"How are you, really?" This question was posed by one of my favorite ad campaigns , created by the artist We’re Not Really Strangers and painted by Overall Murals. It's a question that now arises whenever I visit the Bay Area to see my parents in Marin County, where I grew up.  How are you, really, San Francisco? Although I wasn’t born in America, I arrived at SFO from Thailand at just six months old and was raised in San Rafael , a suburb 18 miles north of San Francisco. Despite its reputation as one of the most beautiful places to grow up, it was also boring to a teenager. And in the mid-90s, San Francisco was the epicenter of cool. My friends and I would skip school to ride the bus or hitchhike into the city to get piercings, buy vintage clothes and collect rave flyers. Once we got our own cars, we would either drive to the beach or head to the city to party and find diverse groups of people. When it was time for college, I moved to the University of San Francisco dormitories, where more days were spent getting to know the city. After graduation, I stayed for a couple more years, exploring every neighborhood—even Bayview-Hunters Point —before moving east for grad school. There, I became an annoying Californian in Boston, touting my roots and how much “better” things were in San Francisco. Today, as a New Yorker, I make a point to always land at SFO when visiting my original "home." When I near the airport exit, a deep-seated anxiety overcomes me, hoping the city I hold so dear is doing well. I had never worried about San Francisco until the pandemic hit. It seemed that overnight, the well-known, affluent, techy, sports fan-heavy, historically and naturally beautiful city with a “golden” bridge is now practically considered a third-world country by many, near and far.  The news of San Francisco's downfall spread like a California wildfire. It signaled to the world that San Francisco had been forsaken by those who once enriched and elevated it. Now, it is seen as a city plagued by crime, earning the nickname " Bip City " rife with drug issues (but not in the iconic Haight Street way of the 60s and mid-90s) and overwhelmed by a relentless, belligerent homeless population. Once one of the most posh and expensive places to live, San Francisco has now seen its real estate prices plummet to the lowest levels in years, experiencing the greatest drops in the nation. No one wanted to be here, live here, nor invest here. Since moving to the East Coast in 2005, I have visited San Francisco at least three to five times a year. This includes having my wedding in the city and visits during the pandemic in 2020 and post. Pre-pandemic, the streets were dense with crowds of both Bay locals and tourists. The city was thriving. My business, Overall Murals, was booked solid on every one of our mural walls, from the Marina to SOMA. San Francisco was a lucrative playland, and things could only go up from there.  From 2020 to 2021, the city was hit hard. While it was bleak everywhere, San Francisco was knocked out, landing in the ICU with an unknown discharge date. Downtown San Francisco became a wasteland, with tech and finance professionals opting to work remotely from exotic locales or moving back to their hometowns or somewhere cheaper but still trendy like Austin.  Once somewhat tolerable, the Tenderloin (the TL) became the life source of any travel YouTuber’s “ San Francisco is F’d ” content, scaring potential future tourists for years to come. Those who stayed watched as the world simply lost hope on them.  From my perspective, the dark smoke of the bad news is beginning to clear. I first noticed the blue sky peeking out in 2022, when mega promoter Golden Voice put on the first annual The Portola Music Festival at Pier 80, showcasing worldwide electronic music talent. My husband, a bunch of local friends and I checked it out. That weekend, we found the hotels were fully booked, there was hardly any breathable standing room on BART, downtown restaurants were full of diners past midnight, and the festival was a ton of fun. The two-day concert is returning for its third round this year and sold-out within its first week of ticket sales.  Last summer, after attending a wedding in North Beach, I surprisingly found nearby bars packed and people lining up at the surrounding restaurants. Earlier this year, while touring wallscapes in the Marina District and Cow Hollow there was a noticeable vibrancy; tourists filled the area, making it difficult to find a seat for lunch, even on a late Wednesday afternoon. In February this year, we painted a mural in Union Square for the Lunar New Year, attracting thousands of people celebrating at the parade beneath it.  The sky is definitely becoming clearer in Northern California. In fact, ABC News reported in April 2024 that downtown San Francisco is showing signs of a rebound. Tenancy demands are creeping back up, and companies are expanding their downtown footprints. Earlier this month, on June 2, Skrillex and Fred Again, two huge electronic music producers, played a last-minute sold-out outdoor show at the picturesque Civic Center, drawing 25,000 people to the city’s center. Shortly after that, I noticed a LinkedIn post by Rick Robinson, CEO of PJX, who, after a market ride there, proclaimed, “San Francisco is bouncing back!”.  These events are particularly eye-opening as they demonstrate that the city has not been forgotten as a cultural mecca, which is the foundation for economic development and attracting new residents. Historically, San Francisco has been the financial center of California since the Gold Rush and is associated with Silicon Valley, the Summer of Love and being a trailblazer for social change. Whenever I’m back in "The City", my favorite part is driving across the Golden Gate Bridge. It never fails to awe with its grandeur alongside the oceanside’s natural beauty. The bridge, standing at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, was built during the Great Depression and symbolizes American ingenuity and resolve. A die-hard San Franciscan once described the city to me as akin to the City of Atlantis, a utopia on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea known for its abundance.  But unlike Atlantis, San Francisco has found its way back. It may not be the same as it once was, but what city is? Some of my fondest memories are from here, and I’m excited for my next visit and am optimistic about the city’s future. So, finally, to answer the question: San Francisco is doing well, really.

