What Your Business Can Learn From NYC’s Mural Scene

New York City is a travel destination I like to prioritize every other year or so. Never on business (yet), but always for pleasure. There is always way too much to accomplish in a week’s time, so multiple trips are really  necessary to get the most out of each big city experience. The same goes for the city’s inexhaustible public artwork.

You know by now that I am a muralist who works exclusively with businesses to create custom artwork tied back to their brand, so I am always on the hunt for the fresh design and mural inspiration to bring back to my work. There was plenty of public art on exterior buildings and interiors to geek out on. I’m here to share the most relevant works that I think will inspire business owners and creatives who are looking for the right inspiration for that blank wall that needs a special something.

#1 Original Artwork

Let’s talk first about artwork that feels tied to a personal perspective rather than a marketing tool. Public art that represents a community, an individual experience, or an emotion is vital to a community’s health. This is art for art’s sake, which is so important for bringing about life and culture in a concrete jungle like NYC.

Artwork by @iamfinley located in DUMBO district in collaboration with Colossal Media.

From my position at the time, I couldn’t locate a name of the artist or a title of the piece, but with some quick googling I found out this piece is by @iamfinley. (This is a lesson to us all that before we repost artwork on the internet, finding credits is always a quick reverse google image search away!)

This tessellated (an artistic style reminiscent of Cubist work, making up a larger image with smaller, abstracted polygon shapes) artwork shows a lover’s kiss upon closer inspection. From a distance, it may look more like a lovely pattern of shapes and colors. I am digging the jewel-toned pops of colors to delineate the shapes of their faces, glimpses of torsos and arms, and the multi-colored strands of hair of this intimate portrait. I almost missed this artwork, as I was walking past the building in the opposite direction, but I am grateful I happened to turn around.

This work feels passionate and rich, bringing so much life to the aged brick wall and by extension all the buildings around it. It takes a drab industrial walk to more interesting places and makes this side street in Brooklyn a sight-seeing destination in its own right. 

Further along in my walk in the DUMBO district of Brooklyn, I came across more artwork by Finley. 

Artwork by @iamfinley located in DUMBO district

This artwork and the previous artwork were created again by Finley in collaboration with a media and advertising company called Collossal Media who specialize in commercial hand-painted murals specifically specializing in advertising (we love to see it!). Finley explores graphic, bold patterns within silhouettes of octopi and reimagines the square niches in the building to be bodies of water. 

This is a great example of using the canvas to determine the direction of the design. Finley clearly put much thought into how they would integrate the existing building structure to inform their composition. These creatures feel other worldly and they are a joy to walk beside, especially because the artwork itself has organic directional movement.

So what can businesses learn from integrating original artwork into their exteriors or interiors?

Supporting original art by lending interior or exterior walls to an artist’s original expressions shows a commitment to adding to the culture and beautification of your neighborhood and community. The bonus? A unique and memorable feature of your establishment.

#2 Hand-Painted Signage

Next, let’s discuss another unique feature of NYC public artwork: hand-painted signage as a means of marketing and advertising.

Hand-painted mural signage by Colossal Media located in DUMBO District.

Colossal Media also sports a skillfully painted mural advertisement directly across from Finley’s artwork. Again, this company champions the importance and versatility of hand-painted advertisements and murals versus mass-produced printed advertising materials. Here’s what they say about themselves on their website:

Colossal Media is a hand-painted advertising and signage company. They offer a premium design service and photorealistic painting of your advertisement in large-scale on extremely valuable advertising locations all throughout the world.

This high level of craftsmanship is a joy to watch unfold as a bystander, and also an extremely innovative approach to applying advertising on an unlimited range of surfaces that are inaccessible to billboards, vinyl, and other traditional signage.

