around with how the words could play together. Hand-rendered typography and murals is the newest skill I've added to my design and brand tool belt, so honestly - this project was a bit intimidating. Nonetheless, I applied what I knew and iterated until the art was ready for digital rendering.
Design and Installation
Once the design was approved by Athena, I headed to the hardware story with my trusty companion to choose choose final paint colors for final approval (from my client, not my dog)!
Installation:
For this project, I pulled in my partner and son to assist with tracing and painting. Including my family in the process brought me a lot of joy. We started with a prefunc dance video and completed the work in one day.
Results
The Athena mural has been a great addition to the fitness space! Not only does add substance to the space, it also serves as a backdrop for selfies and group shots for social media.