A long-lasting friendship between two companies has flourished into a spicy collaboration. Cosmic Sass Chili Sauce and Overall Murals have teamed up to create a robust, fresh, magical, and vivid flavor. Our simple ingredients bring out the multi- dimensional flavors that highlight the peppers' fruitiness and depth. This unique taste is best enjoyed when friends gather. That's when the magic happens. Meet the Spicy Duo Meet the spicy duo Angel Saemai and Helen Li, who crossed paths in Boston shortly after college. These two entrepreneurs eventually moved to opposite coasts—Angel to New York and Helen to Los Angeles—where they started their families and businesses.   In 2016, Helen, an architect, and her husband, Leo Lamprides, a trained culinary chef, launched Chinese Laundry Kitchen, a hand-pulled noodle food truck in Highland Park. Their venture was inspired by a curiosity to explore the intersection of diverse cultural backgrounds and culinary influences. Since then, they have launched a successful Dan Dan sauce , now sold nationwide.   Angel and her husband, Dmitry Pankov, founded Overall Murals in 2010. They combined their backgrounds in art and advertising to create a nationwide outdoor advertising and mural painting company.   They decided to merge their talents to celebrate their lifelong friendship—which now includes their spouses and children—and their shared appreciation for creativity and hard work (along with Angel's love for hot sauce). They didn't want to keep all the hot sauce to themselves, so they partnered to release an exciting collaborative sauce called Cosmic Sass.   Released in the summer of 2024, Overall Murals proudly shares this sauce with their friends and partners, ensuring everyone can enjoy it. 1:1 with Angel and Helen How did the two companies/friends meet?   HELEN: Angel and Helen met in Boston shortly after college, and have remained besties ever since.   ANGEL: After Boston, Helen moved to LA and Angel to NY where we met our husbands and business partners. Our hubbies and kids are now also buddies and we never miss any opportunity to take a beach trip as well as an annual camping trip together!   Roots of your company / How and why did you start? ​ HELEN: Chinese Laundry Kitchen was started in 2016 as a food truck fueled by our curiosity to explore the overlay of our different cultural backgrounds and culinary influences.   ANGEL: Overall Murals began in 2010 to fuse the two owner’s backgrounds as well: art and advertising, but on a much larger and public scale.   Why the collaboration?   HELEN: Because we appreciate each other’s creativity. Plus creating with friends is FUN!   ANGEL: We love CLK’s hot sauce and crave it whenever we don’t have any in the fridge. It has quality ingredients, just like the top notch quality we strive for in our own mural work. We didn’t want to hog it all and wanted to share it with our friends and OM’s partners.

In the bustling streets of New York City, amidst the towering skyscrapers and the never-ending rush, a pair of artists whose craft harks back to a bygone era are keeping tradition alive. Meet the Cevallos Brothers, two Ecuadorian-born sign painters who have been gracing the city's storefronts and buildings with their hand painted signs for over four decades. Their story is not just a tale of tradition and perseverance but a unique hero’s journey that stands out in the bustling streets of New York City. Born in Ecuador but raised in Colombia, the Cevallos brothers, Victor, Miguel, and Carlos, discovered their passion for painting at an early age. Surrounded by the vibrant colors of their homeland, they honed their skills through years of practice and dedication, and in 1966, Victor, the oldest brother, opened a sign shop in Bogota. Little did they know that their journey would one day lead them to the streets of New York City, where they would leave an indelible mark on the urban landscape. Just three short years later, in 1969, seeking new opportunities, Victor boldly decided to leave their hometown and immigrate to the United States. Carlos would later join him in 1977. With little more than their talent and a determination to succeed, they arrived in the heart of Manhattan, where they found plenty of work as talented sign painters. It was here, amidst the chaos, that they would begin to forge their legacy. In an age dominated by digital technology and mass production, the Cevallos brothers remain steadfast in their commitment to the traditional art of sign painting. Armed with brushes and paint cans, they meticulously handcraft each sign, infusing it with character and personality that can't be machine-replicated. With Sharpies, paint, and their whimsical illustrations, their work reflects a timeless aesthetic that harkens back to a bygone era. Over the years, the Cevallos brothers have left an indelible mark on countless businesses across New York City, from small mom-and-pop shops to iconic landmarks. We recently became one of those businesses, reaching out to them via Instagram about painting a poster for us, which now hangs in our office. Their signs adorn storefronts, restaurants, and theaters, serving as beacons of artistry in a sea of neon and LED. Despite the ever-changing nature of this city, their work endures the test of time, a true testament to the power of craftsmanship. What sets the Cevallos brothers apart from other sign painters is their unwavering dedication to their craft and the community. As the years pass and the city continues to evolve, the Cevallos brother's presence remains. Their continued success is a touching display of hard work, resilience, and passion. Prime examples of “The American Dream” are a testament to the enduring power of art in an ever-changing world. In an age of digital ephemera, they stand as guardians of a timeless craft, reminding us of the beauty found in the simple act of putting brush to canvas.

