The Big Picture: Large-scale graphic design for businesses and public spaces.

• Date: 01 August 2022
• Author: Orr, Vanessa

When designing on a grand scale, there are a lot of factors to consider, ranging from the amount of work required to the "canvas" itself and the reactions of the many people who are going to see the mural, project, or installation.

'The beautiful thing about public art is that it is shared with everyone," explains Crystal Worl, who co-owns indigenous design firm Trickster Company along with her brother, Rico. "You're not creating one painting that will be sold to one individual for just that person to see but something that everyone can enjoy."

"When you think of designing for the general public, you have to imagine all of the people who are going to see it," says Edmond Huot, chief creative officer of Forward Media. "That means being aware of cultural sensitivities, colors, symbology, and icons, among other things. Regardless of what you might like subjectively, your design needs to resonate with the audience."

A Curved Canvas

From his office in New York City, Huot created a graphic identity for what promises to become a new fixture in Alaska. Northern Pacific Airways, a sister company of Ravn Alaska, started assembling its fleet of Boeing 757 jets earlier this year, and each one needed a new paint job. It was up to Huot to design the livery that would set Northern Pacific apart from all other airlines.

"The client gave us a blank slate, including coming up with a name as well as the brand identity, livery, and marketing; it was an awesome opportunity," says Huot, "but we needed to take great care in the design, with an understanding of the cultural significance of Alaska and its indigenous people as well as what people in Asia think of various colors and symbols."

The livery design also had to look correct when painted on a 155-foot canvas of aircraft aluminum. "Unlike a magazine ad, you're working on a large, cylindrically shaped object, and you have to understand the dimensionality of an aircraft," Huot says. "You need to appreciate how lines and stripes and colors will sit on a curved shape and different types of metal. It is an exceptional backdrop."

The design itself is black and white, which Huot says speaks to Alaska's natural elements including snow, mountains, rocks, and ice. A line motif races across the fin of the tail.

"This very abstract graphic speaks to air movement and ascension," says Huot. "We wanted to keep it quite abstract so that people looking at it could make their own judgements."

The livery also makes a statement about the nature of the company. "Even though Northern Pacific is a low-cost carrier, we wanted it to be simple and elegant to let people know that they would still get a premium...