The environmental graphics for Messiah College’s Murray Library include repositionable canvas-mounted wall signage, vinyl window signs and two murals. The “glass rooms,” as they are referred to by Library staff, were underutilized spaces in the library that students many times did not know were available for their use as group study spaces. The redesigned spaces have five distinct themes but were still meant to be viewed as unified. The goal was to have the signage be visible above the library stacks so that from a distance the spaces would appear colorful and welcoming and intrigue visitors to visit the new spaces. 

To unify the spaces, I designed circular icons representing the five themes: Relaxation Room (a space for playing board games, reading, studying or relaxing), Murray Theater (a theater space where students can view DVDs, VHS tapes, Blueray discs etc., on a flat screen TV using wireless head phones so as not to disturb others in the library), Artists’ Books Collection (space to house the library’s collection of artists books along with white gloves for interacting with the books), Graphic Novels & Zines (space for reading the library’s collection of graphic novels and zines), and Fiddlehead Forest (space for children’s books). These icons were repeated on the large canvas wall signs identifying the five rooms as well as used in the vinyl window signs at the entrance to each glass room to transition the viewer between the spaces. 

In addition to the large canvas wall signs and vinyl icon signs, each room has a distinctive quote describing the theme of the space printed on yellow vinyl so as not to distract too much from seeing the interior of the rooms. The color palette and font choices match the theme of each room as well as other signage throughout the library to make the new rooms feel a part of the existing spaces in the library. 

The final piece I created for Murray Library are two illustrated murals for the Graphic Novels & Zines room. The mural includes skylines from major cities interspersed with silhouettes of well-known characters from graphic novels and comic books along with action words to give the mural movement and action but also to highlight the theme of reading.