A Day In the life It's 6:00 AM. You roll out of bed, rub the gunk out of your eyes and quickly look for yesterday's pants. Smell your t-shirt, hope it doesn't smell too much like yesterday's paint, get ready for the long day outside, and walk out the door. You look for a place to sit on the train. You get lucky. You put your headphones in and escape the 45-minute commute before you find yourself in the heart of SoHo. Then, up the stairs into New York streets, there you are. A mural painter, more specifically, a walldog. And there they are. Your paint crew, in front of a large wallscape in matching paint-covered clothes. You all have one mission, to recreate the 20 x 10 artwork in your hands into a 1,000 sq foot hand painted mural. You have 4-5 days. This is what it takes to be a walldog at Overall Murals. Remember when your teachers would drill into our heads, "Practice makes perfect." Well, we hate to admit it, but those teachers were right. We can only grow as a company if we improve our skill set. We need to pause and reflect on where we are to set intentions on where we want to go. The same applies to our painters. As the New Year rolled in, we (and as many of us do) set goals for ourselves. What are your goals for this year? We'll go first! One of our primary goals is to take our entry-level mural artists and sign painters to the next level through our 2-year Apprenticeship program. We want to leverage the knowledge and wisdom of our most experienced painters and veteran walldogs and implement a process that improves our apprentice's techniques to become successful muralists. When we break down the initial fundamentals of a successful walldog, the most common ones are lettering, graphic application, and managing different blends. Our senior staff worked alongside our production team, where they created a weeklong crash course on teaching and reviewing those fundamentals, starting with our lettering course. LETTERING We formalized a lettering workshop to help our apprentices better understand how to best paint straight lines, smooth circles, and lettering forms in general. They learned the paints consistency and how to apply it with the right paint brush to different wall textures to achieve the desired effect of clean brush strokes. There are a variety of typefaces that can determine what kind of brush our painters will use and their technique. For example, the tiny text at the bottom of advertisements we tend to ignore is mandatories. The text is so small that it requires a single-stroke approach with the tiniest brush. In our workshop, we outlined the little things like this to prepare each painter for different typeface scenarios on the wall. There are many, many, many levels to our lettering workshop. People can spend years just mastering lettering, and we want to invest in our newer painters so in time, they can be masters of their craft. Blending Our painters took a one-day crash course in blending, where they learned about textured blends, vertical blends, and radial blends. You're probably thinking, why all the different options? Well, the product's shape in the artwork can determine which blend achieves the most realistic effect. For example, the blends in a cell phone ad use a linear blend, while a Coca-Cola can use a cylindrical or sphere blend. There are levels to how complex blends can achieve the desired effect. We worked with our painters to orient themselves with a target outcome and provided fundamental techniques to blend so that they knew how to accomplish their goals when we took them to practice in the field. RIGGING Our painters endured a full-day workshop where they learned how to rig a wall. They understood how to create a good plan for rigging, taking into account a variety of variables. They started with a zoomed-out point of view of the whole process and broke down each step before we took each painter through each step a few times. Each painter learned how to pull up gear safely, tie a knot, and assemble a rig. At the end of the class, all the painters attempted the block and tackle rig system, a considerable feat when there are no motors involved, just weights rope and the strength of each individual pulling themselves and the platform they are standing on to reach the murals facade. "It's not just painting a wall." One of our senior painters explained, "There's a whole pre-production before we can even get to the wall and begin painting. So it's essential to get everyone on our team involved in the WHOLE process to Truly appreciate our work. And this is true! The week-long course load developed a level of comfort and camaraderie among our painters. They learned every stage of the process and became comfortable with it before they got to the wall. Through this process, we learned that everyone has a different level of painting experience, teaching methods, and leadership styles. This brings us to our next goal... Sourcing feedback from everyone involved so we can evolve the curriculum and our teachers, leaders, and painters can perform at their highest level. As we keep the tradition of hand painted outdoor advertising alive, we hope you have a better understanding of the work that goes into hand painting each mural. That way, when you see us hanging from a building ten stories up, you can say, "Wow, Overall Murals, you tackled that rig!"

Overall Murals Summer 2023 Swag Box is here! Our deep love for art of every genre and our admiration and fondness for the work of a great many artists is what keeps us excited and inspired. We love the work we do, but we also love the work a lot of other artists do, whether it’s street art or handmade furniture, a vintage surfboard or a one-of-a-kind t-shirt, the perfect tattoo – we’re as at home in the European Galleries at the Brooklyn Museum as we are at any Williamsburg skate shop. As famed Brooklyn resident Walt Whitman once put it, we contain multitudes. One of our multitudes is our annual collaboration with artists worldwide to create hand crafted quality designs for Limited Edition OM merch to gift to our clients and painters. Once each year, our creative team researches and selects artists who understand and connect with our creative interests and company culture (artists with a similar “vibe,” if you will). We vote on a final artist, then hold a few meetings to discuss some merchandise concepts, but we give each artist creative liberty and let them run with their ideas. Once submitted to OM, we offer the artist feedback, contribute a few adjustments, finalize everything, and then our in-house creative crew will “swag it up!” "We love supporting artists, and of course, we love swag. It allows us to have fun with our brand, work with various talents from different backgrounds, and hold new perspectives and styles. " Co-founders Angel and Dmitry explain. In 2016-2017, Barcelona-based typography artist Wete created illustrated typography for OM used on our winter swag hoodies, totes, and even a promotional mural in Bushwick. In 2018-2020, Spanish artist Pedro Oyarbide, who lives and works in Madrid, created graphics for OM bandanas, sticker sheets, and long-sleeve shirts, and our Do the Right Thing mural. In 2021-2022, artist Blaze Brooks collaborated with us for long- and short-sleeve t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, mugs, and more. This year, we are thrilled to partner with Swedish artist Martin ”Mander” Ander (b. 1976), a graphic designer and illustrator based in Stockholm. During Mander's 25+ years-long career, he has designed hundreds of graphics for the skateboard industry and worked with artists such as KRS-ONE, Pearl Jam, Pixies, and Blink-182 and for brands like RVCA, Fjällräven, Vans, New Balance, and Reebok. Mander is the latest global star in the constellation of artists we’ve been developing swag with over the past few years. Mander provided designs for our signature summer inspired merch and swag that we applied to JBL Bluetooth speakers, tank tops, stamps, and a sticker sheet. We found him thanks to a graphic t-shirt he designed for Southern California clothing designer RVCA and worn around the office by one of our co-founders. Mander’s cool, detailed style and his skate-and-graffiti background are a perfect fit for us – we also love the posters he’s done for bands performing in Sweden (The National, The Strokes) and for skateboard brands. Mander’s aesthetic and branding dovetail with our culture; his designs for bands reference the posters for rock bands and music festivals in the 1960s and 1970s when it was all about peace, love, and music. Screen printed tank tops by Silky's, using signature fluorescent orange color ONLY achievable with inks using similar paint properties. The shirts work well as work wear, office wear and party wear. Mander explains, “I was tasked with creating illustrations for Overall Murals' summer swag box. The concept in the brief was "Paint Not War," which aligned with my values as a pacifist and visual artist. I searched for inspiration by looking at vintage skate and surf stickers, silver-age war comics, and old war movie posters to set the tone. I tried to find different scenarios where I could combine my two sources of inspiration, give them my twist, and incorporate my signature style of lettering. I decided to work with camouflage colors for the color scheme, which works well with Overall Murals signature orange. As a big fan of old American posters, t-shirts, and sticker designs, this project was a fun opportunity to explore.” Whether enjoying a weekend at the park or rigging yourself up a 10-story building to hand paint a mural, our custom JBL's are durable field-friendly speakers. We're thrilled about this exciting collaboration and the thought-provoking concept it brings. To help us explain it better, we enlisted the help of long-time collaborator and friend, digital artist Andrey Smirny from Computer Craphics, based in Brooklyn. The OM creative team worked with Andrey to create a design for our latest release of Painters Essentials newspaper and pins or, as we like to call them, "Medal of Honor.” This newspaper is the first of many showcasing our capabilities and summarizing the idea behind this summer's swag box. So what’s the concept, you ask? “At OM, we are on the frontlines of a battle to save the people of Earth from vinyl billboards, wild postings, and digital screens by creating exquisite, impeccable, innovative hand painted murals. By taking over more locations and with clients who choose hand-painted wallscapes for unforgettable out-of-home advertising, we can improve upon and preserve a timeless tradition and delight passersby wherever we paint a wall.” In other words, we want to kill the pixel and prove the power of paint. We’ll see you at the merch table later this summer. When it’s free, take three!

