09 Nov We Like: Walsall Typographic Mural

Like many small towns across the country, Walsall on the outskirts of Birmingham has been massively hit by the recession over the last few years. The promise of investment and re-generation after the building of the multi million pound Art Gallery couldn’t really stand up to the huge decline in major retailers on its high street and above average local un-employment. I have to confess despite having taken my first steps in the world of Graphic Design at Walsall College of Art & Design, many moons ago, and now only living a 15 minute car ride away, I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve visited in the last 24 months.

But enough of the doom and gloom, on my last visit I was very intrigued and happy to see the unusual 22 metre long typographic mural adorning the walls around the shopping centre. The mural interweaves interesting facts about the towns history as well as practical way finding signage to some local key points of interest.

The typography styling is quite reminiscent of the Blackpool Comedy Carpet with it’s eclectic mix of old school type, but this is no bad thing and does a great job of adding interest to the numerical factoids. Whilst currently a temporary addition made from stencils and paint there is hope it will be re-created as a permanent ceramic mural, and I for one am all for it. I also noticed that the Art Gallery is part of the Artist Rooms on tour scheme and features a Damien Hurst room from now until October 2013. Hopefully this will help with visitor numbers over the coming months and things can finally start to look up for Walsall, fingers crossed.