From Tots to Teens: Creating Window and Wall Graphics with Children in Mind

Children are highly responsive to the environment around them. Research shows how powerful the use of color is, with red and orange tones making children feel energized and excited, while blue and green hues have a calming effect.

These and other principles of color theory have long been a factor in the design of youth environments. Yet, while the right shade of wall paint can help enhance a setting, there is simply no substitute for what wide-format graphics can do to transform a space.

Reducing Emergency Room Angst

Consider, for example, the work of CR&A Custom, Inc., a full-service Los Angeles-based large-format digital print provider offering design, printing, and installation services to clients nationwide.

Credit: CR&A Custom, Inc.

Recently, CR&A Custom was tapped by White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles to turn a stark, sterile children’s emergency room into a warm, welcoming place for patients. CR&A President Carmen Rad was so moved by the opportunity to help this hospital in an underserved area that she and her team donated their services to the project.

While initially, the hospital and its business partners wanted to incorporate the Disney character, Shrek, into the graphics’ design, Rad advised them otherwise.

“If you are a baby and have never seen Shrek, you could find it really scary,” she says. To ensure the themes, colors, and graphics created were aligned with children’s needs, Rad and her team consulted several stakeholders, including a child psychologist on staff.

“Anything children are exposed to at the hospital has to go through the psychologists,” says Rad. “They wanted a design that was soothing and that would reduce the stress. So, I thought about water.”

Credit: CR&A Custom, Inc.

The finished design featured an ocean-inspired theme, with brightly colored, whimsical fish and other sea life depicted in illustrations.

Material selection was also a top priority when it came time to produce the graphics. “The material we used in that space had to be approved by the hospital,” says Rad. “There is no PVC allowed, for example, because children with spina bifida cannot be exposed to certain compounds within these materials.”

According to Rad, the graphics, produced with an HP Latex 3000 printer on HP PVC-free Durable Smooth Wall Paper, ultimately exceeded GreenGuard Gold and other certifications that the hospital required.

“We have received lots of phone calls on how the graphics affect the environment,” says Rad. “They are achieving the hospital’s goals. The children are able to focus on the graphics — instead of the leg, arm, or other part of the body being treated. And this has had a big impact emotionally.”

Bringing the Animal Kingdom to Life

When Arizona Boardwalk opened its doors in 2016, the family-friendly entertainment venue hired Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Artisan Colour to turn its massive campus into an engaging land of discovery for the children who visit.

Credit: Artisan Colour

Also based in Scottsdale and anchored by the OdySea Aquarium (Arizona’s largest) and its companion exhibit, Butterfly Wonderland, Arizona Boardwalk is home to various shops, restaurants, and other attractions designed to delight and educate.

To set the stage for this popular Arizona destination, Artisan Colour was given a blank canvas — and a host of wide-format projects to produce on its portfolio of printers and finishing devices, including equipment from Canon, Epson, GBC, Geo Knight, HP, and Zünd.

“We helped them start up,” says Aaron Kilby, vice president of sales and marketing for Artisan Colour. “So, we did all their directional signage, along with many other graphics.”

Kilby says the initial project called for several large-format graphics, including signage, exhibit décor, displays, banners, window wraps, and wall graphics. Since then, graphics have been frequently updated to keep the aquarium and butterfly exhibit décor fresh.

“They are constantly having weekend events,” says Kilby. “For these events, they may need an A-frame sign, window wraps, or big banners. We were there the other week wrapping the whole inside of a bird exhibit, making it look like a jungle.”

Credit: Artisan Colour

Kilby says to keep the kids engaged and excited, the more colorful the graphics are, the better. “We have done all kinds of crazy stuff,” he said.  “Floor graphics, for example, and wraps for the insides of the tanks. We recently did a cool wrap where a big lizard was half in the tank, underwater, and half out, climbing out of the tank.”

Artisan Colour also utilizes the outdoor windows throughout the space to create interactive elements for the children. “We install window graphics with little cut-outs for kids to look in and see things,” says Kilby.

Kilby notes that keeping the children safe is a top priority when producing graphics for the aquarium, butterfly exhibit, and other Arizona Boardwalk venues.

“We will place most of the graphics high enough so children are not able to pick them off the wall,” he says. “For metal signage, we round all the corners so kids don’t get caught on them.” A.D.A. requirements must be met as well, Kilby adds.

As with any installation, notes Kilby, it is also essential to choose the right material. “If it is a long-term install, you have to think of the durability of the material — and that they have cleaning crews, in addition to the kids, who will interact with the graphics,” he says.

He adds that the keys to success are to be nimble and do your homework. “They’ll move around their tanks and certain other things when new exhibits pop up,” says Kilby. For a successful install, you need to do a site survey no matter what.”

He adds, “Always listen to your clients, and then help them do the job on a budget. If you are throwing stuff at them, and the cost is way out there, it is a waste of time for everyone.”

Making Therapy Fun and Inviting

For Chicago-based Cushing & Co., creating compelling, dynamic, and well-branded graphics for clients means keeping their missions sharply in focus — especially when a mission involves helping children.