Overall Murals made, from scratch, something we really love and are proud of. Spoiler alert, it’s not an ad. We painted three big art pieces dedicated to the adventures and misadventures of 2020, thus far, in a package we titled “Do the Right Thing 2020”. The murals can be found on our largest and most unique set of walls in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at the foot of Domino Park. This is a passion project spearheaded by my partner and I, with immense support from our talented team and the undeniable skills of our favorite artists. If it appeals to you and you’d like to donate to a great cause, head over to our online store. Here you can buy some cool DTRT2020 mural related stuff, like a bandana or print. 100% of the bandana proceeds benefit an important organization, Art Start. I detail in the article below how we got here and what it means to us. Check out more photos here. In the middle of the Great Recession, in 2008, my husband, Dmitry Pankov, and I started a little painted sign shop called okMitch Studio. For two years we designed and painted most of our own murals and logos for small and big businesses around New York. When the recession was supposedly over, in 2010, we felt the pull to go bigger and beyond just the two of us. In April that year, we birthed Overall Murals, a hand painted outdoor advertising company. Fast forward 10 years, to 2020, which as many of you know, has been less than ideal. Living in a global pandemic feels like a bad acid trip, making our initial company struggles seem like a birthday party at Disneyland. I can’t imagine there’s one person out there who has not been affected, big or small, inwardly or outwardly, by the unfolding events these last several months. As an operator of out-of-home locations, the usual space filler on a piece of unsold inventory, might be a company logo, a phone number to “ADVERTISE HERE”, or in some cases, a piece of art. We’ve definitely done one of those before, but given the circumstances, felt it’s the time to contribute more. As an organization that is run by people with art backgrounds and deep artistic passions, there’s an inherent need to make something iconic and that could be a piece of art history. We consciously seek to challenge people’s minds and eyes with what we can create for the world. At the very least we could say we put our blood, sweat and tears into it. When we first entered New York’s “Pause” this past March, we were naively optimistic. “This will blow over by April… Okay, maybe May. Um, who the hell knows?” The virus continued to permeate our lives but luckily we didn’t lay anyone off and we’re still working. Subsequently, we felt compelled to make work that could respond to this new uncertain world. If you’ve received any swag from us you would know that OM enjoys making all kinds of merch. Part of our collection includes custom designed bandanas, which we’ve been making for years. This piece of cloth is needed more than ever now, and the next one required a Covid-19 inspired design. My husband concepted and gave direction to illustrator, Pedro Oyarbide, based out of Spain and an artist we have relied on over and over again for quick, yet inventive work. The art we arrived at is of a painter, wearing a shirt with “F___ the Virus” scrawled across it, whilst surfing in the barrel of a wave of viruses bobbing about. Upon its completion, we decided we’d make a coronavirus themed mural with the same artwork.' As June neared, re-openings across the country were impending. Is this big wave finally crashing down? Will business bounce back in a promising V formation? We’re all wondering where the twists and turns will lead us and hoping for the best. Black Lives Matter. As a result of built up tensions, horrible events, unsettled historical BS, plus to be honest… cabin fever, boredom, economic downturn, and the need to feel alive and that life has purpose… peaceful protests as well as unrest unfurled across our nation. Yes, although this did suck and setback business further, it was a necessary awakening for society. It became clear to us that developing relevant and informed work was a race against the everchanging newscycle. Internally, we decide to change our bandana up and make the other side dedicated to a guy surfing a wave with BLM stuff floating around him. After some debate, his shirt says, “FTP”. As we reflected on BLM and the rest of the year, the mural’s concept grew. In only the middle of June, we all felt that although the year is not yet over; it has felt like two years have passed these last three months. “How are you?” is a question we now feel uncomfortable answering. We are still riding the first uncertain wave of this already monumental, chaotic and unforgettable 2020. The news and discussion of it all is inescapable. Cell phones are glued to our hands and just about everyone is constantly reading, sharing and reposting. At this point, a recap includes the Australian fires, Kobe Bryant’s sad departure, to of course, coronavirus and its massive ripple effects, and then there were swarms of locusts and murder hornets, onto the vital flourishing and uproar of the BLM movement (including supporters and foes) to monumental events like Space X, inexplicably nonstop fireworks, and historical mass nationwide protests… As a world, country, city and people we can’t help discussing and contemplating these experiences. It is in some respect, our responsibility and the most American thing we can do to exercise our right to engage in these conversations. We’ve all been provoked. Art, too, is meant to provoke. Whether it be beautiful, thoughtful, disgusting, political, funny… what art does is question our reality and defy popular thought. The best work should make us talk, reflect and question. We must not be afraid of it. “My belief is that art should not be comforting; for comfort, we have mass entertainment and one another. Art should provoke, disturb, arouse our emotions, expand our sympathies in directions we may not anticipate and may not even wish.” ― Joyce Carol Oates At OM, a bandana design gives rise to asking… What about murals? As a mural painting company, we wanted to use our voice and platform to visually and artistically represent all of this. We made a list and sent it to our artist to create