Vida e Caffè Mural: Flamingo Square

A friend put me in touch with the franchise owners of the Flamingo Square Vida e Caffè store. They wanted to brighten up their space with a mural. The brand makes magic across Mzanzi with over 300 stores including those in neighbouring countries. So naturally, I felt honoured to recieve the project.

The design is a three-colour geometric pattern that is easily recognised as the ‘Vida e pattern’. I vectorized the pattern, helping to accurately work out the measurements for the 2,3-meter-tall mural.

Preparing the surface and grid

I started by cleaning the 4 square-meter surface with a general cleaner (free from bleach or ammonia) to prepare the wall for paint. Next, I masked the borders of the design and measured these against those provided by the client. This step made sure the wall was indeed a rectangle and is a crucial step in aligning the design to the environment. Notice how the pattern lines up with the light fitting, and how four blocks fit vertically. These details did not happen by accident and are part of the mural preparation.

Masking up the design

Measuring out 56cm blocks, I began to build the grid within which the pattern would live. Each block of the pattern consisted of 25 shapes made up of 20 triangles and five squares. I began by masking the 12 red shapes, using tape and paper to cover all the areas intended to be black and white.

First layers of paint

Using Montana Hardcore Vivid Red, a durable and glossy aerosol paint, I applied two layers for the red squares. Peeling away the masking tape was incredibly satisfying, revealing the first blocks of the pattern. The masking tape and texture of the wall made it challenging to produce clean lines. This resulted in some drips outside of the intended areas. I decided not to mask the black and white blocks, choosing instead to paint by hand to achieve clean lines with a brush.

Final Touches

I removed overspray and imperfections with a small brush to complete the mural. Thank you to Vida e’s Ross, Pravesh, and Lyle for trusting me with the project. It was a pleasure to work with you and your team, Vusi, Tadeka, and Jack. I look forward to popping in for a recharging cup of coffee when I am next in the area.