St George’s, University of London is the UK’s only university dedicated to medical and health sciences education, training and research.
Background
St George's, University of London shares its campus with St George's Hospital — it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals. They share the main site with connecting wings. The main thoroughfare between the two entities is an 18-meter long hallway. The space has a low ceiling, narrow width, and classroom and closet doorways on one side. The opposite side of the hallway is one very long white wall.
The Challange
St George's wanted to brighten the passageway and visually brand the area as the transition into the university's space. The space experiences significant traffic flow and gets exceptionally busy at key times of the day. The tight space experiences gurneys, backpacks, wheelchairs, and trolleys scuffing up against the wall and leaving marks. In observing the space in action, it became clear that any full-scale wall graphic would soon be scratched and battered from use.
As such, it was decided that the main mural would utilise a "shoulder and above" approach that would minimize the chance of the artwork being negatively impacted by the traffic. A second mural was placed on a wall between classroom doors that was not impacted negatively by scuffing issues.
Both murals promote key medical motifs and themes of the university in a bright and lively manner. They uses the core St George's colour palette of blues and official typeface to keep on brand. Organs, DNA, lab equipment, global health, science research, medical equipment, and education are all showcased in strong, eye-catching hues.
The history and alumni connections of St George's are also highlighted in the mural:
1) Blossom the cow was used by Edward Jenner (the father of immunology) to develop the smallpox vaccination; and
2) Grey's Anatomy textbook was written by Henry Gray and illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter.
The murals have been very well received and have brought a new awareness of the university's presence, importance and impact to the space.
