Universal shared the behind-the-scenes story of a new mural at Port of Entry in Universal Islands of Adventure. The mural is outside the land’s recently refurbishment restrooms and replaced a potentially offensive sign.
Islands of Adventure Mural
The artwork was conceived by Jodie Meade, a graphic designer with Universal Creative Placemaking.
“I went into the park and looked at all the murals out there,” she told Discover Universal Blog. “Port of Entry is a melting pot of different places and people, and they bring all their stuff together. The murals are basically advertisements for the goods and services offered by the locals that live there.”
Meade wanted the advertisement to be water-based and incorporate the Pharos Lighthouse.
“I was playing around with different words for water, and I like French,” she said. “I always like to throw in a pun where I can. I was wondering how I could incorporate ‘eau de toilette,’ which is perfume. Since Pharaoh’s lighthouse is tall and skinny, I thought it would be funny if it was a perfume bottle.”
The design naturally progressed from there to what guests now see on the wall at Universal Islands of Adventure: a lighthouse-shaped perfume bottle with text on an aged scroll of paper reading “Îles De L’aventure Eau De Toilette Spray Since 1999”. The year is a reference to the park’s opening.
The blue waves were designed to complement the existing Port of Entry Water Works Authority mural, which was repainted during the refurbishment.
Painter Heidi Scheumann, who has been a team member for 23 years, helped Meade match the colors.
“I referenced a lot of older files from original Port of Entry facility drawings to try to find what colors they used, and manually matched them as closely as I could,” said Meade. “Heidi came to our office and I had all my prints and color swatches for her to see. She brought swatches too, and we went over the whole mural to make sure she understood where I wanted the colors, and that I understood what the finished product would look like.”
Scheumann then took Meade’s drawing and projected it on the wall. She outlined the image in soft charcoal pencil before beginning the painting process.
“I’ll blend the colors together so they’re not just harsh lines, and I’ll age down the banner to give it some depth,” Heidi explained. “I’ll have Jodie come out and approve things as I go.”
Meade said, “I was blown away when I first saw it after just one night [of painting]. Heidi made it come to life on the wall — she’s so good!”
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