Kahlert Youth Media Arts Center
Client
Scope of Work
The Challenge
In the summer of 2020, Spy Hop finished a 10 year mission of building a permanent home. While the 22,000 sq. ft. digital media arts center features award winning architecture, the brutalist design desperately called for some artwork, color, and functional signage before Spy Hop was ready to open the space to creative teens from across the Salt Lake City valley.
My Solution
I was able to work with the Marketing Director to determine a vision for the space that captured Spy Hop's brand and brought vibrancy, creativity, and inspiration. After meeting with a panel of Spy Hop students, we decided that instead of one consistent graphic theme throughout the building, it would be more inclusive and representative of Spy Hop's diverse audience to utilize a variety of art styles. This was exciting, because it challenged me to create illustrations out of my comfort zone and get more experimental with it. I created a variety of mural-scale illustrations that were printed in vinyl and applied to glass and sheetrock walls throughout the building.
Furthermore, I designed all the functional signage, interior and exterior (way-finding, street addresses, etc.), and assisted in strategizing the sign placement to create a logical "user experience". I also created 11 individual donor signs to recognize significant funders of the building. Many of these signs incorporated artwork selected from Spy Hop's robust archive of film premiere and concert posters, as this felt like a great way to recognize Spy Hop's history and legacy in their new home.