If you’re unfamiliar with the practice, it is very common to see advertising campaigns for major brands implement hand-painted photo realistic signage of their graphics and photography throughout NYC on the exterior of buildings. The process and anticipation of a skilled muralist slowly bringing the artwork to life creates more attention for the ad, and the larger than life size of the work magnified by the texture of the building behind it beautifies the community and attracts attention for the length of the campaign. Often, these beautifully crafted photorealistic ads only run for a season before they are painted over and refreshed with new advertising!

So what can businesses learn from professionally hand-painted signage?

The craftsmanship of hand-painted signage adds intrigue throughout the process of painting (which also allows an opportunity for social media content if you document the process). Hand-painted signage also allows you the flexibility to apply artwork to surfaces not available to traditional signage, like billboards, vinyl, or acrylic signs. Bonus: hand-painted work possesses a charm that printed work simply can’t replicate.

#3 Branded Murals

Let’s talk about smaller businesses utilizing branded murals to transform their space. When I last visited in 2019, I fell in love with this artist coalition and flea market located in several locations throughout NYC’s Chelsea, SoHo and Brooklyn buroughs, called Artists & Fleas. 

On my last trip circa 2019, the bold red staircase and strong branding design tied throughout the space inspired me enough to take a snapshot of the entrance at Chelsea Market. Again in 2023, I felt moved to document the same spot again, but only realized the mural was brand new when I looked back on previous photos. This was so exciting, because it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase the impact a branded mural can have on your environment. Check the before and after:

Left image taken in 2019, right image taken in 2023.

What a game changer, right? This mural is heavily informed by their logo and existing brand identity, from the ampersand drawn straight from the primary logo, to the color palette they’ve been using for at least three years. This is called brand cohesion, where a brand uses consistency and repetition of their brand design elements to create a memorable and unique identity that will always be unique to them. 

Now, this entrance to the flea market is much bolder and more visible from inside the busy food hall, while still honoring the mood they are trying to create within their space. Beautifully executed!

So what can businesses learn from branded murals?

From a branding designer’s perspective, this is the ideal approach to mural artwork that a business can hope for their interior or exterior walls. Branded murals take the time to incorporate brand elements, color palettes, and design direction that aligns with the goals for the business and the environment where the artwork will live. When designed and executed thoughtfully, branded murals will create a cohesive and memorable environment that appeals directly to your ideal audience. When searching for the right muralist, look for an artist who specializes in branded murals.

Finally, let’s end with another public artwork executed during the pandemic by several artists. This is a canvas with a backdrop you might just recognize: the World Trade Center.

The canvas hosting the street art is actually just a metal structure that covers the heating and cooling systems for the actual World Trade Center building. Using eye-sore structures as opportunities for artwork is such a clever choice for businesses looking to make impactful use of all areas of their property. There are multiple artists featured on this building, but the front-facing mural pictured above was created by Eduardo Kobra. If you look closely, you’ll notice five representations of women. The artist says the work is meant to depict women from five continents to represent the need for a more feminine planet. 

By associating the artwork with the World Trade Center and its sensitive history, we give deeper meaning to all of the artwork surrounding it, one that I interpret as light and hopeful for a vibrant future.

NYC is a cultural hub and often the birthplace for movements like public artwork to trickle down into other parts of the nation and the world. I am so grateful to see the city continually uplift public art for art’s sake, as well as partner with muralists and skilled painters to showcase hand-painted advertisements and signage. Even the smallest businesses know that creating a memorable atmosphere and environment on their interiors and exteriors could be the key to standing out in a sea, no, an ocean, of similar businesses.

What’s the bottom line about all these murals, Kelci?

If New York City businesses can do it, you can too! Look around your available spaces, both inside and out and ask yourself if your business could majorly benefit from original artwork, custom branded artwork or hand-painted signage. And on that note, how might enhancing your interior or exterior surfaces with public artwork on your building enhance your community? I work with businesses across the US to assess if a custom branded mural is the right fit for them and I’d love to help you too! 

Ready to chat about a mural or sign-painting project for your business? Head to the inquiry form here:

To view more inspiration for murals and artwork for your space, follow me on Pinterest and check out this mural inspiration board!