the designs. We strived to cover as much as we could and wanted to put it on our favorite advertising location. A call was made to prepare our landlord partner. Then there was a lot of internal back and forth, adding, editing and removing items, testing our designer’s patience. The final design by Pedro, who prefers to work with limited colors, was sent to us in black and white with red blood highlights. It was striking on the screen and as a print. Blowing it up in real life, however, still felt unfinished. At the last minute, after our team had already prepared the patterns for production, we enlisted a friend, Anya Karbashyan, an illustrator who works with watercolor to quickly color in the illustration’s bones. Usually color is finalized before prep, so it was a rash but essential decision. A couple of team members questioned the aesthetic need and timeline, but we were adamant that the visuals be more challenging and remarkable. The end product allowed the digital image to come alive, helping differentiate the various scenes with pretty and somewhat hallucinogenic colors and watercolor effects. The addition also helped balance some otherwise aggressive images. Still, the original deep red was purposely stained throughout. Finally the team could start painting. It took roughly seven days with seven painters. While the 100-foot street level wall documenting an out of sequence timeline of things that occurred, the second upper wall looming above it, beckons viewers, “Do the Right Thing”. The statement harkens one of Dmitry and my favorite Spike Lee films, and like our office, it’s based in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, and oh, so fitting for today’s narrative. Surrounding the text are roses, stars and hopeful symbols of better things to come. Smack dab between a pair of bird wings is a large QR code to bring folks to our store, where you can donate and receive the black and white bandana. We added a third mural to this unit, which is normally sold as a duo. We’ve never painted this wall because it’s too close to the park for advertising. This time we could use it and placed big letters stating, “2020, Now but Not Forever,” in black and white. Underneath is an artists statement or synopsis of what the mural is about, pretty much a shorter version of this whole article. We added another QR code here to bring users of it to vote.org. The public response has been largely positive. During production, those who loved it walked up to the painters with sincere compliments. Like most of our work, and especially this time, many snapped photos or simply stood there and digested it all. Of course, as expected, there were those who were not so fanatical about it; and they only let it be known from their quick passing bikes, cars or patrol vehicles. In some countries we would be censored for such a piece. We feel lucky that we are able to express ourselves and bring what’s shining daily on our screens to a big outdoor canvas. The circumstances we all experienced must be accepted as they are but as humans we innately feel the need to solve problems and implement change. And in today’s postmodern world, what can we do? DO THE RIGHT THING. We can empower one another and offer suggestions on how, by using whatever tools and means possible.

As younger generations are pedaled to a virtual life, older forms of technology are coming back. This begs the question, will humans fully stray from their analog roots? These days, it's common to witness high school and college-aged individuals rummaging through vintage shops or eBay, where they gravitate towards grainy digital point-and-shoots and even Nokia flip phones over relevant iPhones. Likewise, the New York Times highlights The Hottest Gen Z Gadget is a 20 year Old Digital Camera suggesting we may be in with the old and out with the new. At Overall Murals, my role as the Visuals Manager involves multiple hours on the busy city streets of New York. During the week, you can find me photographing our murals in Brooklyn and Manhattan, where I can't help but notice Gen Z and Millennial-aged New Yorkers taking out old-school cameras to snap a shot of their friends' outfits or capture lo-fi photos of classic SoHo side streets and even our murals. I’m guilty of packing my old cameras to take with me to photograph our paint team hand painting large-scale ads for our clients. There's more of a connection when I start shooting with my little Pentax camera instead of the latest Canon DSLR. The analog approach slows my photographing process and demands that I pay attention to every detail of the hand painting process that would otherwise get lost when I have unlimited frames to fire off with a 1TB SD card. The return of older photography methods is a similar life cycle in how hand painted advertising has risen in the last five years. Many people believe hand painted outdoor advertising is a new concept. But it's an age-old tradition that has reemerged in the last ten years. In fact, my late grandfather made his living as a billboard painter from the late 60s to the early 90s. I don't think he could have ever predicted his grandson would be working in a thriving industry of hand painted mural advertising 30 years after he hung up his brushes in 1993. It was the rise of vinyl advertising that eventually made his job obsolete. Today, as Overall Murals goes into its 13th year, we are happy to be part of a movement where a practice we thought was once dead is now alive and thriving. Due to the rise in social media, people see the value in our unique product and process that connects with the audience on a human level over the new-age vinyl and digital billboard. Passerby's witness the ad painted by talented artists and can appreciate and admire the final product with this extra context. To be clear, this isn't a stand against advanced technologies; both can and should coexist. I couldn't imagine living without our iPhones, the "swiss army knife" of our time. But it is no secret that most society craves a break from our hyper-digitized lives. I believe this same sense of "slowing down" is connected to the trends of old gadgets iGen prefers, a generation who may not remember a time when their lives weren't completely pixelated. Maybe our future will look more familiar than we think.