Credit: Cushing

Such was the case recently when Cushing’s Sepia Studios division was called to rebrand and revamp the halls and walls of North Shore Pediatric Therapy in Glenview, Illinois, a youth clinic delivering occupational therapy, speech therapy, and other services to children facing the hardships of a disability.

The goal of the redesigned environment was to brand the exterior of the building with graphics and imagery that reflected both its core services and its patient base — a diverse group of children of all ethnicities, genders, and ages — and to create private interior spaces, infused with natural light, and conducive to learning overall.

“It was an interesting challenge,” says Amanda Eich, design director for Sepia Studios. “There was a lot of glass, and they wanted it to have street appeal.” Yet, adds Amanda, the children's privacy had to be factored into the design.

For the exterior window graphics, Sepia Studios initially proposed whimsical images of typical children at play, which would be featured on a frosted glass backdrop to ensure privacy. Client feedback, though, emphasized the importance of speaking to the unique needs of the children they served.

Credit: Cushing

“We chose a nature theme for the design, with cute flowers, and we presented another option to the client that was photo-based,” says Eich. “They went in the photo direction but wanted the images to be a little more real. Holding an apple, for example, is a big deal for some of the kids, or being able to sit on a swing and push themselves.”

Sepia Studios selected new images to help the client realize its vision for the project. The revised design brought in a diverse collection of images that depicted children playing with blocks, interacting with speech therapists, and doing other activities the clinic’s patients were there to master. These images sent just the right message of inclusion, support, and confidence that the clinic’s staff envisioned.

To design and produce the graphics, Sepia Studios relied on its internal staff, along with its in-house production resources, which today include prepress, printing, and finishing equipment from Canon, Epilog, Epson, Graphtec, HP, Vanguard, Vision, WideTek, and Zünd. Installing the graphics required both internal and external teams.

The resulting environment was so effective that the client decided to team up with Sepia Studios to revitalize other locations throughout its network of clinics. “Environmental graphics for kids is a fun market to be in because there are so many different fields and audiences,” says Eich. “The messaging is so positive, too, and the clients are great.”

Inspiring School Spirit, Mental Health, and Academic Success

Kids today face many pressures academically, socially, and at home. The schools they attend should be safe havens for them. But, for many, the atmosphere and visuals around them are nothing short of depressing.

“We started calling on schools because of the business opportunity,” says Joe Cushing, president of Cushing & Co. “Ten years ago, we mailed out a book to athletic directors focused on school spirit because that is a big, big piece that brings schools together.”

Credit: Cushing

While the outreach's initial goal was to drive excitement around sports, other school administrators soon began asking for Cushing & Co. services.

“People were excited,” says Cushing. “We have since received assignments where, for example, we installed images of the Constitution, saying welcome to the history department – and musical notes. Welcome to the school of music.”

Adds Cushing, these graphics have helped make students, “at a very precarious age, teens, feel welcome in a place that is there for their well-being and for the benefit of education.”

Fortunately, Teri Mascotti, senior director of marketing for The Vomela Companies, adds that administrators of schools, clinics, and other youth venues are realizing the vital role the environment plays in child development.

“There is so much movement toward social and emotional learning and having our children in a safe space where they can quiet their mind and their anxiety,” she says. “We see a lot of hospitals and schools bringing aboard therapists and others who can help children regulate their emotions.”

Accordingly, The Vomela Companies has a division called Visualz that is specifically tasked with supporting educators and public health professionals with resources to promote nutrition, physical movement, and social and emotional wellness.

“Our e-commerce site has products relative to those needs, and the other part of the Visualz offering is designing, producing, and installing environmental graphics in schools and clinics,” she says.

Credit: Cushing

She notes that creating the right setting for children requires a deep dive into who exactly the audience is and what their needs are. “Outside of space considerations, one challenge might be how we would ‘speak’ to elementary school children and upper classmates in a K-12 setting,” says Mascotti. “The design conditions would require two different types of messages or imagery for two different age groups while keeping the main concept, colors, and theme.” She adds that incorporating inspirational images and messages into the graphics can help bridge that gap.

Notes Mascotti, when designing for a specific space, it can be equally important to consider the spaces around it in certain environments. “When we have worked in autism clinics or have done music therapy rooms and hospitals, while we might be asked to look at one 10’x10’ room or area, we try to find out about what is leading to that room because you could be walking down a clinical white hallway, and when you open the doors, there is a completely different impact.”

To ensure these factors are considered, The Vomela Companies takes a consultative approach to client relationships whereby education is critical. While the complexity of the requirements for these installations can make projects complicated, Mascotti notes that there is nothing more rewarding than working with those who work with children.

“There is a passion on both sides,” she says. “You are sitting at a table with people where this is what they do every day, helping kids. And the project brings them so much joy because it will give their kids something powerful and dynamic. So, there’s this energy at the table that you don’t always find in business-to-business projects, and we love providing that.”