Papamoa College Gym Wall

Papamoa College Gym Wall Mural – Large-Scale Signage Project

We were approached by Papamoa College to transform the large blank wall of their gymnasium into a powerful visual statement. The goal was to create a dynamic, compositionally striking image reminiscent in style of vintage All Blacks posters. Prominent Year 12 and 13 students were featured to represent the cultural and sporting diversity of the school.

Local photographer Alex Cairns was commissioned to photograph each student individually against a dark background in a variety of poses. Working closely with the school, we selected the strongest images and arranged them into a dramatic V-shaped composition. Over 30 hours of Photoshop editing went into cutting out each student, enhancing lighting and shadows, and compositing the group onto a moody stock image of Papamoa Beach.

The 7-metre-high wall comprises 33 vertical fluted Clearlite panels, each 1060mm wide. Given the wall’s full exposure to morning sunlight and the dark tones in the artwork, substrate movement was a key consideration. To ensure longevity and flexibility, we printed on 3M IJ180mC vinyl with a gloss laminate.

More than 230 lineal metres of print were trimmed, aligned using registration tabs, and prepped for installation. Installation was done in January 2025. Application commenced daily once the wall was in shade from around 11am. On average, four - five drops were installed per day, resulting in a total onsite install time of nine days. The primary challenge was aligning prints accurately over the full 7-metre height while contending with changing hummidity and weather conditions. Thanks to meticulous planning and execution, alignment issues were minimal. A 5mm gap between each panel also helped mitigate visual deviations.

The school was thrilled with the final result. The mural is highly visible from a busy approaching road hundreds of metres away, dramatically increasing the school’s visual presence in the community. This project allowed us to showcase our expertise in large-scale wall art, and we are incredibly proud of the outcome. The feedback from the school and the wider community has been overwhelmingly positive.