Meet Ariana. She's an apprentice painter at Overall Murals, known for her infectious smile and positive attitude, and has quickly become a valuable team member. Her dedication to the job, passion for the arts, creativity, and energetic personality bring life to every project she works on, making her the ideal walldog. Seven years ago, she came to the United States from Caracas, Venezuela. Since then, Ariana has been using her talent to create incredible hand painted murals nationwide. Ariana Villar joined the OM team a little over a year ago as an apprentice. Since then, she's been a part of producing some of our most memorable murals to date. You may have seen some of her meticulous line work for Hendrick's Gin, soft blends in Google's Shopping holiday campaign, and handiwork from one of our many murals for the award-winning Amazon Music's Breakthrough Artists campaign. Ariana has grown into a vital team member because she has no problem tackling any obstacle and is always eager to take on new challenges to push herself creatively. Hear #herstory: How did you become a muralist? I grew up in a very artistic environment. My mother is a painter, and my father is a photographer. So I was constantly surrounded by their creativity and passion for the arts, which encouraged me to develop my creativity at a young age. I studied graphic design and visual arts in Venezuela. I have two careers as a graphic designer and a muralist, allowing me to express my creativity differently. But nothing compares to the feeling of holding a brush and creating art with paint—that's my passion. It’s ironic because muralists aren't part of the culture in Venezuela. You typically see more graffiti artists. When I arrived in the United States, I started to see massive murals, and I was fascinated by the idea of creating art on such a grand scale. I’m an individual who likes “el reto,” which means the challenge. Jumping on my first large mural, sure, I was intimidated by the size, but I felt a rush of excitement stepping out of my comfort zone. It’s rewarding to figure out how to translate a paper-sized sketch onto a massive wall. How does Venezuela affect your work? Being from Caracas, Venezuela, I had to learn to be flexible, resourceful, and creative with my art. It was important to me to find ways to express myself despite not having the supplies—it pushed me to think outside the box. I learned to repurpose materials and experiment with different techniques, which translates into my approach to tackling challenges. I grew up around a lot of nature; in my case, I grew up with many birds—different colors, different sizes, and different sounds. So the symbol of freedom resonates with me a lot, and it just became integral to my work. It reminds me of Venezuela. It reminds me of home. Why do you think art is important to society? I don’t want to say art is everything, but art really is everything. It gives meaning to everything, especially in a world where people are often disconnected from their emotions and the world around them. Growing up, my dad told me, “If the art made you feel something, it served its purpose," and I always carry that with me. How has working at Overall Murals influenced your creative experience? Has it improved your art skills? I'm always looking for ways to improve my art. Working for Overall Murals has helped me develop and advance my skills because I get to work with other muralists and learn new styles and approaches to mural painting. This company allowed me to expand my knowledge and hone my craft so I could grow as an artist. Watching my coworkers' dedication to their art has been a constant source of motivation for me, and it holds me accountable. It reminds me that I need to keep pushing myself to grow and pursue my passions with the same dedication. I’m happy to surround myself with artistic and passionate people at OM. What advice do you have for women looking to get into the hand painted advertising industry? I advise women to be confident in their skills and not be afraid to assert themselves in a male-dominated industry. We bring a unique perspective and approach to the industry, which is really important to showcase. It's a lot of work, physically and mentally, but it's incredibly rewarding because we're always going to get the job done at the end of the day. Why do you think it's crucial to have more women, and specifically women of color, working in this field? Inclusivity. It brings diverse perspectives and experiences that can lead to more innovative solutions and ideas. Women bring unique skills and strengths that often get overlooked, but we add that special touch that can make all the difference. I'm very proud to be Latina and work for Overall Murals. They prioritize inclusivity and diversity and value the contributions of individuals from different countries and cultures, which is really important to me. I’m passionate about what I do, and I want other women to know that their voices and ideas are valuable in any industry they pursue.

With Out-of-Home advertising spending projected at more than $8 billion for 2023, Digital Out-of-Home Advertising is the leading form of engaging consumers for the new year. That’s why it’s no surprise that brands have integrated mobile technology through hand painted murals to provide an enhanced user experience that allows for a multi-prong approach to advertising campaigns. Digital integration offers an innovative opportunity for immersive advertising, where brands can incorporate creative and engaging ways to interact with current and potential consumers. We’ve seen this firsthand! Over the past two years, we’ve partnered with clients to paint advertising where mobile integration was incorporated directly into the mural design. We’ve found that our hand-paint method is perfect for capturing the attention of people passing by. Still, by adding the digital integration, we expanded the campaign’s breadth by giving people direct ways to interact using the mural as a springboard. One of our most impactful collaborations last year was with Google for their tech brand’s latest campaign, “Find That Thing,” Google sought our craft by having us paint six wallscapes in neighborhoods targeting a younger generation of hip and artistic audiences. The murals allowed passersby to “search what you see” by utilizing Google’s visual-based feature, Google Lens, which enables the audience to scan objects from the murals in real time. This compelling concept grabbed the lenses and phones of four million people who were intrigued enough by our hand painted mural to scan what they saw. During the summer of 2022, we teamed up with Doritos on their #SolidBlack activation, an ongoing initiative to provide resources and a platform for Black Changemakers to drive culture and give back to their communities. Doritos wanted a mural to increase awareness and allow people in those communities to engage with the brand in an artistic and meaningful new way through mobile integration. So we painted a Snapcode on the mural so passersby could scan the QR code and use the Snapchat app to bring the artwork to life with additional AR components. This dual advertising campaign allowed Doritos to interact directly with prospective and current consumers and increase awareness around the brand and their work outside their for-profit business. Brands have also found success by utilizing QR codes as a simple and effective way to promote themselves and produce quantifiable results. For example, we painted a scannable QR code on GoPuff’s mural, targeting young professionals on the go. During their mural campaign, the QR code directed over 575,000 city dwellers directly to the app store to add GoPuff’s grocery store app to their phones. While we pride ourselves on captivating the community while we paint and stopping them in their tracks, QR codes are a way to seal the deal for brands looking to turn audiences into active fans. Overall, our mission is to evolve our craft along with the advertising world and create relevance to hand paint's artistry by bridging it with the power of technology. We can cater to audiences IRL and online without giving up what makes Overall unique and rooted in a vibrant skillset that continues to capture audiences and advertisers. So let us help you bridge the gap between traditional out-of-home and online by engaging consumers with a combined effort that yields tangible results without sacrificing the creativity and design people love to see.

What does it mean to receive artwork made to fit the wall? Let us paint that picture for you. When a client approaches us for an outdoor mural advertising campaign, we take them through our inventory of walls where together we settle on the perfect option(s) to meet their objectives. We then provide them a spec sheet that gives them all the details about each wall’s size so that they can then begin brainstorming artwork for their future hand painted advertising campaign. Then the creative process begins! If we had to imagine what a client’s creative team’s brainstorm session looked like… we envision it’s something like this; A group of like-minded good looking individuals, huddled around a fish tank table, topped with a big hookah. The team sits in swings in the smoke-filled room and scribbles ideas onto Post-it notes, which they crumble and dunk into a basketball hoop. The first note that makes the basket, wins. Or is that not what creative agencies’ brainstorm sessions look like….? Probably not. But whether there is a fish tank table or not, there’s always an opportunity for something magical to come out of those brainstorm meetings. Whether the agency is ideating artwork for a liquor brand or a designer watch, what we’ve found most successful is when the design is meaningfully created with our specific walls (the size, orientation, neighborhood, height, etc.) in mind so that the final product becomes an eye-grabbing, mouth-gaping, picture-taking mural that screams “ROI!” What does a mural hollering ROI look like? On the west coast, located on the cusp of Silverlake and Echo Park in Los Angeles on Sunset Blvd., we have a uniquely shaped wall that features a curve in the architecture. This has become THE choice amongst a lot of liquor clients from Tecate to Cazadores. These clients took advantage of the building’s natural 3-D contour to make their product look as if it was jumping off the wall and ready to be served. (Can you say, “Great service?”) Passersby headed home after a long day at work or looking for a reason to celebrate, will pass this intoxicating mural art and eagerly check into the liquor store located right down the block. And bam, ROI! On the East Coast in New York City, we have every hipster-loving Brooklyn lover sporting or at least drooling after the latest IWC watch in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. How did we do that? The IWC artwork was specially designed to create an anamorphic perspective. On our double wall corner unit, we created a 3-dimensional shipping container showcasing their newest watch design, The Big Pilot. The artwork looks as though the watch was hand-carved out of the Swiss Alps and shipped over to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, waiting to be worn by anyone willing to sport a 20-foot tall watch (and yes, that’s a challenge). When artwork is created with the wall(s) in mind, it shows a creative’s attention to detail and thoughtfulness in considering the passerby’s (prospect’s) overall experience of the brand promoted. The care ensures the client’s brand gets a one-up in the impressions department. It also brings life to the work we do at Overall Murals, from the wall to a person’s eyes, their mind, and yeah, their soul! When our team of highly skilled and influential painters prepares to paint a client’s artwork, they too find enjoyment in translating a design from the computer screen and a small printed proof in hand to blowing it up into a large-scale mural. Better yet, when they are fans of the design, they will have a deeper desire to enhance and produce something that’s even more spectacular than what was initially digitally created. This drive for greatness is validated when people pass by and shout: “Who is this mural for?” “When will the mural be done, would love to come back for the final” “You’ve made my day with this mural!” “Wow, that’s incredible! Can I take a photo?” (Side note: actual responses captured by our murals) The artist is inspired by such responses; it’s an acknowledgment of the long hours they spend replicating the artwork, which includes days on their feet, strategizing, mixing paint, and hand painting the creative’s vision – all on a tight deadline. In the end, there’s the gratification they feel when they have accomplished the mission and delivered the final product, especially when it’s something as impressive as the murals below: That’s what’s incredible about paint. The public enjoys the process, the big reveal, and a piece that really stands out. So, next time you find yourself huddled around a fish tank table, swinging back and forth, in the hanging chairs, shooting ideas into a basketball hoop, think about what kind of artwork will have your brand or your client’s brand represented with the best return. Think, what will get an influencer snapping their Maltipoo who just happens to have more followers than you, posing in front of your mural and tagging your brand? Think you have an idea for one of our walls? Shoot us a message (or Post-it). We’re ready for your next great artwork to come through our doors and onto our walls. Check out photos of our work with clients Rigoni, Chase Sapphire and Milagro.

Meet Jaclyn. She is the Real Estate Acquisition Manager at Overall Murals. A typical day for her is non-stop phone calls, negotiating deals, and signing up new OOH walls that our team of painters can transform into beautiful murals. From Tribeca, New York to Lincoln Park, Chicago advertisers like American Express, Burberry, and TikTok have taken a liking to the walls Jaclyn is bringing to our landscapes. Jaclyn joined the OM crew two years ago after leaving a male-dominated Real Estate firm where she felt second and unappreciated. Now, at Overall Murals, Jaclyn feels at home and supported by her team after facing adversity in her previous roles. We sat with Jaclyn and asked her a few questions about her journey and her advice to other females coming up in the Real Estate industry. Hear #herstory: What does women’s history month mean to you? Women’s history month means having confidence in being vulnerable and willing to share your experiences with others. In doing so, we are inevitably creating a space for the future generation to be free of fear. How do I know this? Because it was me who exercised vulnerability just a year ago. I wrote an article for WHM where I shared a personal experience where I faced adversity in the real estate space. By allowing myself to be vulnerable in sharing my story with my fellow coworkers at Overall Murals, I was able to create a space where I feel supported and creative as I pursue a career that fulfills me. Now, 12 months later, I have achieved so much personally and in my career working alongside a fully female-led real estate team. Growing up, was there someone in your life that inspired who you are today? What was it and why? When I made my career transition back in March 2018, from teaching to real estate, friends and family often questioned my decision. They asked, “Why, when you have a stable career, take such a drastic leap by leaving it to pursue Real Estate – an industry that has a ‘no guarantees’ mentality” reputation?” rust me I was asking myself the same question. But as I step back from my fears and reflect on what drove my decision to leave teaching for Real Estate, I think about my mother who raised me and my 3 sisters as a single parent. When times were tough on our family, my mother took a leap of faith leaving all that she knew to move all her children to a new place where she felt we could have more opportunities. As the sole decision-maker for our family, my mother constantly overcame adversity by staying determined even when it could have been risky. So when I think about why I took a leap of faith to change industries and pursue a career that was deemed difficult, I think back to my mother’s leap of faith to create a space that supported her and her children’s needs. That’s why I confidently dove into something new, where I too hoped to create the space for a better future for myself and for those around me. Why did you choose to become a Real Estate Acquisition Manager? In many ways, I feel like this role chose me. I have always been a go-getter, once I set my eye on the prize I work relentlessly to make it happen. My ability to connect with people and celebrate shared experiences, be vulnerable, and be honest has yielded great results and I am excited to have continued growth here at Overall Murals. What do you like most about your role? As the manager of East Coast acquisitions, staying connected is a huge part of my role. As I discover and identify potential sign spaces, it is imperative that I build relationships with our current and prospective partners to build rapport and secure great sign space. Every time I secure a new wall, I get excited to be part of its transition. For example, our newest acquisition is located in Lincoln Park, Chicago. The facade of the wall had two tones of paint, the bricks were deteriorating and the wall became a bit of an eyesore. Our team revived the wall by repainting it and securing the brick exterior to look brand new and clean for future advertisers. Now, what was once a forgotten vinyl display is now a beautiful photo-realistic hand painted Burberry campaign seen by people driving by in their cars as they pass through to play and shop. In the end, I work hard to find beauty in the walls that may otherwise be overlooked. I secure said space for Overall Murals so we can do the work to transform it into a beautiful hand painted mural. Why is it important that more women are represented in the real estate field? ​​This question cannot be explored without first discussing the representation of BIPOC identified women in the real estate field. I hope that the value of women, all women, in the real estate space, residential, commercial, and out-of-home advertisement, isn’t just remembered every time March comes around. It is important that every month, we continue working to forge a gender-equal mindset and challenge the status quo. As a female-identified professional in the field, calling out and challenging racial stereotypes, bias, and gender assumptions are imperative in creating positive visibility for women in this field. What piece of advice would you give to women in Real Estate? I would like to let women in Real Estate know that they are enough. Their feelings and experiences are valid, and compromising oneself in order to further your career is not worth it. In my previous role at a brokerage in Williamsburg, I came close to forgetting who I was in order to appease a male-dominated office. That experience reminded me that I did not have to accept the status quo. Being successful is very important to me, but listening to my gut and drawing a line, even if it’s the path of most resistance, was the best decision I have ever made for my personal and professional growth.

It’s hard to imagine my life not being consumed by murals. Through my nearly five-year career in the outdoor advertising industry, I have gained an immeasurable amount of appreciation for the old-school niche of hand painted advertising and now, I know the industry like the back of my hand. Before working at Overall Murals, I would gawk in awe at the large painted wall outside of my old office in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I vividly recall spending my lunch breaks observing the artists as they pulled up in their paint-stained jeans, brushes in hand. It was at that moment, I was hooked, curious as to what would be painted next. I spent the summer watching as panels were decorated with expertly painted photorealistic athletes accompanied by an adorable French Bulldog from the Vans ad that first caught my eye. After that was a 100-foot long painting for Ray Ban, followed by Gatorade showcasing all of Serena Williams’ grand slams. By then I knew I needed to learn more about the company that produced these incredible pieces of art. In 2016, I was offered a role at Overall Murals. In my first few months, I found myself excitedly pointing out our mural locations to anyone who would listen. My friends and family were so supportive and excited that they started to join me in spotting murals – texting photos and Instagram stories of themselves in front of our wallscapes. To this day, not much has changed. Over the last five years, I have had the pleasure of witnessing Overall Murals grow immensely. In the beginning, the office was just a small family-like crew. At that time, I wore many hats to accomplish the various jobs that needed to be done, anything from graphic design and sales decks, to hassling our painters to make their flights and stocking up the office kitchen. In 2021 we have vastly expanded to meet the interest of clients as they jump at the opportunity to incorporate hand painted murals into their advertising. Our paint shop is always buzzing with all the energy it takes to bring our murals to life. The gifted artists who work day-in and day-out, through the snow, rain, blistering heat, and even a global pandemic, are the real stars of the show. Their talent and commitment to the craft is what makes the hard work worth it. Today, I am working within the Sales department wearing only one hat (sometimes two). Providing projects, like Lexus and Varo, for artists in a field that they love is what makes me truly passionate about mural advertising. Our continued success is due to our unwavering dedication to upholding an age-old tradition of advertising that humanizes the industry. In a society glued to its screens and consumed by digital overload, we are proud to bring our passion for hand painted murals all over the country, coast to coast. Let’s highlight the common variation of cadmium green, which is often used in advertising artwork for clients, who are environmentally friendly, or outdoorsy, and earth-friendly. It’s a bright light tint that stands out against more muted colors, while still providing a fresh look and leaving viewers with a feeling of calmness and liveliness. Tell us, are you feeling more peaceful yet?